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A slightly misleading record – but a great one nonetheless! From the title and cover, you might imagine that Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis were sharing the stage together at the Newport Jazz Festival – but instead, the album actually features separate performances by each artist – actually even recorded 5 years apart! The Miles Davis recording is from 1958 – a great year that has John Coltrane working with the group, alongside Wynton Kelly on piano, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – performing lively versions of "Ah Leu Cha", "Straight No Chaser", "Fran Dance" and "Two Bass Hit". The Monk material is even more unique – recorded in 1963, with Monk's usual quartet of Charlie Rouse on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums – joined by the legendary Pee Wee Russell on clarinet – recently revived in jazz at the time, and displaying surprisingly modernist tendencies! Both Monk tracks are long – and include versions of "Nutty" and "Blue Monk".

Monk's alone in San Francisco – playing solo piano throughout, with that thoughtful, introspective approach to his work that we really love! Most of the tunes here are Monk originals or standards that Thelonious has played before at least a few times on record – but the solo setting almost has him pulling the tunes apart slowly – contemplating their components, then stepping through them with new inspiration as he puts them back together. Titles include "Blue Monk", "Pannonica", "Remember", "Reflections", "Bluehawk", "Everything Happens To Me",a nd "Round Lights". CD features 1 bonus track.

A brilliant album by Monk – a real comeback from the late 50s, and a record that features some of his best writing for horns! The group is incredible – bringing together Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins, and Ernie Henry – in a bracing front line that takes Monk's angular piano compositions, and forges them into a horn sound that would have an undeniable influence on modern jazz for years to come! The whole thing's brilliant, and titles include "Brilliant Corners", "Ba-Lue Bolivar Blues Are", "Pannonica", and "Bemsha Swing".

A title and cover that beautifully illustrate the sharp-edged power of the Thelonious Monk quartet on Columbia – and a wonderful place to start if you're just digging Thelonious' music! The record is similar to the best of Monk's Columbia sides – in that it revisits older tunes and themes from previous years, but in a way that's often much better than the original recordings – thanks to some incredible energy between group members Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Ore on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums! Rouse's sharp horn is easily a real bnous here – as it dances beautifully with Monk's piano lines and creates a magical sense of juxtaposition and fluidity, but is still nicely earthy and soulful as well! Titles include "Criss Cross", "Think Of One", "Eronel", "Hackensack", "Rhythm-a-Ning", and "Crepuscule With Nellie". This CD bonus tracks on the the original album: "Coming On The Hudson","Tea For Two" and "Eronel".

A great collection of Monk's 10" recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene. The work's notable also for the fact that Monk's playing in group settings – not trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet would certainly have a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s. Titles on this second volume include "Four In One", "Ask Me Now", "Criss Cross", "Skippy", "Hornin In", "Sixteen", and "Let's Cool One" – and this new version features a total of 18 tracks with great remastering and some rare alternate takes!

One of our favorite Thelonious Monk albums ever – a bare bones, no nonsense session that's filled with great work from tenorist Charlie Rouse! The record's filled with everything that's great about the Monk/Rouse team in these years – an incredible interplay between sax and piano, served up over the sorts of angular tunes that Monk had been putting forth for years, but somehow at a level that's even more perfect, more "Monkish" than before! Other members of the group are Butch Warren on bass and Ben Riley on drums – and titles include "Lulu's Back In Town", "Memories Of You", "Brake's Sake", "Stuffy Turkey", and "Shuffle Boil".

A lost Thelonious Monk treasure from the 60s – a really open-ended live set recorded in LA in 1964, but not issued by Columbia until the early 80s – making the package a wonderful re-discover of Monk's genius during these years! The tunes are much more freewheeling than some of the studio work cut by Monk's quartet at the time – stretched out takes on Monkish favorites, played by Thelonious on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums – all with plenty of room for extended solos. This wonderful 2CD package brings together the complete recordings from the show – offering up many tracks in their full recorded versions, and adding in a few unreleased tracks too – titles that include "Bemsha Swing", "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Misterioso", "Gallops Gallop", "Teo", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "All The Things You Are", "Blues Five Spot", "Evidence", "Bright Mississippi", and "Nutty".

The first Thelonious Monk album for Columbia Records – and one of the best, as well – a beautiful illustration of the way that his shift in labels really set some new fire to his music in the early 60s! The group is Monk's sharp-edged quartet with the amazing Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Ore on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums – a group that's beautifully understated, but able to do incredible things in the company of the pianist – hanging back to let Thelonious take center stage one minute, then swinging hard together the next. The set includes great renditions of Monk classics that really illustrate his new energy at Columbia – and titles include "Bolivar Blues", "Bye-Ya", and "Monk's Dream" – plus great remakes of "Body & Soul" and "Just A Gigolo".

The first Thelonious Monk album for Columbia Records – and one of the best, as well – a beautiful illustration of the way that his shift in labels really set some new fire to his music in the early 60s! The group is Monk's sharp-edged quartet with the amazing Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Ore on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums – a group that's beautifully understated, but able to do incredible things in the company of the pianist – hanging back to let Thelonious take center stage one minute, then swinging hard together the next. The set includes great renditions of Monk classics that really illustrate his new energy at Columbia – and titles include "Bolivar Blues", "Bye-Ya", and "Monk's Dream" – plus great remakes of "Body & Soul" and "Just A Gigolo". CD features 4 bonus tracks – all alternate takes from the album, 3 of which are previously unissued!

Beautiful Columbia work from Thelonious Monk – a record that has as much warmth and charm as it does visionary modernist moments! A number of the tunes are standards, not Monk compositions – and they're done here with a sense of depth and joy of exploration that's really wonderful – a transformative energy that opens them up magically – and which sits them strongly next to the few original tunes by Thelonious on the set. The tenor sax of Charlie Rouse is a joy throughout – angular and fluid, but also personal and soulful as well – and Monk's piano has some especially timeless edges on the mellower tracks. Titles include "Liza", "I Love You", "That Old Man", "Pannonica", "Teo", and a nice take on "April In Paris". CD also features 3 bonus tracks – alternate takes of "April In Paris" and "Pannonica" – plus "Just You Just Me/Lisa".

Monk plays unaccompanied on a mix of standards and originals, including "Monk's Point", "Dinah", "Ruby, My Dear", "Ask Me Now", and a classic version of "I Surrender, Dear" – done spare and moodily, with a really haunting tone!

Classic 60s work from Thelonious Monk – featuring his incredible quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor, certainly Monk's best-ever musical soulmate! The album features some newer versions of older tunes, and a few written just for the album – but the source of the material is not important, as the Monk/Rouse treatment always transforms whatever is handled, and recreates the work as an an angular sculpture of modernist beauty. Other players include Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums – and titles include "Locomotive", "Blue Sea", "We See", "Japanese Folk Song", and "Straight No Chaser". Features previously unreleased versions of "Green Chimneys" and "I Didn't Know About You".

A classic cooker from Thelonious Monk – recorded during his legendary run at the Five Spot in the late 50s, and featuring some especially great work on tenor from a young Johnny Griffin! Griffin's filling a role here that would be cemented a bit more firmly in the 60s by Charlie Rouse – but what we like about his playing here is that it's not as clearly codified "Monkish" as some of Rouse's work (even though that's all pretty darn great) – sometimes a bit more open, although still filled with angular tones and changes on this set of all-original compositions by Monk. Rhythm is by Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Roy Haynes on drums – and titles include "Evidence", "Epistrophy", "Blue Monk", "Rhythm-a-ning", "Light Blue", and "Coming on the Hudson".

Thelonious Monk plays the music of Duke Ellington – but as you can imagine, the sound here is quite different than usual! At a time when Ellington was working mostly in large group format for the mainstream, Monk's presentation of his standards in trio format is a wonderful way to unlock their nascent modernism – the angular tones, lines, and complex ideas that were still present in the orchestra readings of the tunes, but which would show up even more strongly in Duke's smaller group dates of the 60s. Many numbers bear the familiar Monk imprint – complicated lines on the keys and sharp changes that really reignite the numbers – and rhythm here is from Oscar Pettiford on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. Titles include "Mood Indigo", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good", and "Caravan".

A classic outing of solo piano by Thelonious Monk – a format that wasn't used often, but which always made for some really compelling work! Monk in this mode is often different than the bolder leader of a trio or larger group – and there's a more introspective quality to the record that we really like – a sound that's sometimes tentative, then sometimes pushing forward with strength – almost more human than on some of his other efforts of the late 50s. John Coltrane makes a surprising appearance on the last track – "Monk's Mood" – and other titles include "April In Paris", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Functional", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "I Should Care", "'Round Midnight", and "All Alone". Features bonus track "Round Midnight".

A classic outing of solo piano by Thelonious Monk – a format that wasn't used often, but which always made for some really compelling work! Monk in this mode is often different than the bolder leader of a trio or larger group – and there's a more introspective quality to the record that we really like – a sound that's sometimes tentative, then sometimes pushing forward with strength – almost more human than on some of his other efforts of the late 50s. John Coltrane makes a surprising appearance on the last track – "Monk's Mood" – and other titles include "April In Paris", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Functional", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "I Should Care", "'Round Midnight", and "All Alone". CD features 1 bonus track.

A great little entry into a genre that got way too overdone and way too cluttered by the end of the 80s – but which was surprisingly fresh at the time of this initial release! The set pays tribute to the late Thelonious Monk, but does so by moving way past his modern jazz roots – and allowing for participation by a variety of artists in a number of different fields. Hal Willner masterminded the set, and does a great job of making unlike artists work well next to each other – really expanding on famous numbers by Monk, but never getting too goofy overall. Titles include "Functional" by Randy Weston, "Four In One" by Todd Rundgren & Gary Windo, "Thelonious" by Bruce Fowler, "Criss Cross" by Shockabilly, "In Walked Budd" by Terry Adams & Roswell Rudd, "Evidence" by Steve Lacy & Elvin Jones, "Ba-Lu-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are" by Was Not Was, "Ask Me Now" by Steve Lacy & Charlie Rouse, "Monk's Mood" by Sharon Freeman, "Round Midnight" by Joe Jackson, and "Friday The Thirteen" by Bobby McFerrin and Bob Dorough. There's plenty of other great Lacy work on the set too – and even if you're put off by the presence of non-jazzers on the set, the album's worth it alone for the Lacy tracks!

An unlikely pair, but a great one here – and the record's one of those few magical moments where bringing together unusual partners actually works! Mulligan's cool hardly seems a match for Monk's angular modernism, but together the players seem to strike a middle ground that resonates with the strength of both – a sound that cuts a bit more edge on Gerry's normally smooth baritone, and which still lets Monk's keys flow into wonderful twists and turns. Rhythm is by the great bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Shadow Wilson – and titles include the Monk classics "Straight No Chaser", "Rhythm A Ning", "Round Midnight", and "I Mean You" – plus a version of Mulligan's "Decidedly".

A lost Thelonious Monk treasure from the 60s – a really open-ended live set recorded in LA in 1964, but not issued by Columbia until the early 80s – making the package a wonderful re-discover of Monk's genius during these years! The tunes are much more freewheeling than some of the studio work cut by Monk's quartet at the time – stretched out takes on Monkish favorites, played by Thelonious on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums – all with plenty of room for extended solos. This wonderful 2CD package brings together the complete recordings from the show – offering up many tracks in their full recorded versions, and adding in a few unreleased tracks too – titles that include "Bemsha Swing", "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Misterioso", "Gallops Gallop", "Teo", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "All The Things You Are", "Blues Five Spot", "Evidence", "Bright Mississippi", and "Nutty".

Monk Monk Monk! A classic, with a lively quintet that includes Thad Jones, Sam Jones, Art Taylor, and the amazing Charlie Rouse, here just beginning a very fruitful association with Monk – and really adding a lot to the session with some incredible tenor work that's as angular and modern as needed for Monk's work, yet with a soulful edge that really brings a lot to the music. The album's got 5 long tracks – hence the title – and they're all Monk classics that include "I Mean You", "Ask Me Now", "Jackie-ing", and "Straight No Chaser".

A unique little album from Thelonious Monk – an early 60s live date that features a really cooking big band, plus some solo and quartet tracks as well! The bulk of the album's played by the big band – an unusual mix of players that includes Phil Woods on alto, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Charlie Rouse on tenor, Thad Jones on cornet, Eddie Bert on trombone, and Nick Travis on trumpet – all cutting nicely angular lines under the direction of Monk's piano. The quartet material strips things down to a group with Rouse on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, and Frank Dunlop on drums – and one selection features Monk on solo piano. Titles include "I Mean You", "Oska T", "Four In One", "Darkness On The Delta", "Evidence", and "Played Twice". 2CD set features bonus tracks too – including "Bye Ya", "Misterioso", "Epistrophy", and "Light Blue" – 2 of which are additional quartet numbers.

A key classic from Thelonious Monk's years at Riverside – and an album that's as compelling as its haunting title! The session features Thelonious working with a great quartet that includes Johnny Griffin on tenor, playing these wonderfully angular lines; Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass, working in well-rounded tones that add a lot of depth to the work; and Roy Haynes on drums, bringing in a playfully rhythmic spirit that really matches the tone of Monk's compositions – a wonderful quartet to interpret the thoughtful, angular, inventive numbers on the set – not just Monk's own tunes, but some killer arrangements of a few classics too. Tracks are all longish, and the album features key readings of "In Walked Bud", "Misterioso", "Nutty", and "Let's Cool One".

A unique large group effort from Thelonious Monk – but one that bristles with all the angular energy of his other great work for Riverside! The group here is a tentet – filled with excellent players who include Donald Byrd, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Eddie Bert, Robert Northern, and Charlie Rouse – all supported by rhythm from the team of Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums, possibly one of the key factors for the success of the record! The album's comprised of Monk classics like "Little Rootie Tootie", "Thelonious", "Friday The 13th", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule with Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – all arranged by Hall Overton, a little-remembered modernist from the 50s, but one with a keen dedication towards pushing new sounds from old formats! Overton really keeps the spirit of Monk's music intact here – penning charts that allow for plenty of solo space and the kind of cross-trading lines you'd hear in some of Monk's best multi-horn small group sides for Riverside!

A classic outing of solo piano by Thelonious Monk – a format that wasn't used often, but which always made for some really compelling work! Monk in this mode is often different than the bolder leader of a trio or larger group – and there's a more introspective quality to the record that we really like – a sound that's sometimes tentative, then sometimes pushing forward with strength – almost more human than on some of his other efforts of the late 50s. John Coltrane makes a surprising appearance on the last track – "Monk's Mood" – and other titles include "April In Paris", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Functional", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "I Should Care", "'Round Midnight", and "All Alone".

One of the most gimmicky cover images ever used to sell the music of Thelonious Monk (and Monk himself hated the image) – but a key classic from his legendary years at Columbia Records! The album's got an edge that definitely lives up to its title – even if the cover photo is a bad joke on the jazz "underground" – and Monk's working here with the amazing Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, blowing these beautifully angular lines on some tracks that never fail to grab us after all these years. Larry Gales is on bass, and Jon Hendricks does some great guest vocal work on a version of "In Walked Bud" – while other instrumental tunes include "Ugly Beauty", "Green Chimneys", "Thelonious", "Boo Boo's Birthday", and "Raise Four".

A massively expanded package of music – filled with previously unreleased gems! The 2CD set features a landmark collaboration between John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk – two generations of jazz modern, working here to create some really incredible music! The core of this material is from the pair's work issued on the amazing Monk's Music album for Riverside – but the expanded collection also features lots of additional work from the same period too – including some unusual and alternate studio moments too! Other players vary from track to track – and include Gigi Gryce on alto sax, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Coleman Hawkins on additional tenor, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. Titles wonderful versions of "Ruby My Dear", "Trinkle Tinkle", "Nutty", "Well You Needn't", "Crepescule With Nellie" and "Monk's Mood" – plus some alternate versions, false starts, and more – all wrapped up with notes and reflections from original producer Orrin Keepnews.

The pair of great pianists don't play together – but are featured on a side apiece of the record, pulled from their Savoy recordings of the 50s. The album's most notable for the work of Nichols – some of the few sides he ever cut, and along with his two Blue Note LPs, and one for Bethlehem, a key to understanding his rare and short-lived talent for modern improvisation. The Nichols sides feature Chocolate Williams on bass, plus a bit of vocals, Shadow Wilson on drums, and (possibly) Danny Barker on guitar. Titles by Herbie include "Who's Blues", "Nichols & Dimes", "My Lady Gingersnap", and "Good Story Blues". The Monk sides are cut with the Gigi Gryce Quartet – and include "Shuffle Boil", "Brake's Sake", and "Nica's Tempo".

A great collection of Monk's 10" recordings for Blue Note – seminal not only for the label's commitment to a modernist bop ideal, but also for Monk's integration in the growing collection of top-level jazz players on the New York scene. The work's notable also for the fact that Monk's playing in group settings – not trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet would certainly have a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s. Titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor".

Beautiful Columbia work from Thelonious Monk – a record that has as much warmth and charm as it does visionary modernist moments! A number of the tunes are standards, not Monk compositions – and they're done here with a sense of depth and joy of exploration that's really wonderful – a transformative energy that opens them up magically – and which sits them strongly next to the few original tunes by Thelonious on the set. The tenor sax of Charlie Rouse is a joy throughout – angular and fluid, but also personal and soulful as well – and Monk's piano has some especially timeless edges on the mellower tracks. Titles include "Liza", "I Love You", "That Old Man", "Pannonica", "Teo", and a nice take on "April In Paris".

A classic outing of solo piano by Thelonious Monk – a format that wasn't used often, but which always made for some really compelling work! Monk in this mode is often different than the bolder leader of a trio or larger group – and there's a more introspective quality to the record that we really like – a sound that's sometimes tentative, then sometimes pushing forward with strength – almost more human than on some of his other efforts of the late 50s. John Coltrane makes a surprising appearance on the last track – "Monk's Mood" – and other titles include "April In Paris", "Ghost Of A Chance", "Functional", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "I Should Care", "'Round Midnight", and "All Alone".

One of the most gimmicky cover images ever used to sell the music of Thelonious Monk (and Monk himself hated the image) – but a key classic from his legendary years at Columbia Records! The album's got an edge that definitely lives up to its title – even if the cover photo is a bad joke on the jazz "underground" – and Monk's working here with the amazing Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, blowing these beautifully angular lines on some tracks that never fail to grab us after all these years. Larry Gales is on bass, and Jon Hendricks does some great guest vocal work on a version of "In Walked Bud" – while other instrumental tunes include "Ugly Beauty", "Green Chimneys", "Thelonious", "Boo Boo's Birthday", and "Raise Four".

Milestone compiled this album of some of the tracks Monk and Coltrane recorded together when their union began in the late 50s. The songs are taken from the albums Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane, Monk's Music, and Thelonious Himself. Some of the musicians who turn up on these recordings are Art Blakey on drums, Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax, Wilbur Ware on bass and Ray Copeland on trumpet. Tracks include "Nutty", "Trinkle, Tinkle", "Off Minor (both the alternate master and original master recordings)", "Abide With Me", and "Blues For Tomorrow".

A rare gem of a session – live material recorded by the Voice Of America in 1957, and featuring a unique Thelonious Monk quartet with John Coltrane on tenor! The performance is contemporaneous with Coltrane's appearance on the legendary Monk's Music album for Riverside – and the overall feel here is a bit similar to that classic. Yet the live setting also allows Coltrane to open up and improvise a lot more – stretching out in fluid lines that are often a strong contrast to the more angular notes coming out of Monk's piano. Rhythm is by the team of Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums – and titles are broken up into an "early show" and "late show" – 9 numbers in all that include "Bye-ya", "Epistrophy", "Nutty", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Monk's Mood", and "Evidence".

A full length set that compiles earlier sessions cut under either the name of Thelonious Monk or Sonny Rollins – most of them together in the same group! At the time of recording, Monk was an established figure on the bop scene, but Rollins was still a fresh voiced up-and-comer – yet they work together beautifully here on an early take of "Friday The Thirteenth" which really benefits from Rollins' voicing on tenor, next to Monk's angular arrangement. The pair also perform "The Way You Look Tonight" and "I Want To Be Happy" with a quartet – twisting the familiar tunes into strongly Monkish territory – and the album's last 2 tracks, "Nutty" and "Work" are performed by Monk with a trio that includes Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

A great Japanese take on the sound of Thelonious Monk at the end of the 50s – one that's led by pianist Masao Yagi, and which features some of the same dynamic horn interplay as Monk's best work on Riverside! Yagi's got a really great group here – with Sadao Watanabe on alto sax and Akira Nakano on trumpet – both stepping out in sharp-edged, angular lines at the front of the tunes – then soaring out in beautifully expressive solos on their own. Yagi's piano is strong too – surprisingly sensitive at times – and the record does a great job of nodding towards the original without clearly aping it too much. Titles include "Off Minor", "Evidence", "Monk's Mood", "Straight No Chaser", and "Blue Monk".

Amazing stuff from Ahmed Abdul-Malik – one of the early 60s most enigmatic jazz talents! Malik was Thelonious Monk's bassist for a few years, but by the time of this record, he was working in a very sophisticated cross-cultural mode – pulling together many different strands of jazz and Eastern music, forging them into a very unique sound. Unlike some of Malik's other records, which featured a style that was very heavy on Middle Eastern instrumentation, this one's got a very even blend of jazz, and features excellent work by Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Calo Scott on cello, Eric Dixon on tenor, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Malik himself plays bass and oud, and the record's got a snaking mix of jazz and exoticism that's roughly similar to Yusef Lateef's work on Savoy, or some of Sun Ra's work from the time. Titles include "Nights On Saturn", "La Ibkey", "The Hustlers", and "Oud Blues".

The roots of bebop! During the early 40s, sets held in Harlem nightclubs, especially the famous Minton's, were seminal to the development of bebop – and you'll hear exactly what we mean on this album! The set features material recorded by Jerry Newman at Minton's and Monroe's up in Harlem – sessions that include players like Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk, Hot Lips Page, Kenny Clarke, and Don Byas. The players run through a batch of material that might be called small-combo swing – but the style of the solos shows a lot of bebop, as well as a strong penchant for new ideas. Titles include "Lips Flips", "Swing to Bop", "Guy's Got To Go", "Kerouac", and "Stardust".

Wow! An incredible collection of seminal recordings from one of the most important figures in modern music! The list of sidemen and great LPs is almost too long to go over, but in addition to Miles' remarkable Cookin'/Relaxin'/Walkin'/Workin' sessions, there's all of the material issued as Bags' Groove, with the Modern Jazz Giants and loads more, and some of the stellar accompanists includes John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Lee Konitz, Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Milt Jackson, Paul Chambers, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Max Roach, just to name a few. 95 (!!) tracks in all are included, far too many to list here, but there's takes of "Blue Room", "Conception", "Compulsion", "Miles Ahead", "Blue Haze", "Airegin", "Bag's Groove", "The Man I Love", "Green Haze", "Dr Jackle", "The Theme", "Trane's Blues", "'Round About Midnight", "Half Nelson", "My Funny Valentine" and loads more!

Thelonious Monk wrote the title tune, but Miles Davis makes it almost his own here – blowing with a subtly moody magic that makes the album one of his true treasures from the early Columbia years! John Coltrane's along on tenor sax – helping Davis expand the sound the pair first forged on Prestige – and also present is the rhythm trio of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – impeccably recorded here with a wonderful sense of space. Titles include Miles seminal take on "Round Midnight", plus "Tadd's Delight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "A Leu Cha".

Whatever you may think of Milt Jackson's later work, this stuff from the early 50s, recorded in his pre-MJQ years, shows the vibist as a lively talent, playing head to head with boppers that he'd never dare face in later years. Players include Lou Donaldson, John Lewis, Thelonious Monk, and Shadow Wilson – and Kenny "Pancho" Hagood sings vocals on 2 tracks. Tracks include "On The Scene", "Tahiti", "Lillie", "Epistrophy", and "Misterioso". 17 tracks in all – with some alternate takes, and great remastering!

A set of performances dedicated to Thelonious Monk – yet music that's quite far from anything by Monk that we've ever heard before! Yet there's also a definite Monkish inspiration going on here – a sense of space and timing that resonates in different, often drawn-out ways – performed by the group's twin pianos, handled by Ufuk and Bahar Dorduncu – and percussion by Francois Volpe and Sebastien Cordier. The result is more avant compositional than jazz, yet the performance here is key too – on performances of compositions that include Oliver Schneller's "Resonant Space", Guillermo Gregorio's "Construction In Four Parts", Fabrizio Rat Ferrero's "L'Abito Non FaIl Monaco", and Stefan Wirth's "Standards".

One of the few albums ever recorded by pianist Herbie Nichols – an incredible player with a sound and sense of modern expression that rivaled the best 50s work of Thelonious Monk and Elmo Hope! This session is Herbie's only one for the Bethlehem label – but it stands nicely next to his better-known sides for Blue Note – with a stark, sharp modernist approach that grabs you from the very first note! Nichols has a sharp and edgey sound throughout – and an incredible sense of invention that never fails to delight us, no matter how many times we return to the record! Titles include "Every Cloud", "S'Crazy Pad", "45 Degree Angle", "Beyond Recall", "Portrait of Ucha", and the beautiful title track "Love Gloom Cash Love".

Tremendous comeback work from Randy Weston – arguably the series of albums that set the tone for his great return to fame in the 90s! The 3CD set features Weston's albums Caravan, Well You Needn't, and The Last Day – tributes to Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and his own work on piano – played at a level that's deeper and more complex than any Randy Weston albums from years past! The setting is spare throughout – really just bass and percussion backing on most numbers, but even then at a very low level – so that the strongest focus is always on Weston's keys, and his highly rhythmic way of addressing a tune. Players include Jamil Nasser on bass and Idris Muhammad and Eric Asante on drums and percussion. Titles include "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", "Caravan", "Heaven", "Chromatic Love Affair", "C Jam Blues", "Ganawa In Paris", "Night In Medina", "Berkshire Blues", "African Night", and "The Last Day".

Quite an interesting session from Bud Powell – a tribute to Thelonious Monk, recorded in Paris in 1961, but not issued until 1965, shortly before his death. Cannonball Adderley was the producer on the session, and it's got the same sort of groundbreaking approach as some of the other Cannonball-produced albums for Riverside from the same stretch – a bit more farther reaching than the players' work in an ordinary setting. Powell's take on the Monk sound is a very unusual one – a bit more fragile and tentative than Monk's own interpretations of the material, but performed with an equal commitment to a modern sound overall. Backing is from Kenny Clarke on drums and Pierre Michelot on bass – and titles include "No Name Blues", "Ruby My Dear", "Off Minor", "Squatty", and "Thelonious".

Thelonious Monk wrote the title tune, but Miles Davis makes it almost his own here – blowing with a subtly moody magic that makes the album one of his true treasures from the early Columbia years! John Coltrane's along on tenor sax – helping Davis expand the sound the pair first forged on Prestige – and also present is the rhythm trio of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – impeccably recorded here with a wonderful sense of space. Titles include Miles seminal take on "Round Midnight", plus "Tadd's Delight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "A Leu Cha".

Thelonious Monk wrote the title tune, but Miles Davis makes it almost his own here – blowing with a subtly moody magic that makes the album one of his true treasures from the early Columbia years! John Coltrane's along on tenor sax – helping Davis expand the sound the pair first forged on Prestige – and also present is the rhythm trio of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones – impeccably recorded here with a wonderful sense of space. Titles include Miles seminal take on "Round Midnight", plus "Tadd's Delight", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "A Leu Cha". The first disc also features 4 bonus tracks too – "Sweet Sue", "Little Melonae", "Budo", and "Two Bass Hit". The second disc are live recordings from '55 and '56.

Wicked early work from Milt Jackson – a record that's got a lot more of an edge than some of his later work with the Modern Jazz Quartet – a near-perfect modernist bop sound that's every bit the best side of Blue Note in the early 50s! The package brings together material from a few different sessions – some originally on 10" LPs – and the core of the material features Jackson in the company of pianist Thelonious Monk, on some tracks that also feature Sahib Shihab on alto sax! John Lewis plays piano on another batch of tracks that are essentially the early MJQ lineup, but with Lou Donaldson on alto too – so they swing with a bit more soul than you might expect. Titles include "Bag's Groove", "On The Scene", "Willow Weep For Me", "Criss Cross", "Evidence", "Tahiti", "Misterioso", "Four In One", and more.

Paul Jeffrey was an obscure tenor player who surfaced briefly on the east coast scene of the early 70s – cutting one great funky record for Savoy, and a handful for Mainstream. This one's a fairly straight batch of tracks, with Jeffrey's tenor poised amidst a quartet with Thelonious Monk Jr on drums, Jack Wilkins on guitar, and Richard Davis on bass. Most of the focus is on Jeffrey's tenor – and tracks include "Brand X", "Moon Madness", "Brand New Day", and "Minor Scene".

Way more than just "abstractions" – as the set's a very focused batch of some of the larger ideas that John Lewis had about jazz – explored beautifully here away from the Modern Jazz Quartet! The album has Lewis working with frequent partner – and fellow third stream conceptualist – Gunther Schuller – and also features great guest work from Ornette Coleman on alto, Joe Wilder on trumpet, Jim Hall on guitar, and Scott LaFaro on bass – all very different talents at the forefront of jazz at the time, helping bring a wider range of voices than you might normally get on a John Lewis project. Titles include "Abstraction", "Variants On A Theme of Thelonious Monk", and "Piece For Guitar & Strings".

2 LP set that brings together the best moments from 4 different Clark Terry albums on Riverside – Serenade To A Bus Seat, Duke With A Difference, In Orbit, and Top and Bottom Brass. he's playing in a variety of groups here, but the overall feel is straight hard bop. Players include Thelonious Monk, Sam Jones, Art Taylor, Johnny Griffin, and Philly Joe Jones. Titles include "Cruising", "Digits", "Top N Bottom", and "Let's Cool One".

Livin' the "Bon Bon Vie", with this classic uptempo groover from T.S. Monk! You'd hardly guess that this guy was Thelonious Monk's son – but who cares about his roots when the album grooves so hard? This Monk plays drums, not piano, but the best tracks on the record have a tight keyboard funky soul sound that's virtually a blueprint for 80s groove – lots of jazzy elements that warm things up nicely, and a catchy rhythmic pulse that never quits! The standout cut is the classic "Bon Bon Vie", a dancefloor groover that will never die, and a huge sample for Public Enemy – but the album also includes many other great cuts, like "House Of Music", "Hot Night In The City", and "Last Of The Wicked Romancers".

Landmark pre-bop recordings – with early small combo work from Charlie Christian, and some great Dizzy Gillespie tracks recorded with Don Byas on tenor, Thelonious Monk on piano, and Kenny Clarke on drums!

A strange mix of material – but some great work overall! Most of the record features Miles Davis recording with a quintet that includes Thelonious Monk on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – on longer versions of "The Man I Love" (in 2 takes), "Swing Spring", and "Bemsha Swing". These sides have a great bop/modern approach that's a nice extension of the styles that Jackson and Davis were playing on Blue Note in earlier years. Also added to the set is one number from 1956 – a version of "Round Midnight" recorded in early sessions with John Coltrane on tenor, and the Red Garland Trio on rhythm – different than the rest of the tracks, but still quite nice!

The full story of Miles Davis at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 – an album that expands out the original half-album release of this material from the set that Miles shared with Thelonious Monk! The first half of the record features the three tracks that appeared on Miles & Monk At Newport – and the remaining material joins it here for the first time in one date – making for a well-rounded package that finally tells the whole tale of the group's performance on July 3, 1958! The lineup here is right in the Kind Of Blue mode – Cannonball Adderley on alto, John Coltrane on tenor, Bill Evans on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – but the overall sound is a bit looser and freer, much more turned towards the solo spotlight focus that often characterized Miles Davis' live work. Coltrane's solos alone are worth the price of admission – nicely sharp-edged, with a sound that he didn't always show on his own albums until the 60s – and titles include "Ah Leu Cha", "Straight No Chaser", "Fran Dance", "Two Bass Hit", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "The Theme".

A very unusual album from Max Roach – and one that continues his great 50s trend of seeking out some of the freshest players in jazz! The set's a rare trio outing for Max – and it features some incredible piano work by a musician named Hasaan – a player we only know from this set, but who's a cooking modernist with a vibe that ranks him right up there with postwar greats like Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, and Herbie Nichols! With references like those, you can bet there's plenty of sharp edges in the piano – but the tunes also have a subtle, soulful feel too – a sense of humanity that's really wonderful. The album includes the tracks "Off My Back Jack", "Almost Like Me", "To Inscribe", "Pay Not Play Not", and "Din-Ka Stret", all written by Hasaan.

A great take on the music of Thelonious Monk – recorded with special sensitivity by reedman James Spaulding, who ensures that the sound goes way past the usual Monk-styled outing! Things start out in relatively familiar territory, but as the record progresses it really opens up – as Spaulding moves between alto sax and flute, and works beautifully with Wallace Roney on trumpet, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and the great Kenny Washington on drums. Given the experience of the players, the album's got a richness that shows the years past since Monk passed – a growing reach of his music, but a transformation as well – one that moves past easy angular cliches, and shows a complicated understanding of compositions like "Brilliant Corners", "Reflections", "I Mean You", "Let's Cool One", "Little Rootie Tootie", and "Ask Me Now".

A great 80s take on the music of Thelonius Monk – and one of the real standouts in a generation when plenty of folks were taking chances with Monk's music! Drummer Paul Motian leads a group that also features Joe Lovano on tenor and Bill Frisell on electric guitar – an instrument that's used here in a snakey sort of way that really spaces out familiar tunes from Thelonious – almost unwinding the angular corners and turning them into more spatially-directed elements. Guests include Geri Allen on piano and Dewey Redman on tenor – and titles include "Justice", "Bye Ya", "Straight No Chaser", "Ugly Beauty", "Off Minor", and "Epistrophy".

A great take on the music of Thelonious Monk – recorded with special sensitivity by reedman James Spaulding, who ensures that the sound goes way past the usual Monk-styled outing! Things start out in relatively familiar territory, but as the record progresses it really opens up – as Spaulding moves between alto sax and flute, and works beautifully with Wallace Roney on trumpet, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and the great Kenny Washington on drums. Given the experience of the players, the album's got a richness that shows the years past since Monk passed – a growing reach of his music, but a transformation as well – one that moves past easy angular cliches, and shows a complicated understanding of compositions like "Brilliant Corners", "Reflections", "I Mean You", "Let's Cool One", "Little Rootie Tootie", and "Ask Me Now".