Live The Thelonious Monk Quartet

Miles Davis & Thelonious Monk - Miles & Monk At Newport (1991) {Sony Music Japan SRCS 5698 rec 1958, 1963}
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© 1991 Sony Music Japan | SRCS 5698
Jazz / Modal Music / Hard Bop / Trumpet / Piano

This CD is masterful. A wonderful opportunity for those who already know Miles and Monk to hear more of the kind of sound you love. Two giants at their best in a live recording. If you are unfamiliar with the music of these two greats, this CD is a fantastic introduction to their sound. One word of caution, however, though this is a great CD recording of Miles and Monk together, it is by no means the last word, or note, on the kind of music the artists are, or were, capable of. This CD only demonstrates a tiny facet of the broad repertoires of Miles and Monk.

For the first time ever, Thelonious Monk's complete trio performance at Newport 1958 (only an edited version of "Blue Monk" with overdubbed announcements had been previously released on the film Jazz on a Summer's Day). This CD also contains Monk's splendid and also unissued quartet concert at the same festival the following year. As a bonus, the only two existing tracks featuring Monk with the Duke Ellington band, recorded at Newport '62 and also appearing here for the first time.

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.

A fine straight-ahead jazz saxophonist, Eric Alexander grew up in the state of Washington. He initially attended Indiana University, studying classical music as an altoist. However, he soon discovered jazz, switched to the tenor, and transferred to William Paterson College in New Jersey. After graduating, he moved to Chicago and gained important experience touring with Charles Earland while also becoming a fixture in local clubs. In 1991, Alexander placed second at the Thelonious Monk Institute's saxophone competition, finishing just behind Joshua Redman…

Thelonious Monk, in full Thelonious Sphere Monk (born Oct. 10, 1917, Rocky Mount, N.C., U.S. - died Feb. 17, 1982, Englewood, N.J.) American pianist and composer who was among the first creators of modern jazz. As the pianist in the band at Minton’s Playhouse, a nightclub in New York City, in the early 1940s, Monk had great influence on the other musicians who later developed the bebop movement. For much of his career, Monk performed and recorded with small groups. His playing was percussive and sparse, often being described as “angular,” and he used complex and dissonant harmonies and unusual intervals. A collection of some of the most remarkable recordings which laid the foundation of modern jazz and unfluenced generations of other musicians. The vast majority of these recordings became popular standards.