Monk's Dream (Thelonious Monk album)

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Monk's Dream
Monks Dream by Thelonious.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1963 (1963-03)
RecordedOctober 31, November 1, 2 & 6, 1962
Studio Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City
Genre Jazz
Length47:02
Label Columbia
Producer Teo Macero
Thelonious Monk chronology
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
(1961)
Monk's Dream
(1963)
Thelonious Monk in Italy
(1963)

Monk's Dream is an album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, released by Columbia Records in March 1963. It was Monk's first album for Columbia following his five-year recording period with Riverside Records.

Contents

Recording and music

"Bye-Ya" and "Bolivar Blues" were recorded on October 31, 1962; "Body and Soul" and "Bright Mississippi" on November 1; "Sweet and Lovely", "Just a Gigolo" and "Monk's Dream" on November 2; and "Five Spot Blues" on November 6.

"Bright Mississippi" is the only composition on the album that Monk had not previously recorded. "Bolivar Blues" was originally titled "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are" and had been on Monk's 1957 Riverside album, Brilliant Corners . [1] "Five Spot Blues" was called "Blues Five Spot" and first appeared on the album Misterioso , which was recorded in concert at the Five Spot Cafe in New York in 1958 and released by Riverside. [2] "Monk's Dream", [3] "Bye-Ya", [4] and "Sweet and Lovely" were recorded for Prestige at a session ten years earlier.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
DownBeat Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]

In DownBeat , jazz critic Pete Welding gave the album five stars and called it "a stunning reaffirmation of his powers as a performer and composer." [6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Thelonious Monk except where noted

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Monk's Dream" 6:26
2."Body and Soul" Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green 4:29
3."Bright Mississippi" 8:34
4."Five Spot Blues" 3:15
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bolivar Blues" 7:30
2."Just a Gigolo" Julius Brammer, Irving Caesar, Leonello Casucci 2:29
3."Bye-Ya" 6:01
4."Sweet and Lovely" Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules LeMare 7:48
Bonus tracks on 2002 reissue
No.TitleLength
1."Monk's Dream" (Take 3)5:14
2."Body and Soul" (Take 1)5:05
3."Bright Mississippi" (Take 3)10:20
4."Bolivar Blues" (Take 1)6:20

Personnel

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References

  1. Milkowski, Bill. "Thelonious Monk Quartet - Blue Bolivar Blues". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  2. "Blues Five Spot". Thelonious Monk. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  3. "Monk's Dream". Thelonious Monk. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  4. "Bye-Ya". Thelonious Monk. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  5. Planer, Lindsay. "Monk's Dream". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 Welding, Pete (March 14, 1963). "Monk's Dream". DownBeat. Vol. 30, no. 7.
  7. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). New York City: Penguin. p. 1022. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  8. Swenson, John, ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . New York City: Random House/Rolling Stone. p.  145. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.