| Four for All | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Recorded | March 2, 1987 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 56:29 | |||
| Label | Verve 831 674-1 | |||
| Producer | Joanne Klein & Sphere | |||
| Sphere chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Kenny Barron chronology | ||||
| ||||
Four for All is an album by the group Sphere featuring saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Ben Riley which was recorded in 1983 and released on the Verve label. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
On UPI, Ken Frankling wrote "This, Sphere's finest album, highlights the vast difference between a pick-up group and a band that was meant to play together. Sphere is one of the best small jazz bands around". [3] In his review on AllMusic, Ken Dryden states "Although Sphere was initially formed by Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Charlie Rouse, and Ben Riley to honor Thelonious Monk, their repertoire expanded far beyond his compositions. There is only one piece by Monk included here, a very playful arrangement of "San Francisco Holiday" (or "Worry Later," as it was tentatively titled by Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews when it was first recorded by Monk). Barron's samba "Baiana" proves to be a lively opener, while "Lunacy" is a tense post-bop chart that inspires some of the group's best playing on the date. Rouse's upbeat "Bittersweet," Williams' moody ballad "Air Dance," and the bassist's calypso-flavored "Lupe" are also tasty originals. "This Time the Dream's on Me" is the only standard, but the call-and-response intro between Williams and the rest of the quartet and Rouse's joyous tenor sax make it a memorable interpretation. Duke Ellington's infrequently played "Melancholia" is simply breathtaking, as Barron's consummate voicings blend beautifully with Rouse's bittersweet sax". [2]
Charlie Rouse was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years.
Underground is the seventh studio album that Thelonious Monk recorded for Columbia Records. It features Monk on piano, Larry Gales on bass, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, and Ben Riley on drums. This is the last Monk album featuring the Thelonious Monk Quartet. Its cover image depicts Monk as a French Resistance fighter in the Second World War, an homage to longtime patroness and friend Pannonica de Koenigswarter, who had served in the resistance, and whose likeness also appears on the cover. It won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover.
Beatrice "Sathima Bea" Benjamin was a South African vocalist and composer, based for nearly 45 years in New York City.
65 Roses is a live album by bassist Buster Williams' Trio recorded in 2006 and released on the BluePort Jazz label.
Straight, No Chaser is the sixth studio album Thelonious Monk recorded for Columbia records, released in 1967. The album was reissued on CD in 1996, including restored versions of previously abridged performances and three additional tracks.
Live at the It Club is a Thelonious Monk album released posthumously by Columbia Records. Recorded October 31 and November 1, 1964, at the "It" Club in Los Angeles, California, the album features Monk's quartet—with Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums—performing original compositions as well as jazz standards.
Sphere was an American jazz band which began as a tribute to pianist Thelonious Monk, whose middle name was "Sphere".
Piccolo is a 1977 release by the Ron Carter Quartet. The quartet consists of Ron Carter on piccolo bass, Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on double bass, and Ben Riley on drums. The album was recorded live at Sweet Basil in New York City on March 25–26, 1977. Piccolo is considered one of Ron Carter's best albums from the late 1970s due to its excellent recording, live-club feel, and exquisite musicianship. After being brought together by Carter and playing in his quartet for a few years, Barron, Williams, and Riley went on to form Sphere with Charlie Rouse.
Listen Here is the first album by jazz singer Roseanna Vitro, recorded in October 1982 and released in 1984 on the Texas Rose label.
Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. was an American jazz drummer known for his work with Thelonious Monk, as well as Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and as a member of the group Sphere. During the 1970s and 1980s he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet.
Imo Live is a live album by pianist Kenny Barron that was recorded in Japan in 1982 and first released on the Whynot label in 1982 before being reissued on CD by Candid Records in 2010 as Live.
Green Chimneys is an album by pianist Kenny Barron which was recorded in Holland in 1983 and first released on the Dutch Criss Cross Jazz label. The 1988 CD reissue included six bonus tracks.
Autumn in New York is an album by pianist Kenny Barron with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Frederick Waits which was recorded in late 1984 and released on the Uptown label. The album was rereleased on CD in 1996 as New York Attitude with three bonus tracks.
Four in One is the debut album by the group Sphere featuring pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and Monk's former drummer Ben Riley, and his former saxophonist Charlie Rouse. The album was released by the Elektra/Musician label. Four in One was coincidentally recorded on the day of Monk's death in 1982, though the musicians were unaware of Monk's death during the recording session and had not planned the album as a memorial tribute.
Flight Path is the second album by the group the Sphere featuring saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Ben Riley that was recorded in 1983 and released on the Elektra/Musician label.
Sphere On Tour is a live album by the group Sphere featuring saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Ben Riley, recorded in Italy in 1985 and released on the Italian Red label.
Pumpkin's Delight is a live album by the group Sphere featuring saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Ben Riley, recorded at the Teatro Morlacchi in Perugia, Italy, as part of the 1986 Umbria Jazz Festival and released on the Italian Red label. The 1993 CD edition features four tracks first released on LP in 1987 as Live at Umbria Jazz.
Bird Songs is an album by the group Sphere featuring saxophonist Charlie Rouse, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Ben Riley that was recorded in 1988 and released on the Verve label. The album features compositions written by or associated with Charlie Parker and was Charlie Rouse's last recording with the group prior to his death.
Blue Bossa is an album by New York Unit, consisting of tenor saxophonist George Adams, pianist John Hicks, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Tatsuya Nakamura which was recorded in 1990 and released in Japan.
Sphere is an album by the American jazz group Sphere. It was recorded on October 4, 1997, in New York City and New Jersey, and was released in 1998 by Verve. The album features saxophonist Gary Bartz, replacing original band member Charlie Rouse, who died in 1988, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Ben Riley. Sphere was the group's first album since 1988's Bird Songs.