Charles Mingus: Eulogy for Rudy Williams

A tribute to the late saxophonist of the Savoy Sultans, drowned shortly before the session in a summer swimming accident, Eulogy for Rudy Williams is an atmospheric masterpiece. The structure balances looseness and control; its a pleasure to hear new thematic material emerge mid-performance. LaPorta and Maceros high-register harmonies contribute a haunting clarinet-like effect, arcing in hazy backgrounds for the leaders featured playing. Barrows insistent accompaniment to the bass solos prefigures the inexorable opening strain of Pithecanthropus Erectus, a landmark Mingus composition recorded 15 months later.