Serious jazz fans cite The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as a monumental album that can be appreciated on multiple levels. Of all Charles Mingus' works, it will probably endure the longest. From a production standpoint, it was one of the first jazz records to make extensive use of studio overdubs for added texture and colour, even though the eleven musicians who played on it were free to improvise off of Mingus' demanding score. Among the musicians whom bass player Mingus assembled for this album were Richard Williams on trumpet, Jerome Richardson on flute and baritone saxophone, Booker Ervin on tenor sax, Jaki Byard on piano, and longtime Mingus regulars Dannie Richmond on drums and Charlie Mariano on alto sax, who is arguably the star of the show.