The album was recorded in January 1963 by an eleven-piece band. Mingus has called the album's orchestral style 'ethnic folk-dance music'. Mingus's perfectionism led to extensive use of studio overdubbing techniques. The album features liner notes written by Mingus and his then-psychotherapist, Edmund Pollock. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is often characterized by jazz and music critics as one of Mingus's two major masterworks (the other being 'Mingus Ah Um' [1959]) and has frequently ranked highly on lists of the best albums of all time.

Track Listing:
1. Solo Dancer (Stop! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!) - Charles Mingus
2. Duet Solo Dancers (Hearts' Beat Shadens in Physical Embraces) - Charles Mingus
3. Group Dancers (Soul Fusion) [freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries] - Charles Mingus
4. Trio and Group Dancers (Stop! Look! And Sing Songs of Revoultions!) - Charles Mingus
5. Single Solos and Group Dance (Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment On Battle Front) - Charles Mingus
6. Group and Solo Dance (Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, Then Farewell, My Beloved, 'Til It's Freedom Day) - Charles Mingus

Year of Production: 1963