Entire genres that only need one thread #1: "Jazz"

[AndySlash]

I'm really digging the new Kamasi Washington album

yes, indeed.

[Kevin Davis]

Not sure if this would be of interest to anyone here, but this is a little project I have been slowly but steadily working on for the past 2-3 years or so and wanted to share the details of it here.

In the summer of 2012 I read the Thelonious Monk biography "The Life and Times of An American Original" by Robin Kelley. Monk has long been a favorite composer and performer of mine, but reading this biography really pushed me off the deep end. I was particularly struck by a comment that I had read there and elsewhere which stated that Monk is the second most "covered" jazz composer of all-time, behind Duke Ellington. However, while Ellington had thousands of copyrights to his name, Monk only had something like 70 -- songs which he recorded over and over again, some which he never recorded at all, but still, a small body of work considering his reputation as one of the art form's great composers.

So it seemed like tracking down at least one version of every original song he recorded ought to be a relatively doable task, and for a few years I steadily sought out Monk releases with this goal in mind. Somewhere along the way, it dawned on me that it would be cool to compile an anthology of sorts -- personal favorite versions of each composition, but with every composition represented once. Finally, after a leisurely three years of putting it together, the comp is done.

The collection spans six discs and covers 21 years -- from 1947 to 1968. Minus a few oddball tracks that Kelley and other students of Monk's music have reasonably deduced are either unfinished pieces or improvisations, this should be every Monk composition that he recorded his own version of (I used the appendix in Kelley's book as my reference material, so there shouldn't be any holes). All the recordings are sourced from my personal CD collection, ripped to iTunes as WAVs and then converted to FLAC via Poweramp. I am too inept of an engineer to do much audio manipulation, but I did fade live tracks in and out for continuity purposes, and tweaked the overall volume of a couple tracks ever so slightly, but these are still sourced from a variety of different CD's from a variety of different labels that were all mastered and remastered and re-remastered at various points in time and therefore don't sound perfectly continuous from a sonic standpoint. But from a musical standpoint, it's six discs of bliss.

Thelonious Monk -- Complete Originals

Spoiler: show

Disc 1

1. Thelonious (10/15/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
2. Humph (10/15/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
3. Ruby, My Dear (10/24/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
4. Introspection (10/24/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
5. Who Knows (11/21/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Genius of Modern Music, Volume 1”

6. Criss Cross (7/23/51, WOR Studios, NYC)
7. Eronel (7/23/51, WOR Studios, NYC)
8. Skippy (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
9. Hornin’ In (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
10. Sixteen (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
11. Let’s Cool One (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2”

12. Bye-Ya (10/15/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk Trio”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

13. Let’s Call This (11/13/53. WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Monk”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

14. Friday the 13th (11/13/53, WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

15. We See (5/11/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Monk”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

16. Work (9/22/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

17. Bemsha Swing (12/24/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

Disc 2

1. Brilliant Corners (10/15/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
2. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are (10/9/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
3. Pannonica (10/9/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Brilliant Corners”

4. Reflections (4/14/57, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Sonny Rollins, Volume 2”

5. Functional (4/16/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious Himself”

6. Well, You Needn’t (6/26/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
7. Off Minor (6/26/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “Monk’s Music”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

8. Trinkle, Tinkle (7/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

Disc 3

1. Monk’s Mood (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
2. Evidence (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
3. Crepuscule With Nellie (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
4. Nutty (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane At Carnegie Hall”

5. ‘Round Midnight (7/9/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Originally released on the Milestone compilation “Blues Five Spot”
Taken from the CD version of the Riverside release “Thelonious in Action” (it appears as a bonus track)

6. Light Blue (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
7. Coming On the Hudson (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
8. Blue Monk (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious in Action”

9. Blues Five Spot (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
10. In Walked Bud (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Misterioso”

11. Little Rootie Tootie (2/28/59, Town Hall, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

Disc 4

1. Jackie-Ing (6/4/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
2. Played Twice (6/1/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
3. Ask Me Now (6/2/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “5 By Monk By 5”

4. Round Lights (10/21/59, Fugazi Hall, San Francisco, CA)
5. Bluehawk (10/22/59, Fugazi Hall, San Franscisco, CA)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious Alone in San Francisco”

6. Hackensack (4/14/61, Olympia Theatre, Paris, France)
Taken from the Riverside release “Monk in France”

7. Epistrophy (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
8. San Francisco Holiday (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
9. Rhythm-a-Ning (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
Taken from the Riverside release “Monk in Italy”

10. Monk’s Dream (11/2/62, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Monk’s Dream”

11. Think of One (2/26/63, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Criss Cross”

Disc 5

1. I Mean You (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
2. Misterioso (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
3. Oska T. (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
4. Four In One (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Big Band and Quartet in Concert”

5. Stuffy Turkey (1/30/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
6. Brake’s Sake (2/10/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
7. Shuffle Boil (3/9/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “It’s Monk’s Time”

Disc 6

1. Children’s Song (That Old Man) (10/7/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
2. Teo (3/9/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Monk.”

3. North of the Sunset (10/31/64, unidentified studio, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Solo Monk”

4. Gallop’s Gallop (11/1/64, It Club, Los Angeles, CA)
5. Straight, No Chaser (10/31/64, It Club, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Live At the It Club – Complete”

6. Monk’s Point (11/2/64, unidentified studio, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Solo Monk”

7. Bright Mississippi (11/4/64, Jazz Workshop, San Francisco, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Live at the Jazz Workshop – Complete”

8. Locomotive (11/15/66, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Straight, No Chaser”

9. Ugly Beauty (12/14/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
10. Raise Four (2/14/68, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
11. Boo Boo’s Birthday (12/21/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
12. Green Chimneys (12/14/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Underground”

I don't feel like going back and typing out the personnel for each track, but information should be easily available by searching the original albums, and suffice it to say Monk's supporting cast throughout this set includes Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Percy Heath, Johnny Griffin, and the soulmate of his later years, tenor man Charlie Rouse, among many other capable henchmen. Hopefully this is of interest to at least a few of you -- feel free to drop me a line to discuss it further. Merry early Christmas to all

[tragabigzanda]

[Kevin Davis]

Thanks, trag -- it was a labor of love for sure, and is a lot to dig through. It *is* unfortunate that his work is spread across so many labels, as I don't think a comp like this would be a terribly unreasonable thing to market (it probably could have been a disc or two shorter if I hadn't picked such long versions of some of the tunes).

Monk is one of those guys that continues to delight and puzzle me -- as I get older and find myself unraveling the secrets behind even musical forms that I once found deeply and inexplicably magical, the way Monk's compositions work -- and why they work -- is a subject that always retains mystery for me. And a comp of some of his sideways, hilarious covers would be equally cool.

[doug rr]

well done

[contamination]

Not sure if this would be of interest to anyone here, but this is a little project I have been slowly but steadily working on for the past 2-3 years or so and wanted to share the details of it here.

In the summer of 2012 I read the Thelonious Monk biography "The Life and Times of An American Original" by Robin Kelley. Monk has long been a favorite composer and performer of mine, but reading this biography really pushed me off the deep end. I was particularly struck by a comment that I had read there and elsewhere which stated that Monk is the second most "covered" jazz composer of all-time, behind Duke Ellington. However, while Ellington had thousands of copyrights to his name, Monk only had something like 70 -- songs which he recorded over and over again, some which he never recorded at all, but still, a small body of work considering his reputation as one of the art form's great composers.

So it seemed like tracking down at least one version of every original song he recorded ought to be a relatively doable task, and for a few years I steadily sought out Monk releases with this goal in mind. Somewhere along the way, it dawned on me that it would be cool to compile an anthology of sorts -- personal favorite versions of each composition, but with every composition represented once. Finally, after a leisurely three years of putting it together, the comp is done.

The collection spans six discs and covers 21 years -- from 1947 to 1968. Minus a few oddball tracks that Kelley and other students of Monk's music have reasonably deduced are either unfinished pieces or improvisations, this should be every Monk composition that he recorded his own version of (I used the appendix in Kelley's book as my reference material, so there shouldn't be any holes). All the recordings are sourced from my personal CD collection, ripped to iTunes as WAVs and then converted to FLAC via Poweramp. I am too inept of an engineer to do much audio manipulation, but I did fade live tracks in and out for continuity purposes, and tweaked the overall volume of a couple tracks ever so slightly, but these are still sourced from a variety of different CD's from a variety of different labels that were all mastered and remastered and re-remastered at various points in time and therefore don't sound perfectly continuous from a sonic standpoint. But from a musical standpoint, it's six discs of bliss.

Thelonious Monk -- Complete Originals

Spoiler: show

Disc 1

1. Thelonious (10/15/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
2. Humph (10/15/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
3. Ruby, My Dear (10/24/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
4. Introspection (10/24/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
5. Who Knows (11/21/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Genius of Modern Music, Volume 1”

6. Criss Cross (7/23/51, WOR Studios, NYC)
7. Eronel (7/23/51, WOR Studios, NYC)
8. Skippy (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
9. Hornin’ In (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
10. Sixteen (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
11. Let’s Cool One (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2”

12. Bye-Ya (10/15/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk Trio”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

13. Let’s Call This (11/13/53. WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Monk”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

14. Friday the 13th (11/13/53, WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

15. We See (5/11/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Monk”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

16. Work (9/22/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

17. Bemsha Swing (12/24/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

Disc 2

1. Brilliant Corners (10/15/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
2. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are (10/9/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
3. Pannonica (10/9/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Brilliant Corners”

4. Reflections (4/14/57, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Sonny Rollins, Volume 2”

5. Functional (4/16/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious Himself”

6. Well, You Needn’t (6/26/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
7. Off Minor (6/26/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “Monk’s Music”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

8. Trinkle, Tinkle (7/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

Disc 3

1. Monk’s Mood (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
2. Evidence (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
3. Crepuscule With Nellie (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
4. Nutty (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane At Carnegie Hall”

5. ‘Round Midnight (7/9/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Originally released on the Milestone compilation “Blues Five Spot”
Taken from the CD version of the Riverside release “Thelonious in Action” (it appears as a bonus track)

6. Light Blue (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
7. Coming On the Hudson (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
8. Blue Monk (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious in Action”

9. Blues Five Spot (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
10. In Walked Bud (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Misterioso”

11. Little Rootie Tootie (2/28/59, Town Hall, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

Disc 4

1. Jackie-Ing (6/4/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
2. Played Twice (6/1/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
3. Ask Me Now (6/2/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “5 By Monk By 5”

4. Round Lights (10/21/59, Fugazi Hall, San Francisco, CA)
5. Bluehawk (10/22/59, Fugazi Hall, San Franscisco, CA)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious Alone in San Francisco”

6. Hackensack (4/14/61, Olympia Theatre, Paris, France)
Taken from the Riverside release “Monk in France”

7. Epistrophy (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
8. San Francisco Holiday (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
9. Rhythm-a-Ning (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
Taken from the Riverside release “Monk in Italy”

10. Monk’s Dream (11/2/62, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Monk’s Dream”

11. Think of One (2/26/63, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Criss Cross”

Disc 5

1. I Mean You (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
2. Misterioso (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
3. Oska T. (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
4. Four In One (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Big Band and Quartet in Concert”

5. Stuffy Turkey (1/30/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
6. Brake’s Sake (2/10/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
7. Shuffle Boil (3/9/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “It’s Monk’s Time”

Disc 6

1. Children’s Song (That Old Man) (10/7/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
2. Teo (3/9/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Monk.”

3. North of the Sunset (10/31/64, unidentified studio, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Solo Monk”

4. Gallop’s Gallop (11/1/64, It Club, Los Angeles, CA)
5. Straight, No Chaser (10/31/64, It Club, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Live At the It Club – Complete”

6. Monk’s Point (11/2/64, unidentified studio, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Solo Monk”

7. Bright Mississippi (11/4/64, Jazz Workshop, San Francisco, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Live at the Jazz Workshop – Complete”

8. Locomotive (11/15/66, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Straight, No Chaser”

9. Ugly Beauty (12/14/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
10. Raise Four (2/14/68, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
11. Boo Boo’s Birthday (12/21/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
12. Green Chimneys (12/14/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Underground”

I don't feel like going back and typing out the personnel for each track, but information should be easily available by searching the original albums, and suffice it to say Monk's supporting cast throughout this set includes Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Percy Heath, Johnny Griffin, and the soulmate of his later years, tenor man Charlie Rouse, among many other capable henchmen. Hopefully this is of interest to at least a few of you -- feel free to drop me a line to discuss it further. Merry early Christmas to all

I love Monk, and I love that Kelley's book. I think I've read it couple of times. I love playing Pannonica with trumpet. That's pretty much all I can play, but man do I love that song. And Monk, I love that man. I sure do love many things today.

Edit: Oh and amazing work Mr. Davis. Not sure I got the time to listen to this now though (still have that Dylan to listen )

[Birds in Hell]

Very interested in giving this is a listen, stellar work KD!

[diesel]

i tell people that i like jazz but i never really branched out past miles. i really like his first quintet work (cookin/steamin/working/relaxin) and his later works starting with bitches brew. thru miles, i got into some coltrane too but my exploration stopped there. whats the next path i should take? I'm interested in checking out monk work too but i've never been that crazy about piano jazz.

[tragabigzanda]

[Kevin Davis]

i tell people that i like jazz but i never really branched out past miles. i really like his first quintet work (cookin/steamin/working/relaxin) and his later works starting with bitches brew. thru miles, i got into some coltrane too but my exploration stopped there. whats the next path i should take? I'm interested in checking out monk work too but i've never been that crazy about piano jazz.

I sent you a link -- Monk has plenty of solo and trio stuff but most of his work featured horn players, so the arrangements won't be any different from most Miles or Coltrane recordings (indeed they both feature on this set -- check out "Trinkle, Tinkle" on this set, ESP-like interplay from Monk and Trane). I doubt most of his work would strike you as "piano jazz," per se, in the same way a Bill Evans album might.

[Kevin Davis]

Monk is great; he's got a unique fingering style with the piano, very splayed out and stabby

His wife Nellie coined the term "Melodious Thunk" to describe his playing style -- finer music criticism is hard to find.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[William Bloke]

Not sure if this would be of interest to anyone here, but this is a little project I have been slowly but steadily working on for the past 2-3 years or so and wanted to share the details of it here.

In the summer of 2012 I read the Thelonious Monk biography "The Life and Times of An American Original" by Robin Kelley. Monk has long been a favorite composer and performer of mine, but reading this biography really pushed me off the deep end. I was particularly struck by a comment that I had read there and elsewhere which stated that Monk is the second most "covered" jazz composer of all-time, behind Duke Ellington. However, while Ellington had thousands of copyrights to his name, Monk only had something like 70 -- songs which he recorded over and over again, some which he never recorded at all, but still, a small body of work considering his reputation as one of the art form's great composers.

So it seemed like tracking down at least one version of every original song he recorded ought to be a relatively doable task, and for a few years I steadily sought out Monk releases with this goal in mind. Somewhere along the way, it dawned on me that it would be cool to compile an anthology of sorts -- personal favorite versions of each composition, but with every composition represented once. Finally, after a leisurely three years of putting it together, the comp is done.

The collection spans six discs and covers 21 years -- from 1947 to 1968. Minus a few oddball tracks that Kelley and other students of Monk's music have reasonably deduced are either unfinished pieces or improvisations, this should be every Monk composition that he recorded his own version of (I used the appendix in Kelley's book as my reference material, so there shouldn't be any holes). All the recordings are sourced from my personal CD collection, ripped to iTunes as WAVs and then converted to FLAC via Poweramp. I am too inept of an engineer to do much audio manipulation, but I did fade live tracks in and out for continuity purposes, and tweaked the overall volume of a couple tracks ever so slightly, but these are still sourced from a variety of different CD's from a variety of different labels that were all mastered and remastered and re-remastered at various points in time and therefore don't sound perfectly continuous from a sonic standpoint. But from a musical standpoint, it's six discs of bliss.

Thelonious Monk -- Complete Originals

Spoiler: show

Disc 1

1. Thelonious (10/15/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
2. Humph (10/15/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
3. Ruby, My Dear (10/24/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
4. Introspection (10/24/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
5. Who Knows (11/21/47, WOR Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Genius of Modern Music, Volume 1”

6. Criss Cross (7/23/51, WOR Studios, NYC)
7. Eronel (7/23/51, WOR Studios, NYC)
8. Skippy (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
9. Hornin’ In (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
10. Sixteen (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
11. Let’s Cool One (5/30/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2”

12. Bye-Ya (10/15/52, WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk Trio”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

13. Let’s Call This (11/13/53. WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Monk”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

14. Friday the 13th (11/13/53, WOR Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

15. We See (5/11/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Monk”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

16. Work (9/22/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

17. Bemsha Swing (12/24/54, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Originally released on the Prestige album “Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants”
Taken from “The Complete Prestige Recordings”

Disc 2

1. Brilliant Corners (10/15/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
2. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are (10/9/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
3. Pannonica (10/9/56, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Brilliant Corners”

4. Reflections (4/14/57, Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, NJ)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Sonny Rollins, Volume 2”

5. Functional (4/16/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious Himself”

6. Well, You Needn’t (6/26/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
7. Off Minor (6/26/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “Monk’s Music”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

8. Trinkle, Tinkle (7/57, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

Disc 3

1. Monk’s Mood (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
2. Evidence (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
3. Crepuscule With Nellie (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
4. Nutty (10/29/57, Carnegie Hall, NYC)
Taken from the Blue Note release “Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane At Carnegie Hall”

5. ‘Round Midnight (7/9/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Originally released on the Milestone compilation “Blues Five Spot”
Taken from the CD version of the Riverside release “Thelonious in Action” (it appears as a bonus track)

6. Light Blue (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
7. Coming On the Hudson (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
8. Blue Monk (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious in Action”

9. Blues Five Spot (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
10. In Walked Bud (8/7/58, Five Spot Café, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “Misterioso”

11. Little Rootie Tootie (2/28/59, Town Hall, NYC)
Originally released on the Riverside album “The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall”
Taken from “The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside”

Disc 4

1. Jackie-Ing (6/4/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
2. Played Twice (6/1/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
3. Ask Me Now (6/2/59, Reeves Sound Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Riverside release “5 By Monk By 5”

4. Round Lights (10/21/59, Fugazi Hall, San Francisco, CA)
5. Bluehawk (10/22/59, Fugazi Hall, San Franscisco, CA)
Taken from the Riverside release “Thelonious Alone in San Francisco”

6. Hackensack (4/14/61, Olympia Theatre, Paris, France)
Taken from the Riverside release “Monk in France”

7. Epistrophy (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
8. San Francisco Holiday (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
9. Rhythm-a-Ning (4/21/61, Concert “Teatro Lirico,” Milan, Italy)
Taken from the Riverside release “Monk in Italy”

10. Monk’s Dream (11/2/62, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Monk’s Dream”

11. Think of One (2/26/63, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Criss Cross”

Disc 5

1. I Mean You (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
2. Misterioso (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
3. Oska T. (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
4. Four In One (12/30/63, Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Big Band and Quartet in Concert”

5. Stuffy Turkey (1/30/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
6. Brake’s Sake (2/10/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
7. Shuffle Boil (3/9/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “It’s Monk’s Time”

Disc 6

1. Children’s Song (That Old Man) (10/7/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
2. Teo (3/9/64, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Monk.”

3. North of the Sunset (10/31/64, unidentified studio, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Solo Monk”

4. Gallop’s Gallop (11/1/64, It Club, Los Angeles, CA)
5. Straight, No Chaser (10/31/64, It Club, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Live At the It Club – Complete”

6. Monk’s Point (11/2/64, unidentified studio, Los Angeles, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Solo Monk”

7. Bright Mississippi (11/4/64, Jazz Workshop, San Francisco, CA)
Taken from the Columbia release “Live at the Jazz Workshop – Complete”

8. Locomotive (11/15/66, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Straight, No Chaser”

9. Ugly Beauty (12/14/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
10. Raise Four (2/14/68, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
11. Boo Boo’s Birthday (12/21/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
12. Green Chimneys (12/14/67, 30th Street Studios, NYC)
Taken from the Columbia release “Underground”

I don't feel like going back and typing out the personnel for each track, but information should be easily available by searching the original albums, and suffice it to say Monk's supporting cast throughout this set includes Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Percy Heath, Johnny Griffin, and the soulmate of his later years, tenor man Charlie Rouse, among many other capable henchmen. Hopefully this is of interest to at least a few of you -- feel free to drop me a line to discuss it further. Merry early Christmas to all

I've been LOVING this at work these past few days. Perfect accompaniment to a quiet and slow period where I'm getting to catch up on a whole heap of shit I should have already done.

In particular Disc 5 really does it for me.

Thanks again KD - great stuff.

[Kevin Davis]

Awesome! Glad you are digging it Varis -- Monk is one of the only musicians that I simply find it impossible to be sad while listening to. As luck would have it, the album I linked to in this thread's original post provided about half the material on Disc 5, so if you're looking for a good Monk album on the cheap (though not as cheap as it was when I made the thread), I recommend giving that a whirl.

[WaitingForBluey]

I'm not sure why I never found this thread before but this is right up my alley. Over the past 2 or 3 years I've slowly become obsessed with Monk, Coltrane, Miles and Mingus. That's my Mt Rushmore for the time being, although Herbie deserves a spot too. I also read the Monk book at some point last year and became so obsessed that I had to find and listen to all 70 of his originals. It's all I listened to for about 3 months. Very easy to get hooked on this stuff.

[WaitingForBluey]

My holy grail of jazz vinyl:

Monk:
Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1
Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2
Brilliant Corners
Monk's Music
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
Monk and Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall
5 by Monk by 5
Monk's Dream
Criss-Cross
Thelonious Alone in San Francisco

Coltrane:
Giant Steps
A Love Supreme
Coltrane's Sound
My Favorite Things
Blue Train

Miles:
Kind of Blue
In a Silent Way
Bitches Brew
On the Corner
Big Fun

Mingus:
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Blues & Roots
The Black Saint & the Sinner Lady

Herbie Hancock:
Head Hunters
Fat Albert Rotunda
Sextant
The Prisoner


Next up on my wishlist:
1. Monk - Big Band and Quartet in Concert
2. Coltrane - Impressions
3. Coltrane - Live at Birdland
4. Miles - Miles Smiles
5. Miles - Milestones
6. Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
7. Herbie - Maiden Voyage

[William Bloke]

Monk - Big Band and Quartet in Concert

I acquired this today, albeit in digital, not vinyl, form, alas.

I don't have a turntable anymore but I'm semi-seriously considering once again delving into the joys of the record.

One of my most distinct music memories was back in the mid 80s as a teenager, staying at my brother's place as much as possible, at the end of the a night crashing on his couch and dropping the needle on Monk's Moods to soothe me to sleep.

I can honestly almost smell that memory. Crazy.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[William Bloke]

What a great album to have that experience with! Ha!

[VinylGuy]

Listening to Brad Mehldau's Largo after a long, long time.

When It Rains remains as a personal favorite...Matt Chamberlain is fucking good.