Although this album is most widely known for its provocative encompass image, which depicts Monk every bit a fictitious French Resistance fighter inward the Second World War, it contains a number of novel Monk compositions, some of which seem inward recorded shape solely on this album. This is the lastly Monk album featuring the artet" title="Learn Thelonious Monk - 1969 [1990] Underground">Thelonious Monk Quartet, too the lastly featuring Charlie Rouse (who appears on solely one-half the tracks, having missed a recording session to attend his father's funeral).
This unloose has long been considered artist/thelonious-monk-mn0000490416">Thelonious Monk's acknowledgement to the flourishing youth-oriented subculture from whence the collection takes its name. Certainly the Grammy-winning encompass art -- which depicts artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk every bit a World War II French revolutionary toting an automatic weapon -- gave the institution to a greater extent than than the vivid swinging sounds inward the grooves to consider. Underground became artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk's penultimate studio album, every bit good every bit the concluding unloose to characteristic the '60s quartet: artist/charlie-rouse-mn0000176387">Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), artist/ben-riley-mn0000140131">Ben Riley (drums), too artist/larry-gales-mn0000781641">Larry Gales (bass) behind artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk (piano). One of the motifs running throughout artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk's recording career is the revisitation of titles from his voluminous dorsum catalog. The tradition continues amongst the autobiographical leadoff track, "Thelonious." The forthwith recognizable stride pianoforte lines are delivered amongst the same urgency too precision that they possessed over 2 decades before when he outset recorded the rail for Blue Note. The presence of artist/charlie-rouse-mn0000176387">Charlie Rouse throughout the album is sure as shooting worth noting. "Ugly Beauty" best captures the sacred infinite too musical rapport that he too artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk shared. Each participant functions every bit an extension of the other, creating solos that weave synchronically every bit if performed past times the same pair of hands. Newer material, such every bit the playful "Green Chimneys" -- named after the schoolhouse artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk's missy attended -- every bit good every bit the unbalanced hypnotism of "Raise Four," asserts the timelessness too relevance of artist/monk-mn0000490416">Monk's build of bop. The disc ends every bit it begins amongst a novel twist on an one-time favorite. artist/jon-hendricks-mn0000212200">Jon Hendricks -- who provides lyrics too vocals on "In Walked Bud" -- recalls the hustle too bustle of the existent too spontaneous hush-hush Harlem jam sessions of the belatedly '40s. It is also an apt bookend to this chapter inward the professional person life of artist/thelonious-monk-mn0000490416">Thelonious Monk.
Underground was recorded inward 1967, close twenty years into the career of this wholly distinctive too unorthodox pianist-composer. Whenever the understated saxophone talents of Charlie Rouse accompany Thelonious Monk, ane is assured of an invigorating ready of music--and this collection is no exception. Supported past times Larry Gales on bass too the inimitable Ben Riley on drums, Monk too Rouse elaborate on immortal compositions similar "Ugly Beauty." On "In Walked Bud," the quartet is joined past times vocaliser Jon Hendricks. With jagged themes too odd variations of meter too key, Underground showcases an aging Monk's still-brilliant eccentricity on the piano. H5N1 proficient fleck looser than much of Monk's before work, he too Rouse infuse this engagement amongst their tag-team humour too unrelenting musical enthusiasm.
Definitely non what you'd label every bit an inaccessible album, this album (which counts "Ugly Beauty", Monk's solely recorded waltz-time piece, amid its works) constitutes inward essence a musical comeback for Monk, who at the fourth dimension had non released whatsoever albums amongst to a greater extent than than 4 original compositions since the mid-fifties (more than a decade before).
It's packed amongst industrial plant that attain from melancholic too blueish ("Easy Street") to joyful ("Green Chimneys"); from "simple" too straightforward (such every bit the opening track, which really dates a brace of decades before) to complex too filled amongst accents (such every bit "Boo Boo's Birthday.")
All inward all, it's an exquisite piece of employment of music that you lot tin tap your solar daytime away to or sit down downwards too heed carefully to inward lodge to disect it inward detail.
I got this CD every bit a gift -- this was my introduction to Monk. First brace times I listened to it, I was shocked amongst his unique style, amongst his approach to jazz, too amongst his compositions. The character of this tape is nada brusk of stellar. Monk sounds fresh too energized. He seems to live rattling well-synchronized amongst the repose of his band, too they build magic. Every participant on this recording is terrific. The musical rhythm department is solid. The bass histrion does a few improvisations, peculiarly on Ugly Beauty too Green Chimneys, too it is something you lot don't hear much of, at to the lowest degree non of this quality. These guys don't miss a beat. Monk is a genuinely creative histrion too composer, too this recording really showcases that.
I don't advise this tape every bit an introduction to jazz, but if you lot bask jazz, this is a proficient house to start amongst Monk's work, inward my opinion. You may non instruct into this tape until you lot build a brace passes at listening to it too perchance listening to other proficient jazz inward betwixt dissimilar attempts at this record. I experience that listening to Miles Davis really helped me appreciate Monk fifty-fifty more, every bit weird every bit this sounds.
I simply dearest this CD. I peculiarly bask listening to it over a dandy pair of headphones because it makes you lot experience similar it's simply you lot too them, without whatsoever form of disturbances or sounds from the exterior to distract you lot from catching too enjoying every melody that emanates from this record.
Buy this remastered version amongst extra tracks. The audio couldn't live better, too the extra tracks render to a greater extent than takes of the dandy tunes that appeared originally on this record.
The remastered audio of Underground's reissue is much cleaner too crisper. The songs were restored to the original recorded length too at that spot are a few bonus tracks added. Oh yeah, the album encompass is clearer too closer (which is rattling important).
I handle amongst the reviewers that say this is non Monk at his peak, but regardless of that, I think this is ane of his best albums. The musicians audio similar they are having fun performing too the relaxed approach to the recording takes away from some of the intensity sometimes expressed inward some of the classic Monk albums.
There are some nifty liner notes including an explanation behind the album encompass too the storey surrounding the making of the album.
(about the editing)
I somewhat prefer the edited versions of these songs from the previous unloose because the songs experience concise to the compositions. That may upset some jazz purists, but frankly a decent solo tin instruct lost inward the translation of the recording too halt upward pain the overall surgery too composition. I think dorsum inward those days the musicians expected the solos to instruct edited (it was a natural part of the recording process). These "unedited" versions that nosotros hear inward these re-issues are non necessarily what the musicians intended every bit the concluding versions.
Overall, Thelonious Monk's Underground is a terrific album; ane of his best too I highly recommend checking it out- edited or unedited.
Track listing (later CD issue)
All songs composed past times Thelonious Monk unless otherwise noted.
"Thelonious" – 3:13
"Ugly Beauty" – 3:17
"Raise Four" – 5:47
"Boo Boo's Birthday" – 5:56
"Easy Street" (Alan Rankin Jones) – 5:53
"Green Chimneys" – 9:00
"In Walked Bud" (Jon Hendricks, Monk) – 4:17
Personnel/Musicians
Thelonious Monk – piano
Charlie Rouse – tenor saxophone
Larry Gales – bass
Ben Riley – drums
Jon Hendricks – vocals on "In Walked Bud"
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