Tonight At Noon ... Three Or Four Shades of Love—Mingus Big Band

(Dreyfus Jazz 36633)

If you're looking for some scintillating New York Big Band jazz, look no further than this seventh collection by the Mingus Big Band. The project was blessed and overseen by Charles Mingus' widow, Sue, who also has a new book out on her iconoclastic husband, with the identical title as the CD and published by Hyperion.

The common thread that runs throughout this release is that all of the Mingus compositions herein—performed by such Manhattan stalwarts as Craig Handy, Conrad Herwig, Randy Brecker, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Dave Kikoski, Ronnie Cuber, Vincent Herring and others—center on the overlying premise of love. Seamus Blake's tenor sax anoints "Noon Night" with a lovey-dovey sensitivity. Make no mistake, Mingus' genius brass colorations bounce happily across Gunther Schuller's flavorful arrangements.

Perhaps the cross-cultural lean on Tonight At Noon ... is the appearance of singer Elvis Costello on "Invisible Lady." It takes a few bars to recognize his voice, but not only does EC make a significant appearance on the record, but he also wrote the lyrics for this expansive tune. Now that's no mean feat when you consider how many twists and turns Mingus' charts usually employ.