Having warned in Jazzwise 275 that my reissue of the year “may not be for Mingus beginners”, here is the perfect gift for just such a reader. It comprises the complete contents of the renowned Pithecanthropus Erectus, The Clown, Blues And Roots and Mingus Ah Um (including five tracks from these sessions that were only released later – though not the few alternate takes that have emerged).

This means, as well as the extraordinary title numbers of the first two albums, such famous tracks as ‘Haitian Fight Song’, ‘Reincarnation Of A Lovebird’, ‘Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting’, ‘Moanin’’, ‘Better Git It In Your Soul’ and ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat’. It also means a crash course in Mingus's compositional techniques and their varied textural and emotional outcomes, including brilliant solo contributions from all the players listed above, including of course Mingus. (It's worth noting that Ah Um is taken from the edition that restores some solos originally edited out.) Sound quality is comparable to previous CD issues and a lengthy booklet note assembles many previously published comments, including one from John Fordham and much of the original liner-notes. Here, we have no space for such detail but, whether you’re a beginner or not, there's a whole lot of great music here in which to luxuriate.