Jazz Articles about Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk: Monk's Dream/Monk/At Newport 1963 & 1965

by C. Andrew Hovan
February 18, 2003

Some listeners operate under the misconception that pianist Thelonious Monk recorded his best work for producer Orrin Keepnews at Riverside Records, and the rest of his catalog is somehow considered a mere shadow of those previous glories. One listen to “Bright Mississippi” from the newly re-mastered edition of Monk’s Dream (Columbia/Legacy 63536) and you can’t help but feel our leading man still had plenty to say, and with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse proving the perfect foil more sublime music was ...

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk's Straight, No Chaser: Motion Picture Soundtrack

by Jim Santella
April 12, 2002

Directed by Charlotte Zwerin, the film documentary of Thelonious Monk's remarkable career features the pianist/composer in performance, along with his closest allies. The soundtrack includes his piano, his music, and his voice. It's an intimate portrait. The music for this film served to paint a musical portrait of Monk and his sidemen.

We hear John Coltrane in Monk's quartet, performing “Trinkle, Tinkle." Phil Woods, Johnny Griffin, Ray Copeland and Jimmy Cleveland join Monk's quartet in Stockholm to ...

Thelonious Monk: Monk's Music

by David Rickert
March 1, 2002

Monk’s Music is the session where Thelonious famously told a frustrated Coltrane and Hawkins that, given the talent between the two of them, they should certainly be able to figure out how to handle his songs. Playing with Monk was more like a 5K run than a walk in the park, yet everyone who gigged with him left all the better for it. This session will not dispel Monk’s kooky reputation (Why does the record start with a minute long ...

Thelonious Monk: Monk in Tokyo

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2001

Columbia Legacy Jazz recordings, the reissue department of Columbia Jazz, has seriously upped the ante on documenting Thelonious Monk's Columbia work with two more fine, fine Monk reissues. As those may be familiar, Columbia re- released both Monk: Live at the It Club, and Monk Alone (solo piano)- within the past three years. Now come these two live sets, “in Tokyo" and “At the Jazz Workshop"(further accompanied by a 3-cd set- “The Columbia Years"- compilation) in this, the latest wave ...

Thelonious Monk: Live at The Jazz Workshop

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2001

Columbia Legacy Jazz recordings, the reissue department of Columbia Jazz, has seriously upped the ante on documenting Thelonious Monk's Columbia work with two more fine, fine Monk reissues. As those may be familiar, Columbia re- released both Monk: Live at the It Club, and Monk Alone (solo piano)- within the past three years. Now come these two live sets, “in Tokyo" and “At the Jazz Workshop"(further accompanied by a 3-cd set- “The Columbia Years"- compilation) in this, the latest wave ...

Thelonious Monk: Monk In Tokyo

by Jim Santella
July 1, 2001

Recorded May 21, 1963, this two-disc reissue represents classic Monk. Adventurous in his creative interplay with Charlie Rouse, Thelonious Monk wove lines that turned unexpectedly time and again. On his way to worldwide acclaim, Monk was already there musically. The 24-bit digitally remastered sound on this collection brings every nuance to the listener: clear as a bell and exciting. With walking bass and a swinging drummer, Monk and Rouse roll through familiar songs.

As they chase each other through “Bemsha ...

Thelonious Monk: Live At The Jazz Workshop

by Jim Santella
July 1, 2001

In the same year that Thelonious Monk appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, he recorded several live sessions for Columbia. This 2-CD set features two and a half hours at San Francisco’s Jazz Workshop, recorded November 3rd and 4th, 1964 with his working quartet. Nearly half the reissue consists of previously unreleased material. The rest, of course, was originally issued on two LPs in the 1980s as Columbia C2 38269 with the same title. Thus, this reissue comes to ...