After being unceremoniously dumped by Columbia on the same day in 1972 as Ornette Coleman, Bill Evans, and Keith Jarrett, Charles Mingus re-signed with Atlantic in 1973, home to some of his most important recordings. He released seven criminally underappreciated albums before amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) claimed his life in 1979. Rhino offers a comprehensive reappraisal with Changes: The Complete 1970s Atlantic Studio Recordings. 1973's Mingus Moves was produced by Neshui Ertegun. It showcased a new band with saxophonist George Adams, pianist Don Pullen, trumpeter Ronald Hampton, and bassist and longtime drummer Dannie Richmond. Highlights include opener "Canon," the Latin-tinged "Flowers for a Lady," the knotty "Opus Four," and bonus alternates of "Big Alice" and "The Call." 1974's Changes One and Changes Two are presented in separate volumes. Among the most satisfying LPs in Mingus' discography, it's almost the same band, but Jack Walrath replaces Hampton. Highlights on the first include the long, suite-like "Sue's Changes" and "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love," as well as the stomping "Remember Rockefeller at Attica." Changes Two opens on the political tip with the boisterous "Free Cell Block F, 'Tis Nazi USA," followed by a long, rhapsodic version of "Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blue." 1977's Three or Four Shades of Blues was released after Mingus was diagnosed with ALS, but he still played bass. Recorded over two days, it features alternating lineups. Guitarists Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine appear on side one's blazing blues-rock read of "Better Git Hit in Your Soul" and offer glorious dueling acoustic guitars on "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." Coryell and John Scofield deliver big on the title track, while Catherine joins Scofield on the swinging closer "Nobody Knows." Richmond and Walrath return, joined successively by saxophonists Ricky Ford and Sonny Fortune, bassists George Mraz and Ron Carter (though Mingus plays all the solos), and pianists Bob Neloms and Jimmy Rowles. 1978's Cumbia & Jazz Fusion was recorded 19 days before its predecessor. Performed by a large cast, it consists of two side-long tracks serving as both score and soundtrack for Elio Petri's 1976 film Todo Modo. The album weds the rowdy, carnivalesque, 28-minute title cut and the lush, exploratory, labyrinthine, 26-minute "Todo Modo" seamlessly. The set's final two albums, Me, Myself an Eye and Something Like a Bird offer large, star-studded lineups. They were recorded simultaneously and released posthumously. Mingus could no longer play and directed the musicians from a wheelchair. The former includes the glorious, Ellingtonian ballad "Carolyn Kiki Mingus" and the roiling, Afro-Latin-saturated "Three Worlds of Drums." Something Like a Bird's 31-minute title track, though unheralded at the time, is a masterpiece composed as a tribute to Charlie Parker. Changes: The Complete 1970s Atlantic Studio Recordings is packaged with an illustrated booklet containing rare photos and an extensive liner essay by Andrew Homzy. This box presents the opportunity for a major reappraisal of this important yet under-recognized era of Mingus' work. ~ Thom Jurek