Monk's Music

Last updated
Monk's Music
Monkmusic.jpg
Studio album by
Thelonious Monk
ReleasedNovember 1957 (1957-11) [1] [2]
RecordedJune 25–26, 1957
StudioReeves Sound Studio, New York City
Genre Hard bop
Length38:24
Label Riverside Records
Producer Orrin Keepnews
Thelonious Monk chronology
Thelonious Himself
(1957)		Monk's Music
(1957)		 Mulligan Meets Monk
(1957)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Pitchfork 9.1/10 [4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]

Monk's Music is a jazz album by the Thelonious Monk Septet, which for this recording included Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane. It was recorded in New York City on June 26, 1957, and released in November the same year. [1] [2]

Contents

Recording and music

The first song, "Abide With Me"—a hymn by W. H. Monk—is played only by the septet's horn section. The song "Ruby, My Dear" is performed only by Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Wilbur Ware, and Art Blakey. John Coltrane had joined Monk after playing with the Miles Davis Quintet, and Monk can be heard enthusiastically calling on him ("Coltrane! Coltrane!") to take the first horn solo on the album in "Well, You Needn't." All of the tracks except "Abide With Me" are original compositions by Monk; all of the originals but "Crepuscule with Nellie" had previously appeared on record. This is the only record where Hawkins and Blakey recorded together.

Mono vis-à-vis stereo

This was the first Riverside Thelonious Monk album recorded and released in both mono (RLP 12-242) and stereo (RLP 1102). The stereo version was released nine months after the mono release, in August 1958. [8] It has been noted that the mixes of these releases are extremely different. The stereo mix, while featuring the same performances as does the mono version, used an entirely different set of microphones, suspended from the ceiling, while the mono release used microphones in closer proximity to the instruments. As a result, the stereo mix has a more distant sound and Wilbur Ware's bass is much less audible. [9]

Producer Orrin Keepnews explained:

Our new stereo series had begun with a sound effects disc, so Riverside 1102 [Monk's Music] was our first stereo jazz album. But we had to deal with the fact that the studio had not yet taken the drastic step of converting to the new process: the installed equipment at Reeves Sound Studios (on 2nd Avenue between 44th and 45th Streets in Manhattan) was still monaural. Thus, we had to improvise a dual system. Studio engineer Jack Higgins presided at his usual control panel; our staff engineer Ray Fowler was in the soundproof isolation booths in the studio with a newfangled portable stereo tape recorder. Thus, on this and several subsequent occasions, ‘binaural’ was an entirely separate operation. Among other things, every musician found himself surrounded by a doubled quantity of microphones.” [10]

In the notes to the 1986 Riverside Monk box, Keepnews wrote: "This was one of our very first stereo recordings (although the separate machine failed us on Crepuscule); confusingly, the monaural version has sometimes been used in reissues, but I have managed to include here in stereo form everything that is available in that form." [11]

The original stereo LP release did not list "Crepuscule with Nellie" on its label or cover track listing, although it was referenced in the liner notes, and did not include it on the album. A mid-1960s stereo re-release with serial number RLP 12-9242 also skipped "Crepuscule with Nellie", even though it was listed on the label and cover (as "Crepescule with Nellie" [sic]). The 1967 "stereo" pressing (RS 3004) distributed by ABC Records was an "electronically reprocessed" version of the mono mix. A 1977 Japanese vinyl version appears to be the first true stereo release that also includes the mono recording of "Crepuscule with Nellie". [12]

Reception

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. [13]

Re-releases

The album was reissued by Original Jazz Classics on July 1, 1991.

Track listing

All songs by Thelonious Monk unless otherwise noted.

Side A

  1. "Abide with Me" (Henry Francis Lyte, William Henry Monk) – 0:54
  2. "Well, You Needn't" – 11:24
  3. "Ruby, My Dear" – 5:26

Side B

  1. "Off Minor" – 5:07
  2. "Epistrophy" (Monk, Kenny Clarke) – 10:46
  3. "Crepuscule With Nellie" – 4:38

CD reissue

  1. "Abide With Me" – 0:54
  2. "Well, You Needn't" – 11:24
  3. "Ruby, My Dear" – 5:26
  4. "Off Minor (Take 5)" – 5:07
  5. "Off Minor (Take 4)" – 5:12
  6. "Epistrophy" – 10:46
  7. "Crepuscule with Nellie (Take 6)" – 4:38
  8. "Crepuscule with Nellie (Take 4 and 5)" – 4:43

Original Jazz Classics Remasters

  1. "Abide With Me" – 0:54
  2. "Well, You Needn't" – 11:24
  3. "Ruby, My Dear" – 5:26
  4. "Off Minor (Take 5)" – 5:07
  5. "Epistrophy" – 10:46
  6. "Crepuscule with Nellie (Take 6)" – 4:38
  7. "Off Minor (Take 4)" – 5:12
  8. "Crepuscule with Nellie (Takes 4 and 5)" – 4:43
  9. "Blues for Tomorrow" – 13:32

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelonious Monk</span> American jazz pianist and composer (1917–1982)

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.

<i>Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane</i> 1961 studio album by Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane is a 1961 album by Thelonious Monk issued on Jazzland Records, a subsidiary of Riverside Records. It consists of material recorded four years earlier when Monk worked extensively with John Coltrane, issued after Coltrane had become a leader and jazz star in his own right.

<i>Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk</i> 1958 studio album by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk is a studio album released in 1958 by Atlantic Records. It is a collaboration between the Jazz Messengers, the group led by drummer Art Blakey, and Thelonious Monk on piano.

<i>Misterioso</i> (Thelonious Monk album) 1958 live album by Thelonious Monk Quartet

Misterioso is a 1958 live album by American jazz ensemble the Thelonious Monk Quartet. By the time of its recording, the pianist and bandleader Thelonious Monk had overcome an extended period of career difficulties and achieved stardom with his residency at New York's Five Spot Café, beginning in 1957. He returned there the following year for a second stint with his quartet, featuring drummer Roy Haynes, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, and tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin. Along with Thelonious in Action (1958), Misterioso captures portions of the ensemble's August 7 show at the venue.

<i>The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings</i> 2006 compilation album by Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane

The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings is a 2006 release of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane's work for the Riverside Records label in 1957, with two tracks previously unreleased.

<i>Monk in Motian</i> 1989 studio album by Paul Motian

Monk in Motian is a 1988 album by American jazz drummer Paul Motian, his first to be released on the German JMT label and his 11th as a bandleader. The album features ten compositions by Thelonious Monk performed by Motian with his longtime trio, guitarist Bill Frisell and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano. Pianist Geri Allen and tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman also appear. The album was reissued in 2002 on the Winter & Winter label.

<i>The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk</i> 1983 box set by Thelonious Monk

The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk is a box set by American jazz pianist Thelonious Monk compiling his recordings for Blue Note first released as a limited four-LP box set on Mosaic Records in 1983 before being issued as a four-CD box set by Blue Note for the first time in 1994 as The Complete Blue Note Recordings.

<i>Live at the Jazz Workshop</i> 1982 live album by Thelonious Monk

Live at the Jazz Workshop is a live album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, that was recorded at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. The album was recorded on November 3 and 4, 1964, and released by Columbia Records in 1982.

<i>Thelonious Himself</i> 1957 studio album by Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Himself is a studio album by Thelonious Monk released in 1957 by Riverside Records. It was Monk's fourth album for the label. The album features Monk playing solo piano, except for the final track, "Monk's Mood", which features John Coltrane on tenor saxophone and Wilbur Ware on bass. It was Monk's second solo piano studio album, and it was the first made by an American label and distributed in the United States.

<i>Monk in France</i> 1965 live album by Thelonious Monk

Monk in France is an album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, originally recorded on April 18, 1961. The remastered album includes two bonus tracks, "Body and Soul" and "Crepuscule with Nellie."

<i>Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk</i> 1960 live album by Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk is an album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. It was originally issued on the Riverside label as RLP 12-323 (mono)/1171 (stereo) and Original Jazz Classics OJCCD 305–2 in 1987.

<i>Mulligan Meets Monk</i> 1957 studio album by Gerry Mulligan and Thelonious Monk

Mulligan Meets Monk is a studio album by American jazz pianist Thelonious Monk and baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, originally released on Riverside Records in 1957. It has been reissued numerous times. It was remastered for CD in 1987 with three additional alternative takes from the original session.

<i>Lookin at Monk!</i> 1961 studio album by The Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Quintet

Lookin' at Monk! is an album by saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis featuring compositions associated with Thelonious Monk recorded in 1961 and released on the Jazzland label.

<i>Thelonious Monk in Italy</i> 1963 live album by Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk in Italy is a live album by American jazz pianist Thelonious Monk featuring tracks recorded in Italy in 1961 and released on the Riverside label in 1963.

<i>Thelonious Monk: The Complete Riverside Recordings</i> 1986 compilation album by Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk: The Complete Riverside Recordings is a comprehensive compilation of the recordings made by Thelonious Monk for Riverside Records between 21 July 1955 and 21 April 1961. It was released by Riverside in 1986 on 22 LPs or on 15 CDs. It contains all the tracks previously released both on the original and on the later expanded CD versions of all his Riverside albums, together with some tracks never previously released.

The following is the discography of American jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk (1917–1982).

<i>Monks Casino</i> 2005 live album by Alexander von Schlippenbach

Monk's Casino is a live album by German free jazz pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach featuring the complete compositions of Thelonious Monk recorded in Germany in 2003-04 for the Intakt label. According to the liner notes by critic John Corbett, Monk's Casino is the first ever comprehensive recording project to include all Monk's songs.

<i>Epistrophy</i> (Charlie Rouse album) 1989 live album by Charlie Rouse

Epistrophy, sub-titled The Last Concert, is a live album by saxophonist Charlie Rouse which was recorded in 1988 in San Francisco and released on Orrin Keepnews' Landmark label the following year.

<i>Monks Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk</i> 2018 studio album by Frank Kimbrough

Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk is a 6CD box set by jazz pianist Frank Kimbrough that was released by the Sunnyside label in 2018. The set features 70 compositions by Thelonious Monk.

References

  1. 1 2 DeVito, Chris; Fujioka, Yasuhiro; Schmaler, Wolf; Wild, David (2013). Porter, Lewis (ed.). The John Coltrane Reference. New York/Abingdon: Routledge. p. 473. ISBN   9780415634632 . Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Jazz LPs". The Billboard . Cincinnati: Billboard Publishing Co. 28 October 1957. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. Monk's Music at AllMusic
  4. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (12 March 2017). "Monk's Music". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 145. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  6. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  7. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1021. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  8. ↑ Editorial Staff, Cash Box (August 9, 1958). "August Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box . New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Thelonious Monk Monk's Music (1957) Riverside". 14 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "Craft Recordings".
  11. ↑ "SACD of Monk's Music is Stereo!!!!". 11 October 2004.
  12. ↑ "Roots Vinyl Guide".
  13. ↑ "Grammy Hall of Fame". Grammy.org. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.