What’s striking about this superb engagement from Ronnie Scott’s in August 1972 is the personnel. On drums is the boundlessly creative and rock-solid Roy Brooks, in for Mingus stalwart and soulmate Dannie Richmond. On piano, in the mold of the great Mingus sidemen Jaki Byard, Sir Roland Hanna, and Don Pullen, is the inventive John Foster, who dashes off a compelling vocal on “Noddin’ Ya Head Blues” (Brooks’ musical saw being the other major highlight). Tenor/soprano sax and clarinet man Bobby Jones augments a front line consisting of the two surviving members of the group: alto saxophonist Charles McPherson and trumpeter Jon Faddis. Together they render “Orange Was the Color of Her Dress,” “Fables of Faubus,” “Mind-Readers’ Convention in Milano,” and “The Man Who Never Sleeps” as captivating long-arc group improvisations. Every player is ablaze, including Mingus killing it on the bass. Tempo, form, and texture are putty in the hands of this wildly inventive Mingus lineup.