Of Charles Mingus's late-period recordings, the best are this and its follow-up, Changes Two, both recorded in 1974. Mingus hadn't led a band with an end-to-end cohesiveness and lasting power like this one since the 1964 group that recorded Revenge: The Legendary Paris Concerts. Tenor saxophonist George Adams, pianist Don Pullen, and trumpeter Jack Walrath made a wicked team, with Adams and Walrath combining poignant bluesy sensibilities and heartfelt emotional power. Adams had a power on tenor sax that exceeded most of the horn's players in both his phrasing and his solo architecture. The tunes on Changes One echo Mingus's political bent but do so in a way that seems to balance fury, ennui, and church-inflected shouts. Of particular note also is Adams's vocal belting on "Devil Blues." Vocals in a Mingus group haven't sounded this good since Oh Yeah. --Andrew Bartlett