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I was so excited when I saw this had been released and was getting superlative reviews. It's good, to be sure. Mingus is always interesting, and his records/shows with Eric Dolphy are always of good quality.
But I think that Mingus is one of the only jazz greats whose recorded works I prefer over the live stuff. His records like Ah Um, Tijuana Moods, and Black Saint & Sinner Lady are so lively and rollicking, whereas the live discs I have tend to be more somber and mellow. Nothing wrong with that, but it tends to fade into the background, which never happens when playing Better Git It In Your Soul or Wed Night Prayer Meeting.
This definitely has its rocking points, and Mingus is yakking it up during the songs the whole time, but the 30-minute "Meditations" just drags, in my opinion, along with a few others that just seem... aimless.