One of my favorite 'cover bands' -- The Mingus Big Band

I think these guys do a terrific job of channeling the spirit of Mingus. Blues & Politics is my favorite. Gunslinging Birds is a close second. Mingus, in my mind, was a social activist in the Jazz medium. His work can be dissonant, but there's structure there. Many of my favorites compositions have the call and response rhythms of holy rollin church sermons; one instrument is preaching and the rest of the band is shouting 'Amen'...or arguing. I always liked that his compositions really try to extend beyond the 4 minute mark. He was into large ensembles and extended compositions. And he was very much a composer. I grabbed this quote from wiki

"...if the free-form guys could play the same tune twice, then I would say they were playing something...Most of the time they use their fingers on the saxophone and they don't even know what's going to come out."

Anyway... I'm no Mingus or Jazz expert. I started out listening to Miles, then Monk, some Coltrane...then I eventually hit Mingus and I found something that I really dig, even if I sometimes struggle with it. Click the pic and give a listen, a full listen. Don't miss Meditations, Oh Lord, and Freedom.