“Gospel fervor, flamenco tinges, fogbound moodiness, bebop complexity, the joy and despair of the blues, Schoenber­gian atonality, were all bound together by Mingus. A driven skipper, sometimes more crazed than Ahab, he conducted from the bridge, shouting praise, condemnation, and love.” – Doug Ramsey in Jazz Masters: Reflections on the Music & Some of Its Makers (University of Arkansas Press)