Although I groaned when I read Goodman’s remark in the preface that “Mingus allowed me to be his Boswell”, the additional interviews with other musicians and critics are incisive. Among the commentators is the respected jazz archivist Dan Morgenstern, who said: “I don’t think there is anybody in the music field whom Mingus has dealt with who he has not threatened to kill at one time or another, including his best friends. You just learn to live with that, not take it seriously.”