Limited 180 gram vinyl LP pressing of this classic 1956 Jazz album. Pithecanthropus Erectus was Mingus' breakthrough as a leader, the album where he established himself as a composer of boundless imagination and a fresh new voice that, despite his ambitiously modern concepts, was firmly grounded in jazz tradition. With this album he began seeking new ways to increase the evocative power of the art form and challenge his musicians (this release includes Jackie McLean on alto sax and Mal Waldron on piano) to break preexisting conventions. Wax Time.