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| 3.560 Ft
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| 1. | Let's Call This
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| 2. | Think of One [2 Takes]
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| 3. | We See
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| 4. | Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
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| 5. | Locomotive
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| 6. | Hackensack
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1. We See
2. Locomotive
3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
4. Hackensack
5. Blue Monk
6. Just a Gigolo
7. Little Rootie Tootie
8. Reflections
9. Bemsha Swing
10. Sweet & Lovely
11. These Foolish Things
12. Bye-Ya
13. 'Round Midnight
14. Well You Needn't
15. Monk's Dream
16. Nutty
17. Evidence
18. We See
Recorded: Nov 13, 1953-May 11, 1954
Thelonious Monk - Piano
Name Credits
Art Blakey Drums
Curly Russell Bass
Frank Foster Sax (Tenor)
Julius Watkins French Horn
Percy Heath Bass
Ray Copeland Trumpet
Sonny Rollins Sax (Tenor)
Willie Jones Drums
The half-dozen recordings on this 10" record have appeared in innumerable variations under perhaps as many titles. They are derived from elements of Thelonious Monk's second and third sessions -- as a bandleader -- for Prestige in November of 1953 and May of the following year, respectively. This era of Monk's recordings is notable as the bridge between his association with Blue Note -- which had concluded in 1952 -- and his most prolific period for Riverside -- commencing in 1955. "Let's Call This" and the second take of "Think of One" are from the November 1953 date and feature Monk (piano) backed by Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Julius Watkins (French horn), Percy Heath (bass), and Willie Jones (drums). The remaining tunes present Frank Foster (tenor sax), Ray Copeland (trumpet), Curly Russell (bass), and Art Blakey (drums) from the May 1954 session. Despite some outstanding improvisation between Rollins and Watkins, neither track from 1953 really gains sufficient headway to be primal. That said, they should not be considered as failures either. "Let's Call This" has an easy syncopated rhythm that seemingly fails to inspire the quintet. "Think of One" however, drives a bit harder and includes a few additional off-kilter accents from Monk as well as a somewhat telepathic sense of timing between him and Rollins. What the first pair of selections may have lacked is considerably recouped on the final four pieces. The styles and moods range from the frenetic "Locomotion" and "Hackensack" -- the latter of which is more than just casually reminiscent of "Straight, No Chaser" -- to the sublime and refined cool of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," which is the only cover tune on the disc. Monk enthusiasts are best served by the three-CD Complete Prestige Recordings in order to gather these tracks -- as well as the other five sessions -- that the pianist participated in during his brief tenure with the label. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music
Thelonious Monk
Active Decades: '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s
Born: Oct 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, NC
Died: Feb 17, 1982 in Weehawken, NJ
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Bop, Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Modal Music, Modern Big Band, Post-Bop, Progressive Jazz
The most important jazz musicians are the ones who are successful in creating their own original world of music with its own rules, logic, and surprises. Thelonious Monk, who was criticized by observers who failed to listen to his music on its own terms, suffered through a decade of neglect before he was suddenly acclaimed as a genius; his music had not changed one bit in the interim. In fact, one of the more remarkable aspects of Monk's music was that it was fully formed by 1947 and he saw no need to alter his playing or compositional style in the slightest during the next 25 years.
Thelonious Monk grew up in New York, started playing piano when he was around five, and had his first job touring as an accompanist to an evangelist. He was inspired by the Harlem stride pianists (James P. Johnson was a neighbor) and vestiges of that idiom can be heard in his later unaccompanied solos. However, when he was playing in the house band of Minton's Playhouse during 1940-1943, Monk was searching for his own individual style. Private recordings from the period find him sometimes resembling Teddy Wilson but starting to use more advanced rhythms and harmonies. He worked with Lucky Millinder a bit in 1942 and was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra briefly in 1944 (Williams recorded Monk's "Epistrophy" in 1942 and in 1944 was the first to record "'Round Midnight"), but it was when he became Coleman Hawkins' regular pianist that Monk was initially noticed. He cut a few titles with Hawkins (his recording debut) and, although some of Hawkins' fans complained about the eccentric pianist, the veteran tenor could sense the pianist's greatness.
The 1945-1954 period was very difficult for Thelonious Monk. Because he left a lot of space in his rhythmic solos and had an unusual technique, many people thought that he was an inferior pianist. His compositions were so advanced that the lazier bebop players (although not Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker) assumed that he was crazy. And Thelonious Monk's name, appearance (he liked funny hats), and personality (an occasionally uncommunicative introvert) helped to brand him as some kind of nut. Fortunately, Alfred Lion of Blue Note believed in him and recorded Monk extensively during 1947-1948 and 1951-1952. He also recorded for Prestige during 1952-1954, had a solo set for Vogue in 1954 during a visit to Paris, and appeared on a Verve date with Bird and Diz. But work was very sporadic during this era and Monk had to struggle to make ends meet.
His fortunes slowly began to improve. In 1955, he signed with Riverside and producer Orrin Keepnews persuaded him to record an album of Duke Ellington tunes and one of standards so his music would appear to be more accessible to the average jazz fan. In 1956 came the classic Brilliant Corners album, but it was the following year when the situation permanently changed. Monk was booked into the Five Spot for a long engagement and he used a quartet that featured tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. Finally, the critics and then the jazz public recognized Thelonious Monk's greatness during this important gig. The fact that he was unique was a disadvantage a few years earlier when all modern jazz pianists were expected to sound like Bud Powell (who was ironically a close friend), but by 1957 the jazz public was looking for a new approach. Suddenly, Monk was a celebrity and his status would not change for the remainder of his career. In 1958, his quartet featured the tenor of Johnny Griffin (who was even more compatible than Coltrane), in 1959 he appeared with an orchestra at Town Hall (with arrangements by Hall Overton), in 1962 he signed with Columbia and two years later was on the cover of Time. A second orchestra concert in 1963 was even better than the first and Monk toured constantly throughout the 1960s with his quartet which featured the reliable tenor of Charlie Rouse. He played with the Giants of Jazz during 1971-1972, but then in 1973 suddenly retired. Monk was suffering from mental illness and, other than a few special appearances during the mid-'70s, he lived the rest of his life in seclusion. After his death it seemed as if everyone was doing Thelonious Monk tributes. There were so many versions of "'Round Midnight" that it was practically a pop hit! But despite the posthumous acclaim and attempts by pianists ranging from Marcus Roberts to Tommy Flanagan to recreate his style, there was no replacement for the original.
Some of Thelonious Monk's songs became standards early on, most notably "'Round Midnight," "Straight No Chaser," "52nd Street Theme," and "Blue Monk." Many of his other compositions have by now been figured out by other jazz musicians and are occasionally performed including "Ruby My Dear," "Well You Needn't," "Off Minor," "In Walked Bud," "Misterioso," "Epistrophy," "I Mean You," "Four in One," "Criss Cross," "Ask Me Now," "Little Rootie Tootie," "Monk's Dream," "Bemsha Swing," "Think of One," "Friday the 13th," "Hackensack," "Nutty," "Brilliant Corners," "Crepuscule With Nellie" (written for his strong and supportive wife), "Evidence," and "Rhythm-a-Ning," Virtually all of Monk's recordings (for Blue Note, Prestige, Vogue, Riverside, Columbia, and Black Lion) have been reissued and among his sidemen through the years were Idrees Sulieman, Art Blakey, Milt Jackson, Lou Donaldson, Lucky Thompson, Max Roach, Julius Watkins, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Gerry Mulligan, John Coltrane, Wilbur Ware, Shadow Wilson, Johnny Griffin, Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Thad Jones, and Charlie Rouse. His son Thelonious Monk, Jr. (T.S. Monk) has helped keep the hard bop tradition alive with his quintet and has headed the Thelonious Monk Institute, whose yearly competitions succeed in publicizing talented young players.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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