Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins (20 Bit Mastering) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• Original Release Date: November 13, 1953
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Prestige
• ASIN: B00000K0YA
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #392,005 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Thelonious Monk created some of his most innovative music during the period in the early '50s when he recorded for Prestige, and Sonny Rollins was in the forefront of the few musicians who could respond to Monk's challenging compositions and sharp-angled, dissonant comping. It's apparent in the way the two transform the standards "The Way You Look Tonight" and "I Want to Be Happy," Rollins soaring through the former and bringing wry wit to the latter. Monk's "Friday the 13th" is heard in an extended performance with Rollins and French-horn player and Julius Watkins--challenging, probing music. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and Sweet, November 19, 2005

By	G B (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

Like a lot of Prestige "albums" recorded in the pre-LP era, Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins actually a mishmash of various sessions and leftovers tossed into one (very brief) package. There are three Monk albums on Prestige -- this one, The Thelonious Monk Trio, and MONK; each one draws from multiple sessions, and several of the sessions overlap across albums. (This is also an issue with Monk's Christmas Eve 1954 recordings under Miles Davis's name.)

This album is noteworthy for featuring two different occasions on which Monk teamed up with then-up-&-coming tenorist Sonny Rollins. Though Monk's other saxophone partnerships -- the long-term one with Charlie Rouse, and the short-term one with John Coltrane (can't forget Johnny Griffin either) -- get more notoriety, he and Rollins meshed very well. They'd reunite on Monk's Brilliant Corners (on Riverside) and Rollins's Volume 2 (on Blue Note). Though Rollins isn't quite at his mid/late-50s peak, he plays exceptionally well here. This is definitely some of my favorite pre-1955 Sonny.

The first two tracks come from a 1954 quartet session. I have to emphatically disagree with one of the other reviewers about this music being substandard. On the contrary, "The Way You Look Tonight" is an absolutely superlative performance, and "I Want to Be Happy" is close behind. Sonny is just on fire here. It's true that Monk takes a relatively back-seat role compared to his work as a leader, but Spheroids can rejoice in his fascinating comping and an inspired solo on the 2nd track.

The fifth track comes from a 1953 quintet session, with Julius Watkins joining in on French horn. Their low rumbling on the goofy theme of "Friday the 13th" is great. The sound on this session is poorer than the quartet session (Van Gelder didn't engineer this one). Rollins doesn't match his playing on the 1954 recordings, but still plays very well. Watkins's French horn (muted, I believe) produces a sound somewhere between a trumpet and a trombone. Monk's solo is terrific. Near the end Sonny and Julius trade bars, with Monk joining as a participant after a few exchanges.

Then we have tracks 3 and 4, left over from one of the component sessions of The Thelonious Monk Trio (the same session that debuted "Blue Monk"). "Work" is indeed a classic and overlooked Monk tune, but "Nutty" is equally good and has a really nice Art Blakey solo.

If you're fan of Monk and/or Rollins this album is absolutely essential. Whether you get it in this form, or as part of the Complete Prestige Recordings box (which might make more sense from a budgetary standpoint-- the Prestige albums are all ridiculously short), get it. Monk did some of his best work for Prestige.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get It, March 18, 2001

By A Customer

Only 3 out of 5 tracks with Sonny, but the 1st cut alone (The Way You Look Tonight) will justify your purchase, it's a high point in recorded jazz. Every track is very good. The 2 trio numbers are high in energy,(Blakey/Heath) especially "Work", one of the more complex and yet strangely funky tunes in Monk's catalog.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars two powerful music minds, January 25, 2000

By	[e-mail] "mistermaxxx" (usa) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

this disc is blazing.these two pioneers are smoking on this disc.songs such as friday the 13th,work,i want to be happy.the piano&sax never has sounded as great as this before or since.this is genius.