The album where Charles Mingus became Charles Mingus. 1956's Pithecanthropus Erectus is an example of a great artist expanding his or her mind and moving creatively into uncharted
territory. A landmark jazz album that was full of progressively modern ideas, yet rooted in the tradition of the then jazz greats of the past. With Erectus, Charles Mingus tailored the music to
the strengths and personalities of each member of his band. He accomplished this by teaching the members of his group by ear rather than writing out the music for them to study. The title
track is one of his greatest works: a four-movement tone poem depicting man's evolution from pride and accomplishment to hubris and slavery and finally to ultimate destruction. The layers
of each song on this album right down to the band mimicking the sounds of traffic with honking horns, and sirens (sounds all manufactured by the instruments) help cement this album's
place in history. Enjoy it in its entirety on the first Sunday morning of 2015 wherever you are...
