[Bill] Grauer and [Orrin] Keepnews were not happy that Monk had just recorded and published three original songs--songs that they felt should have been released on the Riverside label. Legally, there was nothing they could do; Monk did not break his contract by recording as a sideman. [6]
It would be another year before Riverside Records recorded any original Monk compositions, for the album Brilliant Corners . These were, therefore, the only original compositions Monk recorded for release in 1955.
Release history
The album was originally issued in late 1955 [7] (Signal S 1201) in packaging that makes its title difficult to summarize. The side A label read Gigi Gryce Orchestra, while the side B label read Gigi Gryce Quartet; the back cover listed both titles. One Signal edition of the front cover simply read Gigi Gryce, while the other was titled with a list of 11 star players from the sessions, starting with Gigi Gryce and Thelonious Monk. The Signal Records masters were acquired by Savoy Records, who reissued this album circa 1958 as Nica's Tempo. [8]
Title
The title track is a reference to Nica de Koenigswarter (born Kathleen Annie Pannonica Rothschild) a.k.a. "The Bebop Baroness" or "The Jazz Baroness", a patron of jazz musicians such as Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker.
Track listing
Side 1 (by "Gigi Gryce Orchestra")
- "Speculation" (Horace Silver) – 4:03
- "In a Meditating Mood" (Gigi Gryce) – 4:22
- "Social Call" (Gryce, Jon Hendricks) – 2:43
- "Smoke Signal" (Gryce) – 3:42
- "(You'll Always Be) The One I Love" (Gryce) – 3:28
- "Kerry Dance" (traditional) – 3:00
Side 2 (by "Gigi Gryce Quartet")
- "Shuffle Boil" (Thelonious Monk) – 4:59
- "Brake's Sake" (Thelonious Monk) – 4:45
- "Gallop's Gallop" (Thelonious Monk) – 5:25
- "Nica's Tempo" (Gryce) – 6:06
Personnel
Gigi Gryce Orchestra
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6: Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, October 22, 1955
- Art Farmer – trumpet
- Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
- Gunther Schuller – French horn
- Bill Barber – tuba
- Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone
- Danny Bank – baritone saxophone
- Horace Silver – piano
- Oscar Pettiford – bass
- Kenny Clarke – drums
Tracks 3, 5: Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, October 22, 1955
- Art Farmer – trumpet
- Eddie Bert – trombone
- Julius Watkins – French horn
- Bill Barber – tuba
- Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone
- Cecil Payne – baritone saxophone
- Horace Silver – piano
- Oscar Pettiford – bass
- Art Blakey – drums
- Ernestine Anderson – vocals
Gigi Gryce Quartet
Tracks 7–10: Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, October 15, 1955 [9]
- Gigi Gryce – alto saxophone
- Thelonious Monk – piano
- Percy Heath – bass
- Art Blakey – drums
Technical personnel
- Ozzie Cadena – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
- Ira Gitler – liner notes
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References
- ↑ Dave Thompson, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, United States: Penguin Publishing Group, 2019, p. 273
- ↑ Nastos, Michael G.. Nica's Tempo at AllMusic
- ↑ Wilson, John S. (31 March 1960). "Gigi Gryce: Nica's Tempo". DownBeat . Vol. 27, no. 7. p. 27.
- ↑ Dave Thompson, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, United States: Penguin Publishing Group, 2019, p.273
- ↑ Kelley, Robin D.G., Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, New York, NY: FreePress, 2009, p. 193-4
- ↑ Kelley, Robin D.G., Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, New York, NY: FreePress, 2009, p. 194
- ↑ Dave Thompson, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, United States: Penguin Publishing Group, 2019, p. 273
- ↑ Dave Thompson, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, United States: Penguin Publishing Group, 2019, p.273
- ↑ "» Sessionography 1955-1957".
| Nica's Tempo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1955 [1] | |||
| Recorded | October 15 & 22, 1955 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Savoy (originally issued on Signal Records) | |||
| Gigi Gryce chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Earlier covers | ||||
 First edition by Harold Feinstein | ||||
| Studio albums |
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|---|---|
| Live albums |
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