Pithecanthropus Erectus was Mingus' breakthrough as a leader, the album where he established himself as a composer of boundless imagination and a fresh new voice that, despite his ambitiously modern concepts, was ?rmly grounded in jazz tradition. The tune that gave the album it's name is one of Mingus' true masterpieces: a four-movement tone poem depicting man's evolution from pride and accomplishment to hubris and slavery, and ?nally to ultimate destruction. This was the ?rst album where Mingus tailored his arrangements to the personalities of his musicians, teaching the pieces by ear instead of writing everything out. 180-GRAM VIRGIN VINYL • LIMITED EDITION