Thelonious Monk Trio
| Thelonious Monk Trio | ||||
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| Studio album by Thelonious Monk | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Prestige Records | |||
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Format (s) |
LP, CD |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
34:31 |
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Studio (s) |
New York City and Hackensack, New Jersey |
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Thelonious Monk Trio is an album by Thelonious Monk . It contains the recordings of two trio sessions that were made in New York on October 15 and December 18, 1952. They were released in 1953 as a 10-inch long-playing record under the title Thelonious and in 1956, expanded by two titles, as a 12-inch LP under the title Thelonious Monk Trio on Prestige Records . The recordings were finally released unchanged as compact discs in 1991 in Japan .
background
After Thelonious Monk's last studio recordings for Blue Note Records , when he played the tracks “Skippy”, “Hornin 'In”, “Sixteen”, “Carolina” in a sextet cast (with Kenny Dorham , Lou Donaldson , Lucky Thompson , Nelson Boyd and Max Roach ) Moon ”had recorded“ Let's Cool One ”and“ I'll Follow You ”, the pianist was under contract with Bob Weinstock's record label Prestige Records. Bob Weinstock was known for operating no frills, no rehearsals, and using cash, and he brought Thelonious Monk and his trio to three recording sessions that spanned the years 1952-1954. The compositions recorded by Monk were mostly composed during the Blue Note years. On his first EP / LP he played deconstruction of popular standards, "Just a Gigolo", "Sweet and Lovely" and "These Foolish Things".
Although Monk had already recorded from 1944 (as a member of the Coleman Hawkins Quartet), he was living in a difficult situation in 1952 when he signed the contract with Prestige. A violation of the Narcotics Act led to the revocation of Monks' cabaret ticket, which resulted in his no longer appearing in New York City's jazz clubs and lacking this income. However, the prestige recordings gave him the opportunity to maintain and increase his popularity. His first release for the label - simply called Thelonious as an EP - was produced by Ira Gitler .
On October 15, 1952, the pianist initially recorded "Little Rootie Tootie" and "Monk's Dream" (which appeared on the single Prestige 850) as well as "Sweet and Lovely" and "Bye-Ya" (# 795). Bassist Gary Mapp and drummer Art Blakey played with Monk . The four tracks released the prestige label as EP The Thelonious Monk Trio (PrEP 1329).
On December 18, 1953 the second prestige session of Monks followed, this time with Max Roach on drums; the titles "Trinkle Tinkle", " These Foolish Things ", " Bemsha Swing " and "Reflections" were created. All eight tracks from 1952 first appeared in 1953 on the 10-inch album Thelonious (Prestige PRLP 142).
After two quintet sessions in November 1953 and May 1954 for Prestige and his stay in Paris in the summer of 1954, Monk went back to the studio with a trio; with sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey, Percy Heath (bass) and Art Blakey created the tracks "Blue Monk" and " Just a Gigolo " on September 22, 1954 , the latter being a solo number for Monks. Prestige released the EP Thelonious Monk Plays (PrLP 189) with the tracks "Nutty" and "Work", which were also recorded at the September session . “Nutty” and “Work” later appeared on the 12-inch LP Thelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins on Prestige.
Track list
Thelonious (10 "-LP, 1953)
- Thelonious (Prestige - PRLP 142)
A1 Little Rootie Tootie (Monk) 3:03
A2 Sweet and Lovely ( Gus Amheim , Jules LeMare , Harry Tobias ) 3:31
A3 Bye-Ya (Monk) 2:43
A4 Monk's Dream (Monk) 3:02
B1 Trinkle Tinkle (Monk) 2:45
B2 These Foolish Things (Harry Link, Jack Strachey, Holt Marvell ) 2:42
B3 Bemsha Swing ( Denzil Best , Th. Monk) 3:05
B4 Reflections (Monk) 2:41
Thelonious Monk Plays (EP)
- Thelonious Monk Plays (Prestige - PRLP 189)
A1 Work (Monk)
A2 Nutty (Monk)
B1 Blue Monk (Monk)
B2 Just a Gigolo ( Leonello Casucci , Julius Brammer )
Thelonious Monk Trio (12 "-LP 1956)
- Thelonious Monk Trio - Thelonious Monk Trio (Prestige - PRLP 7027)
A1 Blue Monk 7:30
A2 Just a Gigolo 2:45
A3 Bemsha Swing 3:05
A4 Reflections 2:41
B1 Little Rootie Tootie 3:03
B2 Sweet and Lovely 3:31
B3 Bye-Ya 2:43
B4 Monk's Dream 3:02
B5 Trinkle Tinkle 2:45
B6 These Foolish Things 2:42
reception
Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. gave the album 4½ (out of five) stars in Allmusic and wrote, Monk unleashed his idiosyncratic piano lines in front of a free backdrop. The wonderful opening track “Blue Monk” is a highlight of the album and combines in a strange way disharmonious riffs in a melodic and very memorable structure. "Little Rootie Tootie" is another fascinating study in dissonance with some great drumming work by Blakey. Since the album was composed of three different sessions, it is often difficult to identify the supporting players for individual recordings. The ten pieces offer a tricky interplay between bass, drums and piano. “They provide the space necessary for Monk's explorations, which evoke images of a mathematician working out geometric patterns on the keyboard. While math music sounds a bit cold and soulless, pieces like 'Monk's Dream' and 'Trinkle, Tinkle' evoke a sublime beauty when they create order out of chaos. "
Charles De Ledesma wrote for BBC in 2007 , “The recordings aptly show his stylistic features, full of dissonant harmonies and sweeping, melodic twists. Above all of his technical innovations, however, Monk's highly likeable, unorthodox approach to the piano combines a driving force with bizarre inflections and a wonderful feeling for space and timing. "In the author's view, the pianist's various players have" little influence on the Overall effect - Monk consistently offers a lush flow of melody, punctuation , nuance and charm. "
Chris May, who reviewed the remastered edition of Rudy Van Gelder in All About Jazz in 2007 , described Thelonious Monk Trio as "immortal, stratospheric music" and "among the most eternal" of Monk's releases. "During this time like no other," said May, "Monk's rhythmic attack had the power of an express train."
"This first [Prestige] album [...] filters Monk's unique, dissonant style through the trio format with fascinating results," wrote Chris Ingalls in 2007 in Pop Matters. Not only is the sound quality of a 65-year-old recording impressive, “the self-confidence with which Monk and his band play these songs is breathtaking. Its modernity and originality make it sound deeply fresh even in the current music climate. Future Monk standards like 'Monk's Dream' and 'Trinkle, Trinkle' manage to combine unforgettable melodies with unique clusters of notes. This amalgamation of hummable melodies with the selection of high pitched notes helped Monk gain legendary status, and the way the trio "ticks" during these crucial sessions helps Monk successfully interpret the music in his head. Monk's unusual behavior can also be experienced when one can clearly hear his voice mimicking the piano notes (similar to similar legends like Glenn Gould and Keith Jarrett ). It's also interesting to hear " Bemsha Swing " (later recorded on his classic 1956 album Brilliant Corners with a larger band) in a more intimate format. "
As for Thelonious Monk Plays , the fourth 10-inch LP, Ingalls noted that it contained mostly original Monk material, with the exception of a "strange standard [s]". "Just a Gigolo" was arranged by Monk as a solo piano piece, the familiar tune is broken by the usual dissonance is known for Monk, and a song that best in versions of Louis Armstrong , Fats Waller and Art Tatum known is, gives a unique touch. In the other tracks, such as the now famous Monk original 'Blue Monk' - with an excellent Blakey drum solo - Thelonious Monk succeeds on this recording, either alone or with his band, and it speaks volumes not only for Monk's playing and arranging styles, but also for the caliber of musicians he worked with during these fertile years.
Appendix: The Prestige 10-inch albums and EPs
- Thelonious Monk Trio: Thelonious (Prestige PrLP 142), rec October 15, 1952 (side A) and December 18, 1952 (side B)
- Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows For LP, Featuring Sonny Rollins (Prestige PrLP 166), Rec. November 13, 1953
- 195? EP: Thelonious Monk Quintet Featuring Sonny Rollins - Blows For LP (rec 13 November 1953; re-released on Thelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins 1957)
- Thelonious Monk Quintet (with Frank Foster, Art Blakey) (Prestige PrLP 180), Rec May 11, 1954
- Thelonious Monk Plays (with Percy Heath and Art Blakey) (Prestige PrLP 189), Rec September 22, 1954
- Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk (Prestige Prlp 190), Rec 25 October 1954 ( not signed contribution of frankness Bahlo ( Talk | Contributions ) 11:56, 18 February 2020 (CET))
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Chris Ingalls: The Complete Prestige 10-inch LP Collection . Pop Matters, December 20, 2017, accessed February 19, 2020 .
- ↑ The Thelonious Monk Trio (Prestige PrEP 1329) at Discogs
- ↑ Thelonious Monk Trio - Thelonious at Discogs
- ↑ a b Thelonious Monk Trio - Thelonious Monk Trio at Discogs
- ↑ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed February 19, 2020)
- ↑ Thelonious at Discogs
- ↑ Thelonious Monk Plays at Discogs
- ^ Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Accessed February 1, 2020.
- ↑ Charles De Ledesma: Monk's prime Prestige sides given a dusting-down ... BBC, May 6, 2007, accessed on February 17, 2020 .
- ↑ Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk Trio. All About Jazz, May 1, 2007, accessed February 17, 2020 .