jazzmatazz

Thelonious Monk

Complete Prestige Recordings (1952-54)
(Prestige)

Thelonious Monk was the house pianist at Minton's Playhouse in the early 1940s, where he was one of the developers of the be-bop style with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker. Not counting some live recording's from Minton's, Monk's first recording session was as a sideman for Coleman Hawkins in 1944. These four tracks, originally on the small Joel Davis label, serve as an appetizer for the Prestige recordings main course.

Although not a bebop musician, Coleman Hawkins' advanced harmonic improvisations were a major influence on the younger musicians. Hawkins also frequently hired some of the more advanced younger musicians for his sessions. By this time, Monk's style was already essentially developed, with its emphasis on unusual voices and off-centered rhythms and its use of space. These sessions were also important because they were where Prestige owner Bob Weinstock first heard Monk. Weinstock signed Monk to Prestige after Monk's 1947-52 Blue Note years.

Trio

The first two sessions are trio sessions from 1952 with Art Blakey or Max Roach. Monk often worked with the best drummers around, evidenced on these sessions by sessions with Blakey, Roach, Art Taylor and Kenny Clarke. Art Blakey is, in my opinion, the perfect drummer for Monk. Blakey's assertive playing made the drums a leading voice. Although in his own sessions, Blakey often used his driving playing to propel his soloists, when playing with Monk he tended to be more of a commentator—listening closely to Monk and answering and talking back within Monk's spaces. Note Blakey's imaginative, clanging rhythms on Monk's joyous "Bye-Ya" and their conversation on "Little Rootie Tootie." And listen for Blakey's melodic, orchestral playing on 1954's "We See." Monk returned to a trio setting in September 1954 with Percy Heath and Blakey. Monk has an excellent solo on "Just A Gigalo".

Quintet

Monk's 1953 quintet session featured Sonny Rollins on tenor and Julius Watkins on French horn (a last-minute substitute for trumpeter Ray Copeland), bassist Percy Heath and the young Monk friend Willie Jones on drums. Rollins shines on this session, which, however, sounds a bit under-rehearsed overall.

The May 1954 quintet session included Frank Foster on tenor, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Curly Russell on bass and Art Blakey back on drums. The young Foster, who had just joined the Count Basie orchestra, sounds great, as does Copeland. Foster sounds like he'd been listening to Rollins here and plays some excellent solos. This session is one of the highlights of the set.

Session as Sonny Rollins sideman

Monk worked as a sideman for his former protégé Sonny Rollins in October 1954. Rollins plays superbly on stretched-out performance of three standards, while Monk stays more in the background.

Miles Davis and the Jazz Giants

The box closes with a disk of music from a December, 1954 Miles Davis all-star session. Evidently because Miles wasn't happy with Monk's accompaniment, Monk laid out during Miles's solos on three of the four tunes. Writer Peter Keepnews (son of Riverside's Orrin Keepnews) discusses the rumors and facts about the session in detail in his essay. (I wonder if both musician's use of space in their playing accounted for Miles's unhappiness with Monk's comping.) This was the last session Monk recorded for Prestige. Evidently unhappy with Prestige by then, Monk signed with Riverside in March 1955 and began his well-regarded tenure there.

As for the set itself, the three CDs are in individual jewel-cases inside a CD-sized box with a cover reminiscent of the early 1950s Prestige style. I'm glad the packaging isn't over elaborate—it's nice to actually be able to read the booklet. In addition to Peter Keepnews's essay, the 32-page booklet includes vintage photos by Esmund Edwards and Chuck Stewart. The music is remastered with JVC's 20bit K2 process. The Prestige sides sound very good.

Thelonious Monk's recordings for Prestige from 1952 to 1954 are sandwiched between the better-known Blue Note and Riverside recordings. Monk's Prestige sides are well worth hearing and this set allows this to be done in a unified way. Recommended. — Alan Lankin

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Release Date: 2000

Tracks:
Disc 1 — Flyin' Hawk / Recollections / Drifting On A Reed / On The Bean / Bye-Ya / Monk's Dream / Sweet And Lovely / Little Rootie Tootie / Bemsha Swing / Reflections / These Foolish Things / Trinkle, Tinkle / Think Of One (Take 1) / Let's Call This / Think Of One (Take 2) / Friday The 13th / (59:31)

Disc 2 — We See / Locomotive / Smoke Gets In Your Eyes / Hackensack / Nutty / Just A Gigolo / Work / Blue Monk / I Want To Be Happy / The Way You Look Tonight / More Than You Know / (64:27)

Disc 3 — Bags' Groove (Take 1) / Swing / The Man I Love (Take 1) / Swing Spring / Bags' Groove (Take 2) / The Man I Love (Take 2) / (56:32)

Sessions released as Thelonious Monk, Monk, Thelonious Monk/Sonny Rollins and parts of Miles Davis's Bag's Groove and Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants.

Personnel: Miles Davis, Ray Copeland (trumpet); Julius Watkins (French horn); Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Frank Foster (tenor sax); Milt Jackson (vibes); Thelonious Monk (piano); Edward "Bass" Robinson, Gary Mapp, Percy Heath, Curly Russell, Tommy Potter (bass); Denzil Best, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Willie Jones, Arthur Taylor, Kenny Clark (drums).

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last update 1 Sept 2000