Blues Five Spot

chronology
Blues Five Spot
Live album by Thelonious Monk
Publication ; (s)	1984
Label (s)	Milestone Records
Format (s)	LP, CD
Genre (s)	jazz
Title (number)	8th
running time	43:43
occupation	Piano: Thelonious Monk; Trumpet : Donald Byrd (B2); Cornet : Thad Jones (B3); Baritone saxophone : Pepper Adams (B2); Tenor saxophone : Charlie Rouse (B3-B4), Johnny Griffin (A2-B2); Double bass : Ahmed Abdul-Malik (A2-B1), John Ore (B4), Sam Jones (B3), Wilbur Ware (B2); Drums : Philly Joe Jones (B2), Art Taylor (B3), Frankie Dunlop (B4), Roy Haynes (A2-B1);
production	Orrin Keepnews
Studio (s)	New York City, Paris

Blues Five Spot is an album by Thelonious Monk . The pianist's recordings, which were made during several sessions in different line-ups from 1958 to 1959, mostly at the New York Club Five Spot , and at a concert by the Monk Quartet at the Olympia in Paris in 1961, were released in 1984 on LP and compact discs by Milestone Records . The album was the third release of concert recordings with Monk from the Five Spot after Thelonious in Action and Misterioso .

background

This LP contains eight recordings that were first released in 1984. Thelonious Monk can be heard with his quartet active in 1958 with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin on several numbers and on one track with a sextet (with Griffin, trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams ). Monk also plays with his quintet (with his longtime tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse and the cornetist Thad Jones ), as well as with his quartet from 1961 ("Crepescule with Nellie") and as a solo pianist (" Body and Soul "), the latter both recording one Concert in Paris, published largely in 1964 under the title Monk in France .

Monk did not want the material on the original Riverside albums to be included, noted Thomas Fitterling; "The version with solos by Griffin and himself was probably too routine." The title Crepuscule with Nellie is misspelled, the title Sweet Stranger not identified.

Track list

Thelonious Monk - Blues Five Spot (Milestone M-9124)

A1 Unidentified Solo Piano (Unknown) 1:53
A2 Blues Five Spot 9:54
A3 In Walked Bud / Epistrophy 10:55

B1 'Round Midnight (Hanighen, Williams, Monk) 6:15
B2 Coming on the Hudson 6:01
B3 Played Twice (Take 1) 6:56
B4 Crepescule with Nellie 2:39
B5 Body and Soul (Solo Piano) (Heyman, Eyton, Green, Sour) 2:47

Sessions

February 25, 1958: Donald Byrd (tp), Johnny Griffin (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Thelonious Monk (p), Wilbur Ware (kb), Philly Joe Jones (dr). Coming on the Hudson. Reeves Sound Studios, New York
July 9, 1958: Thelonious Monk Quartet: Johnny Griffin (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Ahmed Abdul-Malik (kb), Roy Haynes (dr) Sweet Stranger (unidentified solo piano), Blues Five Spot, Epistrophy. Five Spot , New York.
June 1, 1959: Thelonious Monk Quintet: Thad Jones (cnt), Charlie Rouse (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Sam Jones (kb), Art Taylor (dr). Played Twice (take 1). First studio session for 5 by Monk by 5
April 18, 1961: Thelonious Monk Quartet: Charlie Rouse (ts), Thelonious Monk (p). John Ore (b), Frankie Dunlop (dr). Crepuscule with Nellie, Body and Soul (solo). Olympia , Paris

reception

Scott Yanow said in Allmusic that Blues Five Spot is a strong all-round set that deserves to be released.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved February 19, 2020.
↑ Thomas Fitterling: Thelonious Monk. His life, his music, his records. Oreos, Waakirchen 1987, ISBN 3-923657-14-5 .
↑ Thelonious Monk - Blues Five Spot at Discogs

[all-1] Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved February 19, 2020.

[2] Thomas Fitterling: Thelonious Monk. His life, his music, his records. Oreos, Waakirchen 1987, ISBN 3-923657-14-5 .

[3] Thelonious Monk - Blues Five Spot at Discogs