Monk (1956 album)

For the Columbia Records album of the same name, see Monk (1964 album).

Monk
Original LP cover
Studio album by Thelonious Monk
Released	1956
Recorded	November 13, 1953 and May 11, 1954
Genre	Jazz
Length	38:00
Label	Prestige
Thelonious Monk chronology
Thelonious Monk Trio (1954/1956) Monk (1956) Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins (1956)
Alternate cover
1958 Reid Miles artwork and title (with decorative handwriting by Julia Warhola) used on most contemporary reissues

Monk (Prestige PRLP 7053) ^[1] is a 1956 compilation album by jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, featuring material recorded from 1953 to 1954 for the Prestige label and performed by Monk with two quintets, one featuring Julius Watkins, Sonny Rollins, Percy Heath, and Willie Jones and one featuring Ray Copeland, Frank Foster, Curly Russell, and Art Blakey. ^[2] It was originally titled both Thelonious Monk [on its 1956 cover] ^[3] and Thelonious Monk Quintets [on its labels] ^{[4] [ better source needed ]} (PRLP 7053). Over the following decade, it was also re-released as Wee See (PRLP 7245) ^[5] and The Golden Monk (PRST 7363) ^[6] The most common cover art (with the Monk title), is 1958 revision, designed by Reid Miles. ^{[7] [8] [ better source needed ]}

Background

Most of the recordings on this album first appeared on two 10" LPs: Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP (Prestige PrLP 166) ^[9] and Thelonious Monk Quintet (with Frank Foster, Art Blakey) (Prestige PrLP 180), ^[10] both released in 1954. ^[11] (This LP release added an additional take of "Think of One.")

Chris Sheridan, in his book Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, dates the first 12-inch vinyl release of the album—Thelonious Monk (Prestige PRLP 7053)—to 1956. Its release was preceded in the Prestige 12-inch catalog of Monk's work by Thelonious Monk Trio (Prestige PRLP 7027), and followed by Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins (Prestige PRLP 7075). ^[12]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[14]

AllMusic's Scott Yanow states, "Every Thelonious Monk recording is well worth getting although this one is not quite essential". ^[13]

Track listing

All compositions by Thelonious Monk except as indicated

Side 1

1. "We See" - 5:16
2. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern ) - 4:34
3. "Locomotive" - 6:23
4. "Hackensack" - 5:13

Side 2

1. "Let's Call This" - 5:08
2. "Think of One" [Take 2] - 5:47
3. "Think of One" [Take 1] - 5:37

Notes

• Side 1 recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ, on May 11, 1954, and originally released in sequence as the 10" LP Thelonious Monk Quintet (with Frank Foster, Art Blakey) (Prestige PrLP 180) ^{[15] [16]}
• Side 2 recorded at WOR Studios, New York City, on November 13, 1953. Tracks B1 and B2 originally released as one side of 10" LP Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows For LP, Featuring Sonny Rollins (Prestige PrLP 166), and as 7" PrEP 1352. ^[17] Track B3 previously unreleased. ^[18]

Personnel

• Thelonious Monk - piano
• Ray Copeland - trumpet (tracks 1–4)
• Frank Foster - tenor saxophone (tracks 1–4)
• Curly Russell - bass (tracks 1–4)
• Art Blakey - drums (tracks 1–4)
• Julius Watkins - French horn (tracks 5–7)
• Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone (tracks 5–7)
• Percy Heath - bass (tracks 5–7)
• Willie Jones - drums (tracks 5–7)

References

1. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295-296, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
2. Thelonious Monk discography accessed 9 October 2009
3. "Prestige Alternative Covers", londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com Retrieved October 17, 2019 /
4. "PRESTIGE: the Complete NYC Label Reference Set (7000 – 7141)", londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019
5. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295-296, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
6. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295-296, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
7. The Early Jazz Album Covers of Andy Warhol, accessed November 17, 2015
8. "Prestige Alternative Covers", londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com Retrieved October 17, 2019 /
9. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
10. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
11. "Five Thelonious Monk albums remastered and reissued in new 10" box set". Thevinylfactory.com. October 31, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
12. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
13. AllMusic Review accessed 9 October 2009
14. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1021. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
15. "» Sessionography 1952-1954".
16. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
17. Sheridan, Chris, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, p 295, Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001
18. "» Sessionography 1952-1954".