Consisting of three alumni from Charles Mingus' band - Adams and Pullen in the mid-70s, Dannie Richmond from the 1950s onward - plus bassist Cameron Brown, the Pullen-Adams (or Adams-Pullen) quartet maintained a consistent lineup from their formation in 1979 until Richmond's death in 1988. Richmond described their sound, blending elements from the blues through free jazz, as "something for everybody".