Thelonious Monk Live

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…

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. This concert is a testament to his genius. Opening and ending with two "classic pieces", "Ruby, My Dear" and "Blue Monk", he led for over 80 minutes the quartet and his accomplices, Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, Ben Riley, and guests.
Larry Gales's bass seems to pop out like a jack-in-the-box at the end of "Hackensack", the brass instruments get carried away towards the middle of "We See", and billow out and away in the breathtaking "Oska T."…

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.

Even before the first note is played, the apocrypha proclaiming this to be a non-professional recording - which finds Naima Coltrane (John Coltrane's wife) as "audio engineer" - is fortunately true. The raw nature of the contents accurately reveal the reality of experiencing a Five Spot gig during the venerable venue's halcyon days. What can also be found beyond the sporadic chatter and general hubbub of a New York City Harlem nightclub is arguably the strongest aural evidence of the unique working rapport these jazz icons shared. While the relationship between Monk and Coltrane is the crux of these performances, Ahmed Abdul-Malik (bass) and the irrepressible Roy Haynes (drums) also contribute mightily by allowing enough context to support the soloist while pulling out occasional solos of their own. Haynes' interjections to "In Walked Bud" and "I Mean You" go beyond the simple progression of rhythm…

For Monk fans, these Mo-Fis are must-haves. Wow! After releasing so many mediocre rock albums, Mobile Fidelity came through with not one but TWO shiny gold CDs by the enigmatic, lovable Thelonious Monk (accompanied in these live recordings by Charlie Rouse on sax, John Ore on bass, and Frank Dunlop on drums)….

The second volume of Thelonious Monk's appearance at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival is drawn from two separate concerts on back to back days, with the pianist joined by longtime tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frank Dunlop…

Although Brilliant Corners is Thelonious Monk's third disc for Riverside, it's the first on the label to weigh in with such heavy original material. Enthusiasts who become jaded to the idiosyncratic nature of Monk's playing or his practically arithmetical chord progressions should occasionally revisit Brilliant Corners. There is an inescapable freshness and vitality saturated into every measure of every song. The passage of time makes it all the more difficult to imagine any other musicians bearing the capacity to support Monk with such ironic precision. The assembled quartet for the lion's share of the sessions included Max Roach (percussion), Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Oscar Pettiford (bass), and Ernie Henry (alto sax)…

Thelonious Monk - Live! At the Village Gate (1963) {Japanese Breaktime Label Xanadu Series BRJ-4536 rel 1987}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 211 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb
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© 1963, 1987 Xanadu / Breaktime Japan | BRJ-4536
Jazz / Bop / Modal Music / Post Bop / Piano

This LP released for the first time an above-average date by pianist Thelonious Monk and his 1963 quartet (tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frankie Dunlop). The recording quality is decent and, although the repertoire is conventional for Monk's groups (four originals and two brief solo versions of "Body and Soul"), both Monk and tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse take consistently inventive solos while Ore and Dunlop are fine in support. A lengthy version of "I'm Getting Sentimental over You" is most memorable.

Thelonious Monk - Live In Paris (1964) {2CD Set, France's Concert FCD 132/2 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 686 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 263 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 8 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 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.