This album was recorded in October 1960 and released in 1961 on the Candid label. It is one of Mingus's most controversial records, as it includes the piece 'Original Faubus Fables', a direct critique of Arkansas segregationist governor Orval Faubus. The original version of this composition had been censored by Columbia Records in 1959.
The quartet featured on the album consists of Mingus (bass), Eric Dolphy (alto sax and bass clarinet), Ted Curson (trumpet), and Dannie Richmond (drums). The recordings were made in a single session, and the atmosphere was tense due to free improvisations and intense musical interactions.
The album also includes the piece 'What Love?', based on the standard 'What Is This Thing Called Love?' by Cole Porter, and 'All the Things You Could Be by Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother', a humorous title reflecting Mingus's provocative style. The original cover showed Mingus with a defiant expression.