The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane – At Carnegie Hall still stands as one of my favorite jazz albums of all time. Recorded in ’57 but released in ’05. Monk’s constant redefinition of the logic and pacing of music and Coltrane’s perseverence to discover never lose their brilliance or excitement for me. I finally went out and got the Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane album which was released in ’57 with a relatively short tracklist. A few friends had recommended this and I was not disappointed. It is nothing short of amazing to listen to these two geniuses work together.
Relatively unknown when these were recorded, the two continue to break ground and make some of the most beautiful, original and awe-inspiring music of all time. Subtlety is something that music sorely lacks these days and if some would just take the time to understand the power of rest and comping, music would see a boost in quality for sure… a boost in soul.
This particular set of songs were taken from a special session. Including one 9 minute solo Monk track called “Functional,” this is a spectaular array of talent and concentration for everyone involved. Some major highlights of my listening experience were from “Off Minor” and the ever pleasant “Epistrophy.”
MP3: Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane – “Epistrophy”
MP3: Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane – “Off Minor”
Here’s a little more Trane
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLlIuhLujvA[/youtube]
This is an amazing album. Something that was barely recorded (their collaboration) and oh so good you could never grow tired of it. I even love the whole story of how this was found. (Library of Congress worker stumbling across tapes just labeled with Monk’s name I think).
nice,
Peace