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Atlantic · 1960

Blues & Roots

Charles Mingus

Recorded: February 4, 1959   Original cat#: 1305 / SD 1305
Charles Mingus — Blues & Roots album cover

Blues & Roots was recorded February 4, 1959 at Atlantic Studios in New York City, produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and engineered by Tom Dowd. Released March 1960 as Atlantic 1305 (mono) / SD 1305 (stereo), the album was Charles Mingus's direct response to critics who said his increasingly experimental music didn't swing – Ertegun had suggested he record a pure blues album. Mingus assembled a nine-piece group, including Jackie McLean, John Handy, Booker Ervin, and Pepper Adams on saxophones, with Horace Parlan and Mal Waldron splitting piano duties. All six original tracks are Mingus compositions; a 1998 Rhino CD reissue added four alternate takes not on the original LP, later carried onto at least one Rhino vinyl reissue as well.

This is a hard-driving nine-piece hard bop session with a lot of horn density, so pressing quality matters more than usual for how well individual horns separate versus blur together. As with many Atlantic stereo releases of this era, Tom Dowd hard-panned much of the instrumentation – a property of the original mix, not a reissue's fault.

Best early pressing for audiophiles: Atlantic SD 1305 – 1960 original pressing, green/blue "bullseye" label with fan logo.

Best modern pressing for audiophiles: contested between two current options – see the note below on the 2026 Rhino Reserve mono pressing versus the Analogue Productions APA 001-45.

A note on a second modern reference pressing: Rhino Reserve (2026)

After this guide's initial pass, a second legitimate audiophile reissue turned up: Rhino Reserve's mono edition (catalog RES1 1305), released January 9, 2026 as part of Rhino's "Start Your Ear Off Right" series, mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog mono master tapes and pressed at the new Fidelity Record Pressing plant in Southern California. This is confirmed via a real Discogs release page with matrix data (release/36150229), not just promotional copy. A video review (That Shelf) covers it favorably, and one detailed Discogs owner review directly A/B'd it against the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 stereo pressing: they found the AP's packaging superior and its stereo mix pronouncing Mingus's bass more, but preferred the Rhino Reserve's mono mix overall and noted a quieter noise floor on the Fidelity Record Pressing vinyl versus the AP's QRP pressing. Worth knowing this is a mono-only pressing if you specifically want stereo.

Best-value modern: London/Atlantic UK pressing (Decca manufactured, 1960) – a reasonable alternate when a US original is scarce or overpriced.

Pressing tier summary

Tier ⇅ Pressing Cat# Year ⇅ Format Source / Mastering Notes Market ⇅
S Analogue Productions APA 001-45, QRP-pressed (numbered) APA 001-45 2023 Stereo, 45rpm, 2×180g Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio; QRP First 2,000 copies numbered; Stoughton tip-on gatefold market data pending
S Analogue Productions APA 001-45, RTI-pressed (unnumbered) APA 001-45 2023 Stereo, 45rpm, 2×180g Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio; RTI Same mastering, later/unnumbered pressing run market data pending
S Rhino Reserve RES1 1305 2026 Mono, 33⅓, 180g Matthew Lutthans, The Mastering Lab; Fidelity Record Pressing "Start Your Ear Off Right" series; owner comparison found a quieter noise floor than the AP QRP pressing, mono-only market data pending
A Atlantic SD 1305 SD 1305 1960 Stereo, 33⅓ Tom Dowd / Atlantic lacquer Green/blue bullseye label, fan logo market data pending
B London/Atlantic UK pressing SD 1305 (UK) 1960 Stereo, 33⅓ Decca manufactured Blue label, silver writing market data pending
C Rhino vinyl reissue (2000s) SD 1305 (Rhino) – Stereo, 33⅓, 180g Mastering credited only by initials ("DC"); pressed at Rainbo Records Includes four bonus alternate takes not on the original LP; not to be confused with the 2026 Rhino Reserve above market data pending

Buyer's guide by budget

$$ (Affordable): The London/Atlantic UK pressing, or the Rhino reissue if you specifically want the bonus alternate takes.

$$$ (Mid-range): A clean Atlantic SD 1305 original, condition-dependent.

$$$$$ (Premium): The Analogue Productions APA 001-45 45rpm stereo reissue, or the Rhino Reserve mono pressing – see the note above on the trade-offs between them.

References

Related guides: Mingus Ah Um · The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady · Giant Steps

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