The Mingus Big Band, who have lost a little of their edge on their past couple of albums, introduce a few wrinkles on this effort--which, as all its predecessors do, consists of compositions by the late and great Charles Mingus. On four consecutive tunes, the band expands to the 11-piece Charles Mingus Orchestra, a bottom-enhancing unit that includes French horn, bassoon, and bass clarinet. The finale is a partial reading of the neglected extended masterpiece "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" (1963). On the '60s-derived song "Invisible Lady," genre-hopping rocker Elvis Costello sings his own lyrics. Costello is less than a natural in this setting, both as a vocalist and as an overly poetic wordsmith. The orchestra, however, which makes its recorded debut, breathes burnished truth into songs such as "Eclipse." The 17-minute "Black Saint" excerpt, arranged as are many of the songs by trusty Mingus veteran Sy Johnson, is no substitute for the gripping original, but handles the ebbs, flows, and episodic shifts with 駘an. As a whole, Tonight at Noon succeeds in casting appreciative light on Mingus's melodic-reflective side while managing to incorporate the earthiness that so strongly defined him. --Lloyd Sachs