Thelonious Monk Monk's Music

“Throughout, Monk is the dominant force. The music, whether blown by the horns or rapped out by his hands, is as much a part of him as his thoughts. It is a highly personal music, now brittle and seemingly spastic; now firm and outspoken. But always it is unified in conception and in overall sound. It is a tribute to Monk that within this intensely personal music, a soloist like Coltrane can develop a singularly personal style of his own, while fitting into the frame of Monk’s reference. This is one to play again and again with no diminution of pleasure, or of discovery.” (Dom Cerulli, Downbeat ****)

THELONIOUS MONK, piano COLEMAN HAWKINS & JOHN COLTRANE, tenor sax GIGI GRYCE, alto sax RAY COPELAND, trumpet WILBUR WARE, bass ART BLAKEY, drums New York, June 26, 1957.