Live The Thelonious Monk Quartet

Thelonious Monk's 1960 quartet (which also includes tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and (for a brief period) drummer Billy Higgins is augmented on this live session by two guests: trumpeter Joe Gordon and the tenor of Harold Land. The extra horns uplift the date and add some surprising moments to what otherwise might have been a conventional but still spirited live session. Highlights include "Let's Call This," "Four in One" and a swinging version of "I'm Getting Sentimental over You."

Thelonious Monk Quartet - Misterioso (1958) {OJC Remasters Complete Series rel 2012, item 23of33}
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© 1958, 2012 Riverside / Concord | 0888072337251
Jazz / Bop / Post Bop / Piano

Concord Music Group releases three new titles in its Original Jazz Classics Remasters series. Enhanced with 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, bonus tracks on each release (some previously unissued), and new liner notes to provide historical context to the originally released material, the series showcases pivotal recordings of the past several decades by artists whose influence on the jazz tradition continues to reverberate among jazz musicians and audiences well into the 21st Century.

Thelonious Monk - Live In Paris (1964) {2CD Set, France's Concert FCD 132/2 rel 1989}
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© 1964, 1989 France's Concert | FCD 132/2
Jazz / Bop / Modal Music / Piano

The first of two separate CDs from concerts done in Paris during the winter of 1964, Monk's quartet with Butch Warren (bass), Ben Riley (drums) and Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), showcases one standard and four of the pianist's originals. Only "Epistrophy," the closer, is in short form. Noticeable from the opening refrains of "Four in One" is Rouse, bending notes, extrapolating and modifying the melody, challenging Monk to do the same. The pianist then does a retort before laying completely out as Rouse solos. The band follows the same easy swinging mid-tempo ritual for the next two pieces; "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and "Straight, No Chaser," as tenor sax, piano, bass and drum solos line up before heading back to the melody. A stride-ish intro by Monk sets up "Sentimental" and "Epistrophy," while solos are concise.

An unheard recording of a 1968 high school performance by jazz great Thelonious Monk, Palo Alto, is set for release by Impulse! Records on 31 July. It will mark his posthumous debut on the revered label. The surprise performance came about after 16-year-old high school student Danny Scher had a dream to invite the storied pianist and composer and his all-star quartet to perform a concert at his local high school in Palo Alto, California. Against a backdrop of racial tension and political volatility, the concert took place on 27 October 1968, and was recorded by the school’s janitor.

Thelonious Monk played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1963 and created a buzz so strong he was invited back the following year. His one-hour set from 1964 is available here, featuring his quartet through the first forty minutes. Tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse and drummer Ben Riley are joined by Steve Swallow on upright acoustic bass loaned from the Art Farmer group, whom he performed with at the event. Having studied Monk's music and played it with Steve Lacy, Swallow was ready to jump into the fray for his first-ever performance with Monk, having not even spoken with the pianist up to show time. He sounds very comfortable, swinging effortlessly, playing mostly quarter notes throughout the concert, but rarely straying off the path…

Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall (1957) {Blue Note}
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© 2005 Blue Note | 0946 3 35173 2 5
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano / Saxophone

On paper it seems as if such titanic and distinctive musical personalities as Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane might not mix very well, but this stellar set, recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1957, plays almost like a blissful extended duet between the two (with support from a sensitive yet hard-swinging bassist and drummer). The opener, "Monk's Mood," for example, features the composer/pianist's typically brilliant, idiosyncratic playing, while Coltrane floats over the top in the most lyrical of modes. Monk, in particular, is a master of tension-and-release tunefulness, creating rhythmic and harmonic intricacies that seem to spur Coltrane's saxophone exploration to new heights.

Recorded live in Tokyo, this LP captures the quartet on their first Asian tour, performing mostly Thelonious Monk's own tunes, such as "Straight, No Chaser," "Blue Monk," and "Bemsha Swing." The Japanese audience reacts enthusiastically, with the quartet responding in kind with a generally inspired performance. There are few, if any, surprises - just solid playing and delightfully swinging, and at times hard-hitting, group and individual performances. While this may have been an average night for Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Monk seems invigorated by the setting, putting forth a strong effort with exciting results…

An unheard recording of a 1968 high school performance by jazz great Thelonious Monk, Palo Alto, is set for release by Impulse! Records on 31 July. It will mark his posthumous debut on the revered label. The surprise performance came about after 16-year-old high school student Danny Scher had a dream to invite the storied pianist and composer and his all-star quartet to perform a concert at his local high school in Palo Alto, California. Against a backdrop of racial tension and political volatility, the concert took place on 27 October 1968, and was recorded by the school’s janitor.

When he set foot on the stage of Club Doelen on Oct. 28, 1967 in Rotterdam, Thelonious Monk had just turned 50. 15 years later, he disappeared from the music scene and spent his 6 final years in New York, at Pannonica de Koenigswater's, and never touched a piano again.