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Digitally remastered using 20-bit K2 Super Coding System technology.
In between the first blush of genius represented by his maiden voyages for Blue Note and the veritable convulsion of creativity on Riverside, Monk recorded a handful of influential sessions for the Prestige label. THELONIOUS MONK gathers together most of Monk's trio performances onto one disc, presenting a stunning portrait of this American original as virtuoso improviser and composer--among the greatest trio performances in the history of jazz.
Monk was a craftsman of rhythmic contrast, a canny minimalist and musical architect who sustained the power of traditional jazz by expanding upon its primary virtues. Monk was also a master of texture and space who could make one chord suggest an orchestra and a few oddly stressed notes swing like crazy. His melodies were rhythmically conceived and accented, while his harmonies conferred extraordinary colors on his syncopated lines. Like Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington, he conceived of the piano as a scaled down big band, which is what makes the music on THELONIOUS MONK so enduring.
"Blue Monk" is one of his most timeless, straight-forward themes, as the pianist engages Percy Heath and Art Blakey in an extended dialogue, making poetic use of space and rhythmic displacements to badger Blakey into one amen after another. "Little Rootie Tootie" is just as exciting; Monk's crashing tonal clusters evoke distant locomotives and train whistles, as his epic blues phrases and rhythmic intricacies inspire Blakey to antiphonal effects worthy of African talking drummers. And on "Bemsha Swing" and "Trinkle Tinkle" Monk takes this notion a step farther. He treats the drums as a thematic instrument, creating new harmonies and rhythms to match, as Max Roach responds with bristling melodic ideas.
As miraculous as his own tunes are, Monk's ability to distill the sucrose sentimentality of popular tunes into heady jazz moonshine is a wonder to behold. The rhythmic variations on "Sweet And Lovely," the stride asides and impressionist coda to "Just A Gigolo" the acerbic cubist chords introducing "These Foolish Things"--all betray Monk's obstreperous delight in these old songs, even as his witty transmutations illuminate the modern jazz attitude.
Recorded at Beltone Studios, New York, New York on October 15 and December 18, 1952 and the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on September 22, 1954. Originally released on Prestige (7027). Includes original release liner notes by Ira Gitler.
Personnel: Thelonious Monk (piano); Max Roach, Art Blakey (drums).
Liner Note Authors: Ira Gitler; Martin Williams .
Recording information: Hackensack, N.J (10/15/1952-09/22/1954); New York, NY (10/15/1952-09/22/1954).
Personnel: Thelonious Monk (piano); Percy Heath, Gary Mapp (bass); Max Roach, Art Blakey (drums).
Thelonious Monk Trio Music
Thelonious Monk Trio Songs
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1 | Blue Monk | 7:38 | | |
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2 | Just a Gigolo | 3:03 | $0.99 | |
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3 | Bemsha Swing | 3:11 | $0.99 | |
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4 | Reflections | 2:48 | $0.99 | |
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5 | Little Rootie Tootie | 3:08 | $0.99 | |
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6 | Sweet and Lovely | 3:37 | $0.99 | |
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7 | Bye-Ya | 2:47 | $0.99 | |
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8 | Monk's Dream | 3:09 | $0.99 | |
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9 | Trinkle, Tinkle
with Thelonious Monk | 2:51 | $0.99 | |
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10 | These Foolish Things | 2:45 | $0.99 | |
Thelonious Monk Trio Music Review
Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)   Pure Monk at his best
Monk's recordings for the Prestige label are often over-shadowed by his work for Blue Note and Riverside, but these trio tracks rank with anything he ever did. Monk was in a very explorative mood, bringing his penchant for dissonance to the forefront. There are good examples here of Monk treating the piano as a percussion instrument, most notably on "Bemsha Swing", "Trinkle Tinkle" and "Little Rootie Tootie. Other artists as diverse as Duke Ellington, Cecil Taylor and Bela Bartok often approached the piano in this same way. But Monk also shows off his songwriting skills. Many of these titles became Monk standards, but these are their premiere recordings. It's fascinating to compare this "Bemsha Swing" with the one he later recorded on the "Brilliant Corners" album. They are both amazing, but in different ways, with this trio version displaying the primitiveness of Monk's approach. There are dozens of recordings of "Blue Monk", but his solo here is probably his greatest. Max Roach and Art Blakey switch off on drums and they were the perfect drummers for Monk. The sound quality on all Monk's Prestige recordings is sub-par but does not detract from the performances.
Submitted by Jim (San Diego, CA)
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