Mahogany is particularly seductive in articulating Roland Kirk's lyrics to the Lester Young homage "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (rock guitarist Jeff Beck covered the tune to extraordinary effect on his great Wired album in 1975) and on "Eclipse," the introspective blues song that opens the record. The band never flags; rather, it builds in intensity, careering through a punchy, revival-meeting "Better Git Hit in Your Soul" before ending on "Tonight at Noon," a twisting, moody piece featuring Dennis Mackrel's powerful drumming. Mingus, who died in 1979, has inspired everyone from Joni Mitchell to Mingus Dynasty, and Mahogany, a vocalist whose attempts to cross R&B with jazz in the late '90s were somewhat compromised, stays true to his roots here, effectively aligning his talents with music that simply doesn't date.
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