Charles Mingus died in January 1979. Nineteen months later, on 18 August 1980, his drummer of more than twenty years took what was left of the last Mingus band into Fonoprint Studio in Bologna and recorded six tunes for the Dutch label Timeless.

Dannie Richmond had rarely led a date. Here he heads the quintet that had backed Mingus at the end: Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, Bob Neloms on piano, and Cameron Brown in the bass chair the leader had vacated. The record was co-produced by Richmond and Alberto Alberti, the Bologna promoter.

Five Mingus compositions and one by Sy Johnson, the arranger of the late big-band albums. A thirteen-minute Fables of Faubus opens. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Nostalgia in Times Square and Noddin' Ya Head Blues follow, then a ten-minute Duke Ellington's Sound of Love and Johnson's Wee. Dusty Groove hears the tunes taken more gently and open-handedly than on the originals, with warmth in place of Mingus's force. Scott Yanow at AllMusic: everyone in fine form, and although one misses Mingus, the music has its exciting moments.

The original Timeless sleeve managed to misspell almost every title ("Fabous Is Fobous", "Good Bye Pork Pye"). Japanese CD edition from Solid's Timeless series.