Mingus’s music, like the man himself, was unpredicatable, passionate and sometimes explosive. His recordings of the late 1950s, in particular, have come to be seen as an eloquent expression of the frustration and bitterness felt by African Americans in those years. But there’s much more to Mingus’s music than that. His compositions could also be gentle, witty, reflective and wildly joyous. The four CDs in this box convey the essence of the man in a sizable anthology of pieces from his most celebrated albums, including Tijuana Moods, Blues and Roots, Mingus Ah Um and Mingus Dynasty.