An instantly identifiable sound is the trademark of all the great instrumentalists in jazz. Recognition of those rare, singular voices has always been rather immediate, but none more so than with Thelonious Sphere Monk, who was without a doubt, one of jazz's great instrumental stylists as well as one of the music's most gifted composers. A few bars of Monk's superbly idiosyncratic piano and there is little doubt as to the identity of the player. The same applies to Monk's compositions, even if performed by another instrumentalist or ensemble. Yet Monk's work was long neglected and although a small coterie of musicians including Coleman Hawkins, Mary Lou Williams, Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker recognised his talents from the beginning, Monk laboured in relative solitude during much of his most creative period. This box set spans Monk's work and recorded output over three of the most noteworthy record labels he was involved with, consecutively: Blue Note - As far as his compositions are concerned, Monk recorded his most important body of work during his five-year association with the Blue Note label. Prestige - where he recorded some fine work with the likes of tenorist Sonny Rollins. And Riverside – which resulted in the album Monk Plays Duke Ellington, a trio date on which Monk presented an all-Ellington repertoire. Monk launched one of the great jazz labels in jazz history, while Riverside launched the crucial successful part of Thelonious Monk's, until this point, seriously overlooked recording career.
Disc 1
1. Humph 2:502. Evonce 3:01
3. Suburban Eyes 2:58
4. Thelonious 2:59
5. Nice Work If You Can Get It 3:00
6. Ruby My Dear 3:05
7. Well You Needn't 2:55
8. April In Paris 3:18
9. Introspection 3:08
10. Off Minor 2:58
11. In Walked Bud 2:54
12. Monk's Mood 3:05
13. Who Knows 2:39
14. 'Round About Midnight 3:08
15. All The Things You Are 2:57
16. I Should Care 2:59
17. Evidence 2:32
18. Misterioso 3:20
19. Misterioso (Alt-Take) 2:43
20. Epistrophy 3:05
21. I Mean You 2:44
Disc 2
1. Four In One 3:282. Four In One (Alt.Take) 3:25
3. Criss Cross 2:54
4. Eronel 3:01
5. Straight No Chaser 2:54
6. Ask Me Now 3:13
7. Willow Weep For Me 3:00
8. Skippy 2:57
9. Hornin' In 3:11
10. Carolina Moon 3:23
11. Let's Cool One 3:42
12. I'll Follow You 3:43
13. Little Rootie Tootie 3:03
14. Sweet And Lovely 3:32
15. Bye-Ya 2:44
16. Monk's Dream 3:03
17. Trinkle, Tinkle 2:47
18. These Foolish Things 2:44
19. Bemsha Swing 3:07
20. Reflections 2:45
Disc 3
1. Let's Call This 5:032. Think Of One 5:37
3. Think Of One (Take 2) 5:43
4. Friday The 13th 10:33
5. Wee See 5:13
6. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 4:29
7. Locomotive 6:20
8. Hackensack 5:09
9. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 3:18
10. Manganese (Wee See) 2:30
11. Portrait Of An Ermite (Reflections) 4:51
12. Off Minor 2:29
13. Eronel 2:28
14. Well You Needn't 3:21
Disc 4
1. 'Round About Midnight 5:072. Reflections (Evidence) 2:59
3. Work 5:16
4. Nutty 5:15
5. Blue Monk 7:35
6. Just A Gigolo (P.Solo) 2:58
7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) 4:38
8. Sophisticated Lady 4:28
9. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 5:54
10. Black And Tan Fantasy 3:24
11. Mood Indigo 3:14
12. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart 5:42
13. Solitude (P.Solo) 3:43
14. Caravan 5:56 DISCOGRAPHY
P1501 DISC ONE - MISTERIOSO
Idres Suliman, tp; Danny Quebec West, as; Billy Smith, as; Thelonious Monk, p; Gene Ramey, b; Art Blakey, d.
New York, October 15, 1947
BN 308-2 HUMPH
BN 309-4 EVONCE
BN 310-1 SUBURBAN EYES
BN 311-0 THELONIOUS
Thelonious Monk, p; Gene Ramey b; Art Blakey, d.
New York, October 24, 1947
BN 312-1 NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
BN 313-1 RUBY MY DEAR
BN 314-0 WELL YOU NEEDNâ??T
BN 315-1 APRIL IN PARIS
BN 316-3 INTROSPECTION
BN 31701 OFF MINOR
George Taitt, tp; Sahib Shihab, as; Thelonious Monk, p; Bob Paige, b; Art Blakey, d.
New York, November 21, 1947
BN 318-3 IN WALKED BUD
BN 319-0 MONKâ??S MOOD
BN 320-0 WHO KNOWS
BN 321-1 â??ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT
Milt Jackson, vib; Thelonious Monk, p; John Simmons, b; Shadow Wilson, d; Kenny â??Panchoâ? Hagood, voc (-1)
New York, July 2, 1948
BN 326-3 ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE (-1)
BN 327-2 I SHOULD CARE (-1)
BN 328-0 EVIDENCE
BN 329-0 MISTERIOSO
BN 329-1 MISTERIOSO (Alt.take)
BN 330-0 EPISTROPHY
BN 331-1 I MEAN YOU
P1502 DISC TWO - STRAIGHT NO CHASER
Sahib Shihab, as; (-1); Milt Jackson, vib; (-2) Thelonious Monk, p; Al McKibbon, b; Art Blakey, d.
New York, July 23, 1951
BN 392-1 FOUR IN ONE (-1, -2)
BN 393-2 FOUR IN ONE (ALT. TAKE) (-1, -2)
BN 393-0 CRISS CROSS (-1, -2)
BN 394-0 ERONEL (-1, -2)
BN 395-1 STRAIGHT NO CHASER (-1,-2)
BN 396-1 ASK ME NOW
BN 397-2 WILLOW WEEP FOR ME (-2)
Kenny Dorham, tp; (-1); Lou Donaldson, as, (-1); Lucky Thompson, ts; (-1) Thelonious Monk, p; Nelson Boyd, b; Max Roach, d.
New York, May 30, 1952
BN 434-1 SKIPPY (-1)
BN 435-3 HORNINâ?? IN (-1)
BN 437-0 CAROLINA MOON (-1)
BN 438-0 LETâ??S COOL ONE (-1)
BN 439-0 Iâ??LL FOLLOW YOU
Thelonious Monk Trio : Thelonious Monk, p; Gary Mapp, b; Art Blakey, d.
New York, October 15, 1952
367 LITTLE ROOTIE TOOTIE
368 SWEET AND LOVELY
369 BYE-YA
370 MONKâ??S DREAM
Thelonious Monk Trio : Thelonious Monk, p; Gary Mapp, b; Max Roach, d.
New York, December 18,1952
399 TRINKLE, TINKLE
400 THESE FOOLISH THINGS
401 BEMSHA SWING
402 REFLECTIONS
P1503 DISC THREE - WELL YOU NEEDNâ??T
Thelonious Monk Quintet : Julius Watkins, Fr-h; Sonny Rollins, ts; Thelonious Monk, p; Percy Heath, b; Willie Jones, d.
Hackensack, New Jersey, November 13, 1953
531 LETâ??S CALL THIS
532-1 THINK OF ONE
532-2 THINK OF ONE (TAKE 2)
533 FRIDAY THE 13TH
Thelonious Monk Quartet ; Ray Copeland, tp; Frank Foster, ts; Thelonious Monk, p; Curley Russell, b; Art Blakey, d.
Hackensack, New Jersey, May 11, 1954
570 WEE SEE
571 SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES
572 LOCOMOTIVE
573 HACKENSACK
Thelonious Monk, p;
Paris, June 7, 1954
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES
MANGANESE (WEE SEE)
PORTRAIT OF AN ERMITE (REFLECTIONS)
OFF MINOR
ERONEL
WELL YOU NEEDNâ??T
P1504 DISC FOUR - BLUE MONK
Thelonious Monk, p
Paris, June 7, 1954
â??ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT
REFLECTIONS (EVIDENCE)
Thelonious Monk Trio : Thelonious Monk, p; Percy Heath, b; Art Blakey, d.
Hackensack, New Jersey, September 22, 1954
619 WORK
620 NUTTY
621 BLUE MONK
622 JUST A GIGOLO (p. solo)
Thelonious Monk, p; Oscar Pettiford, b; Kenny Clarke, d.
Hackensack, New Jersey, July 21 and 27, 1955
IT DONâ??T MEAN A THING (IF IT AINâ??T GOT THAT SWING)
SOPHISTICATED LADY
I GOT IT BAD (AND THAT AINâ??T GOOD)
BLACK AND TAN FANTASY
MOOD INDIGO
I LET A SONG GO OUT OF MY HEART
SOLITUDE (p. solo)
CARAVAN
