Monk

Thelonious Monk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000Y0R
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,942 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, Plus a French Horn, November 25, 2011

By 

karlojazz - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Monk (Audio CD)

There are a total of seven tracks on this CD, three recorded on November 13, 1953 with Sonny Rollins playing tenor sax with Thelonious Monk on piano and four recorded on May 11, 1954 with Frank Foster playing tenor sax with Monk on the piano. Because trumpet player Ray Copeland was unavailable for the 1953 session, Julius Watkins substituted for him on French horn. Copeland does play trumpet on the 1954 session, however. Other differences between the two sessions worth noting: on the earlier session Percy Heath plays bass and Willie Jones plays drums; on the later session Curly Russell is on bass and the great Art Blakey plays drums. Except for track 2, which is a well-known standard, all compositions are by Thelonious Monk.

The track listing is as follows:

1.We See (5:13)
2.Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (4:30)
3.Locomotive (6:20)
4.Hackensack (5:10)
5.Let's Call This (4:58)
6.Think of One (take 2) (5:40)
7.Think of One (take 1) (5:36)

Tracks 5-7 are from the November 1953 session; all other tracks were recorded in May 1954.

According to jazz critic Peter Niklas Wilson, despite the last-minute participation of Watkins, the Friday the 13th session "... produced worthy material. An ensemble sound as unusual as it is enjoyable is gained through the use of the French horn, which binds the unweildly sounds of Monk and Rollins into a homogenous whole. Julius Watkins is a gem of a soloist. In 'Think of One,' Rollins is clearly trying to heed Monk's challenge to derive his improvisation from the theme; this is probably one of the roots of the 'thematic improvisation' that became a hall mark of his solos."

Although Frank Foster is certainly not as widely known or praised as Sonny Rollins, his performance on tenor sax is a welcome addition to the 1954 ensemble's renditions of three tunes by Monk as well as the standard, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable CD with the playing of Watkins an unusual bonus feature. Highly recommended for all fans of both Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins.