Product details
- Label Prestige
- Artist Thelonious Monk Trio
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 2023
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed Yes
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Thelonious Monk Trio by Thelonious Monk Trio.
Few records capture the singular architecture of Thelonious Monk's imagination as cleanly as this trio session. Stripped to piano, bass, and drums, the format leaves nowhere to hide, and that is precisely the point. Across ten tracks, Monk's angular phrasing, deliberate pauses, and percussive attack stand exposed and luminous, offering one of the most direct windows into how his mind moved across the keyboard.
The album gathers work from three separate dates recorded in Hackensack, New Jersey, each captured by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. The bulk of side B, including "Little Rootie Tootie," "Sweet And Lovely," "Bye-Ya," and "Monk's Dream," comes from October 15, 1952. A December 18, 1952 session yielded "Bemsha Swing," "Reflections," "Trinkle Tinkle," and "These Foolish Things," while the September 22, 1954 date added "Blue Monk" and "Just A Gigolo." The result is a portrait assembled over two years, yet it holds together with remarkable coherence.
The rhythm sections shift with the sessions, and each pairing brings its own weather. Art Blakey drives the 1952 and 1954 dates with his unmistakable pulse, thundering behind "Blue Monk," "Little Rootie Tootie," and "Bye-Ya." Max Roach handles the December material, lending his precise, conversational touch to "Bemsha Swing," "Reflections," "Trinkle Tinkle," and "These Foolish Things." On bass, Percy Heath anchors "Blue Monk" and "Just A Gigolo," while Gary Mapp holds down the remaining tracks with a firm, grounding presence.
The program balances Monk originals with reimagined standards, a hallmark of his early records. Compositions like "Bemsha Swing," "Bye-Ya," "Monk's Dream," and "Trinkle Tinkle," published through Thelonious Music and related outfits, sit alongside his transformations of "Just A Gigolo" from Alamo Music, "Sweet And Lovely" from Anne-Rachel and Robbins Music, and "These Foolish Things" from Bourne Music. Hearing Monk bend familiar melodies into his own dialect is half the pleasure here.
This pressing carries liner notes by Ira Gitler and was produced under the supervision of Bob Weinstock. The title reads simply "Thelonious Monk" on both the front and back covers. Collectors will note the layered catalog identity: LP 7027 appears on the front cover, P-7027 sits in parentheses on the spine, back cover, and labels, and OJC-010 accompanies it across the spine, back cover, and labels. The rear sleeve bears the Made in U.S.A. designation.
For anyone building a serious jazz shelf, this is foundational Monk in its most intimate setting. The trio format, the Van Gelder engineering, and the caliber of players passing through these sessions make it an essential document of a composer and pianist who never sounded quite like anyone else.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Blue Monk
A2. Just A Gigolo
A3. Bemsha Swing
A4. Reflections
B1. Little Rootie Tootie
B2. Sweet And Lovely
B3. Bye-Ya
B4. Monk's Dream
B5. Trinkle Tinkle
B6. These Foolish Things
Credits:
Gary Mapp - Bass (A3 to B6)
Percy Heath - Bass (A1, A2)
Art Blakey - Drums (A1, A2, B1 to B4)
Max Roach - Drums (A3, A4, B5, B6)
Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer
Ira Gitler - Liner Notes
Thelonious Monk - Piano
Bob Weinstock - Producer [Supervision]
Notes:
Recorded in Hackensack, NJ; October 15, 1952 (B1 to B4) and December 18, 1952 (A3, A4, B5, B6); September 22, 1954 (A1, A2).
Made in U.S.A. (rear sleeve)
Title on front and back cover: Thelonious Monk
Catalog number LP 7027 on front cover.
Catalog number P-7027 in parentheses on spine, back cover, labels.
Catalog number OJC-010 on spine, back cover, labels.
Track publishers:
A1, B1, B3 to B5: Thelonious Music-BMI
A2: Alamo Music-ASCAP
A3: Bayes Music-BMI
A4: Thelonious-BMI
B2: Anne-Rachel Music/Robbins Music-ASCAP
B6: Bourne Music-ASCAP
Artist: Thelonious Monk Trio
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Prestige
Catalog Number: LP 7027
Release Year: 2023
Country: United States
Condition: Sealed (New)
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