The album was assembled yesteryear the label with fabric from 3 unlike sessions. The impetus for the album was the uncovering of 3 usable studio tracks recorded yesteryear the Monk Quartet with Coltrane inwards July of 1957 at the get-go of the band's six-month residency at New York's legendary Five Spot guild nigh Cooper Square. To circular out the release, producer Keepnews included 2 outtakes from the Monk's Music album recorded the previous month, together with an additional outtake from Thelonious Himself recorded inwards April. The latter selection, "Functional," is a solo pianoforte slice yesteryear Monk.
It was reissued inwards 2000 on Fantasy Records equally part of its serial for dorsum catalogue using the JVC 20-bit K2 coding system. Because of the historical significance of this album it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame inwards 2007.
Universally regarded equally 1 of the greatest collaborations betwixt the 2 nigh influential musicians inwards modern jazz (artist/miles-davis-mn0000423829">Miles Davis notwithstanding), the Jazzland sessions from artist/thelonious-monk-mn0000490416">Thelonious Monk together with artist/john-coltrane-mn0000175553">John Coltrane should locomote recognized on other levels. While the mastery of the principals is beyond reproach, credit should too locomote given to peerless bassist artist/wilbur-ware-mn0000255770">Wilbur Ware, equally mighty an anchor equally anyone could want. These 1957 dates too sport a diverseness inwards drummerless trio, quartet, septet, or solo pianoforte settings, all emphasizing the compelling together with quirky compositions of artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 shouted-out, pronounced "Off Minor" together with robust, three-minute "Epistrophy" with legendary saxophonists artist/coleman-hawkins-mn0000776363">Coleman Hawkins, artist/gigi-gryce-mn0000661974">Gigi Gryce, together with the brilliant, underappreciated trumpeter artist/ray-copeland-mn0000870365">Ray Copeland are hallmark tracks that every jazz fan should revere. Of the 4 quartet sessions, the fleet "Trinkle Tinkle" tests artist/coltrane-mn0000175553">Coltrane's mettle, equally he's perfectly matched with artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk, but conversely unforced during "Nutty" before taking off. artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk's solo pianoforte effort, "Functional," is flavored with blues, stride, together with boogie-woogie, piece a bonus track, "Monk's Mood," has a artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk-artist/ware-mn0000255770">Ware-artist/coltrane-mn0000175553">Coltrane tandem (minus drummer Shadow Wilson) dorsum for an eight-minute excursion primarily with artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk inwards a long intro, artist/trane-mn0000175553">'Trane inwards late, together with artist/ware-mn0000255770">Ware's bass accents booming through the studio. This volition ever locomote an essential particular standing proudly amid unearthed alive sessions from artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk together with artist/coltrane-mn0000175553">Coltrane, demarcating a pivotal indicate during the nigh pregnant twelvemonth inwards all types of music, from a technical together with creative standpoint, but peculiarly the jazz of the immediate future.
Among Thelonious Monk's long stays at New York's legendary Five Spot was a six-month current inwards 1957 with perhaps his nigh bright band, with artist-glance/27627/$%7B0%7D">John Coltrane finding fuel inwards Monk's music for his harmonic explorations. The quartet solely recorded 3 studio tracks: a sublime reading of Monk's ballad "Ruby, My Dear"; a loping version of "Nutty"; together with a stunning version of "Trinkle Tinkle" on which Trane's tenor mirrors Monk's pianoforte part. The CD is completed with outtakes from an octet session that joined Coltrane together with artist-glance/42968/$%7B0%7D">Coleman Hawkins together with an extended solo version of "Functional."
For 5 months inwards 1957 at the New York Five Spot Cafe, the genius Thelonious Monk Quartet included avante-garde tenor saxophone thespian John Coltrane. Unfortunately, solely 3 songs on this CD characteristic the Quartet. Personally, I would receive got much loved to receive got heard more.
"Ruby My Dear" is a classic Monk tune where Coltrane plays an amazing saxophone on both the tune together with on his solo. The genius is Monk's soloing is acquaint inwards this song, equally Monk only reharmonizes the melody, adding licks with his clumsy vogue of playing that fits inwards together with thence perfectly with his melodies.
"Trinkle Tinkle" is my favorite surgical physical care for on this album, featuring a killer tune together with rivetting solos from both Coltrane together with Monk. But, a standout hither is bassist Wilbur Ware's solo. It is a genuinely amazing bass solo. When monk plays the duet during the solo, Ware makes that operate with his ain solo, which is corking musicianship.
"Off Minor" is non the Quartet playing; it is Monk, Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, together with other horn players. This vocal has a genuinely corking tune with precisely about solos that are great, but non standouts.
"Nutty" in 1 trial once to a greater extent than features the Quartet. The tune is 1 of my favorites yesteryear Monk because of its playful nature. It does non audio similar a typical Monk piece... I quest heed to a greater extent than Ellington inwards the tune than Monk. The soloing is too awesome on this song.
"Epistrophy" features the same band equally "Off Minor", but this is my favorite version of "Epistrophy" together with it features a killer solo from Coltrane.
The terminal rail is champaign a filler with its ix together with a one-half minutes of Monk playing pianoforte solo on 1 of his songs called "Functional". The tune together with the soloing are both impressive on this song, but it's obvious it was precisely added becasue they didn't receive got a lot of fabric to actually brand an album of precisely Monk/Coltrane.
I recommend this album to all jazz fans. I honor it together with thence cool when jazz geniuses play together. Ella together with Louis, Ellington together with Coltrane, Bird together with Diz, precisely to rear a few. This is your peril to sense Thelonious Monk together with John Coltrane, 2 people who were non widely known equally geniuses inwards 1957, but would emerge to locomote precisely about of the nigh legendary jazzmen ever. There may solely locomote 3 songs where the Thelonious Monk Quartet features Coltrane on tenor sax, but inwards them is together with thence much inventiveness together with superb musicianship.
In the Fifties, jazz artists similar John Coltrane together with Thelonious Monk were amid a handful of musicians who shaped the futurity of modern American music for several decades. The fact that they played together together with that their sessions at The Five Spot Cafe were recorded is nearly a miracle, since they were nether contract to unlike tape labels. They both look on precisely about other tape ( Miles Davis together with the Modern Jazz Giants- Prestige LP 7150 ), but they don't play together! So this disc is the sole representation of their musical collaboration.
Ruby My Dear shows the immature 'Trane playing generally inwards the upper register of his tenor sax, with much vibrato, punctuating the persuasion inwards the tune. We tin quest heed forthwith the facility with which he deals with Monk's harmonic construction inwards this poignant ballad. Ironic pianoforte solos are commonplace for Monk, but hither he is to a greater extent than straighforward, with a one-half chorus that veers away from the polysyllabic phrasing of 'Trane's tenor. Monk's comping nether Coltrane's restatement of the tune is unobtrusively perfect!
On Nutty, Monk's solo echos lines that 'Trane has drawn, showing that the conversation betwixt sax together with pianoforte is betwixt equals. The high indicate of this disc is that Monk together with 'Trane clearly utter each other's musical language. Over together with over, yous tin quest heed the attending they pay to the phrasing of 1 another, such that they complement rather than compete.
Two of the tunes add together several other horns, including Coleman Hawkins, who gives forth with a taut chorus on Off Minor. The drummer hither is Art Blakey, whose acquit upon is really unlike from Shadow Wilson, to a greater extent than cymbal oriented, except for the characteristic press rolls that add together exclamation points to solos.
The disc ends with an unaccompanied pianoforte solo -- Functional -- yesteryear Monk. It's really lamentable that in that location isn't a cellar inwards Lower Manhattan with a box of tape from other Five Spot session waiting to locomote discovered. This is the form of music I never tire of hearing.
Track Listing
1. Ruby, My Dear
2. Trinkle, Tinkle
3. Off Minor
4. Nutty
5. Epistrophy
6. Functional
Personnel
Thelonious Monk — piano
John Coltrane — tenor saxophone
Ray Copeland — trumpet on "Off Minor" together with "Epistrophy"
Gigi Gryce — alto saxophone on "Off Minor" together with "Epistrophy"
Coleman Hawkins — tenor saxophone on "Off Minor" together with "Epistrophy"
Wilbur Ware — bass
Shadow Wilson — drums on "Ruby, My Dear," "Trinkle, Tinkle," together with "Nutty"
Art Blakey — drums on "Off Minor" together with "Epistrophy"
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