Pithecanthropus erectus

'Pithecanthropus Erectus' is a breakthrough work for composer-bassist Charles Mingus, who famously taught the ambitious arrangements to his quintet by ear rather than using written scores. The album is defined by its ten-minute title track, a turbulent tone poem that uses a mix of hard bop and startling collective improvisation to musically depict the rise and hubristic fall of early man. The impassioned, searching saxophone solos of Jackie McLean and J.R. Monterose, combined with the ensemble's dynamic range, mark the recording as a crucial and influential step in the development of avant-garde and free jazz.