A really special live performance from Thelonious Monk – one that features his killer quartet of the 60s, but also opens the door to some surprise guest appearances too – all of which makes for a recording that's nicely different than much of the Monk live material of the period! The core group is already great enough – the tremendous Charlie Rouse on tenor, and superb rhythm work from Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums – and they're joined by other players at points, including Clark Terry and Ray Copeland on trumpets, Johnny Griffin on tenor, Phil Woods on alto, and Jimmy Cleveland on trombone – whose presence on the record echoes some of the larger charts that Monk cooked up during the late 50s for a few key albums. The tracks with the added players are especially long – and titles include "Hackensack", "We See", "Epistrophy", "Evidence/Epistrophy", "Don't Blame Me", "Blue Monk", and "Oska T/Epistrophy". CD

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" – includes two bonus tracks. CD

Previously-unreleased live material from the glory days of the Thelonious Monk Quartet – captured right in the middle of that group's famous run on Columbia Records, with fidelity as strong as if the label itself were producing the session! We could say volumes about this group – and we probably already have on these pages – and we're always amazed at the way the richness of the tenor of Charlie Rouse balances out the angular ideals of Monk on the piano – at a level that may well make Rouse one of Monk's greatest musical partners, ever! The rest of the group is equally wonderful – John Ore is a superb bassist, and Frankie Dunlop somehow manages to grab all the rhythm in Monk and Charlie's playing, and make them swing even more. All tracks here are long, and filled with strong solos throughout – on versions of "Nutty", "Monk's Dream", "Body & Soul", "Bye Ya", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". CD

Previously-unreleased live material from the glory days of the Thelonious Monk Quartet – captured right in the middle of that group's famous run on Columbia Records, with fidelity as strong as if the label itself were producing the session! We could say volumes about this group – and we probably already have on these pages – and we're always amazed at the way the richness of the tenor of Charlie Rouse balances out the angular ideals of Monk on the piano – at a level that may well make Rouse one of Monk's greatest musical partners, ever! The rest of the group is equally wonderful – John Ore is a superb bassist, and Frankie Dunlop somehow manages to grab all the rhythm in Monk and Charlie's playing, and make them swing even more. All tracks here are long, and filled with strong solos throughout – on versions of "Nutty", "Monk's Dream", "Body & Soul", "Bye Ya", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete Columbia solo piano recordings – 37 tracks total, including 14 previously unreleased takes! CD

Thelonious Monk on piano, with Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Butch Warren, John Ore, and Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley and Frank Dunlop on drums. CD

Thelonious Monk meets the mighty Oliver Nelson – the hip bigger band arranger who was helping so many other artists find their groove back in the 60s! The result is less Nelson-led than some of Oliver's other albums of the time – and instead, the arranger is nicely respectful of Monk's core sound – and still manages to led Thelonious keep the frontline strong on piano, and work with familiar players are the core who include Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. Nelson's touch seeks mostly to augment the Monkish lines with some larger horn shadings – sometimes a bit upbeat, but never more swinging than Monk might want. There's enough of a blue tone here to keep this one nicely in line with the rest of the 60s Columbia catalog for Thelonious – and titles include "Monk's Point", "Consecutive Seconds", "Let's Cool One", and "Rootie Tootie". LP, Vinyl record album

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! CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued performance of this classic tune from the Thelonious Monk songbook – recorded for Danish Radio in 1963, and played by the legendary quartet that featured Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, John Ore on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums! The quality is right up there with some of the live material that Columbia has unearthed in recent decades – and Rouse takes a great solo that's worth the price of the single alone! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An unusual live recording by Thelonious Monk – one recorded at the tail end of his famous quartet years on Columbia, but which features him leading an expanded nine-piece group for the date! Usual group members Charlie Rouse (tenor), Larry Gales (bass), and Ben Riley (drums) are expanded by the addition of Ray Copeland on trumpet, Johnny Griffin on tenor, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, and Phil Woods on alto – all of whom join together in some nice angular readings of Monk classics that include "Epistrophy", "Evidence", "Blue Monk", and "Oska T". CD

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! LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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 tracks "Monks' Mood (false start)", "Ghost Of A Chance (take 5)" & "I Should Care (takes 1 & 2)". CD

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. CD

Rare live material by Monk – recorded in Tokyo in 1963, and for many years a set that was unavailable to the rest of the world on record! The date's a great one – and features the classic Columbia quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums – that impeccable group that provided Monk with such a strong platform for a number of years, and really helped focus and advance his ideas. Rouse is especially wonderful, and he gets a lot of freedom on the record to work out these complicated solos that differ from some of his tighter work on some of the Monk studio albums of the time The set covers 2 LPs – and titles include "Panonica", "Evidence", "Bemsha Swing", "Epistrophy", "Hackensack", and "Blue Monk". CD

Key early trio material from Thelonious Monk – a record that features seminal recordings of important compositions, all done in sharply angular versions that showcase the best modern Monk touch on piano! As with a number of early Prestige LPs, the material here is pulled from 2 different sessions that were originally issued as smaller records – but there's a deeply unified sound to the record, and the raw early Monk sound is undeniably great! The trios here feature either Gary Mapp or Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey or Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Monk's Dream", "Little Rootie Tootie", "Bemsha Swing", "Trinkle Trinkle", "Blue Monk", "Just A Gigolo", and "Bye-Ya". CD

A record that documents a meeting of two giants of modern jazz in the 50s – the angular genius Thelonious Monk, and the younger John Coltrane – a tenor player who was probably better-known for his work with Miles Davis during this period! The recordings are more Monk's than Coltrane's – Monk was signed to Riverside at the time – and the set mixes in three quartet tracks that have the pair working with Wilbur Ware on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums – plus two more from the sessions for the famous Monk's Music record – alternate takes from those sessions, with a larger group that features Gigi Gryce on alto, Coleman Hawkins on additional tenor, and Ray Copeland on trumpet! Quartet tracks include "Ruby My Dear", "Trinkle Trinkle", and "Nutty" – with the larger group on alternates of "Off Minor" and "Epistrophy" – and a solo performance by Monk on an alternate of "Functional". CD

The 2LP set that brought together material that was later issued on the Monk In Italy and Monk In France albums – landmark live sides from a 1961 European tour! The set features the killer 60s Monk quartet with Charlie Rouse, John Ore and Fark Dunlop. 18 tracks in all, including "Epistrophy", "Jackie-ing", "Body & Soul", "Off Minor", "Rhythm-a-ning", "Straight No Chaser", "Bemsha Swing", "Well You Needn't", and "Crepuscle With Nellie". LP, Vinyl record album

The session's billed as "very personal treatments of great standards" – and it's a great twist on familiar material, all given the Thelonius touch! There's less of Monk's creative composition and angular group arrangements going on here – and instead, the album's almost a rewriting of 40 years of popular compositions, all taken into the modern world of Monk's piano. The group's a trio, with Oscar Pettiford on bass and Art Blakey on drums – and titles include nicely reworked versions of "Just You Just Me", "Memories Of You", "Liza", "Darn That Dream", and "Tea For Two". CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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. CD

A lost live recording from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet of the 60s – done at a time when the group wasn't recording at all, as a small benefit at a high school in California! Yet despite that setting, the vibe here is as relaxed, open, and human as if the combo were playing at an overseas club – very personal presentation of the best ideals inherent in Monk's piano, Charlie Rouse's tenor, Larry Gales' bass, and the drums of Ben Riley! Monk had been having some health issues during the year, but they don't show up at all in his performance – save for maybe a sense of brooding darkness at times, although that was always a quality that might appear in his performance. The music is every bit as essential as the London recordings that would emerge a few years later – and titles include "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", "Don't Blame Me", "Epistrophy", and "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

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". CD

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. CD

A stunning pre-Columbia session from Thelonious Monk – a really great live date that has Monk's familiar quartet augmented by west coast players Joe Gordon on trumpet and Harold Land on tenor! Given that Charlie Rouse is already in the group on tenor, the addition of Land's horn makes for a very soulful set – and Gordon's one of those players we love whenever we get a chance to hear him on record, which isn't that often, given how few sessions he cut! Other players include John Ore on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – and titles include "Four In One", "Let's Call This", and "Worry Later". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare glimpse of the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane – recorded in Monk's home turf of The Five Spot by Coltrane's wife at the time! The recording was done on a portable tape recorder, but the overall quality is surprisingly strong – not in stereo, but with more than enough depth to capture the interplay between Monk and Coltrane in the more relaxed, open setting of the club. 3 of the tracks on the set are quite long – "Trinkle Trinkle", "In Walked Bud", and "I Mean You" – and they're complemented by 2 shorter tunes – "Epistrophy" and "Crepuscule With Nellie". Group features Roy Haynes on drums and Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass. CD

A record that documents a meeting of two giants of modern jazz in the 50s – the angular genius Thelonious Monk, and the younger John Coltrane – a tenor player who was probably better-known for his work with Miles Davis during this period! The recordings are more Monk's than Coltrane's – Monk was signed to Riverside at the time – and the set mixes in three quartet tracks that have the pair working with Wilbur Ware on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums – plus two more from the sessions for the famous Monk's Music record – alternate takes from those sessions, with a larger group that features Gigi Gryce on alto, Coleman Hawkins on additional tenor, and Ray Copeland on trumpet! Quartet tracks include "Ruby My Dear", "Trinkle Trinkle", and "Nutty" – with the larger group on alternates of "Off Minor" and "Epistrophy" – and a solo performance by Monk on an alternate of "Functional". CD

A record that documents a meeting of two giants of modern jazz in the 50s – the angular genius Thelonious Monk, and the younger John Coltrane – a tenor player who was probably better-known for his work with Miles Davis during this period! The recordings are more Monk's than Coltrane's – Monk was signed to Riverside at the time – and the set mixes in three quartet tracks that have the pair working with Wilbur Ware on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums – plus two more from the sessions for the famous Monk's Music record – alternate takes from those sessions, with a larger group that features Gigi Gryce on alto, Coleman Hawkins on additional tenor, and Ray Copeland on trumpet! Quartet tracks include "Ruby My Dear", "Trinkle Trinkle", and "Nutty" – with the larger group on alternates of "Off Minor" and "Epistrophy" – and a solo performance by Monk on an alternate of "Functional". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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". CD

A classic solo piano album from Thelonious Monk – recorded live in San Francisco, and maybe one of his best albums ever in the format! There's a special sort of quality that makes Monk's solo work so different from his trio, quartet, and larger group music – this real understanding of the piano, and a personal sense of sonic shading, even when covering some of his familiar compositions – maybe a bit like the way that Sun Ra's solo piano is also so distinct. 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", and "Round Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

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. CD

A brilliant title for this brilliant album from Thelonious Monk – a set that really has him coming back strongly in the second half of the 50s – with a new talent for arrangements that really goes past his previous work! Monk's piano and compositions are every bit as great as before – but what really makes the album amazing is his ear for horn lines – particularly the alto of Ernie Henry and tenor of Sonny Rollins, both of whom add in an additional angular quality to Monk's groove. Clark Terry replaces Henry on a few numbers – and the rhythm is from the wonderful team of Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach – on classic long takes of "Brilliant Corners", "Ba-Lue Bolivar Blues Are", "Pannonica", and "Bemsha Swing". LP, Vinyl record album

Key originals by Monk – all pulled from Columbia sessions of the 60s – including a previously unreleased track! CD

Tracks recorded in Paris between 1963 and and 1966 – all with Charlie Rouse! Other musicians include Frankie Dunlop, Ben Rilley, Butch Warren, and Larry Gales. CD

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP 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 is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Epistrophy", "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP 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 is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this second volume include "Four In One", "Ask Me Now", "Criss Cross", "Skippy", "Hornin In", "Sixteen", and "Let's Cool One". LP, Vinyl record album

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". CD

Thelonious Monk on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Butch Warren on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. CD

Rare late work from Thelonious Monk – recorded in London, with Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums – mostly trio material, but with some piano solos too! LP, Vinyl record album

Thelonious Monk on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. CD

Rare live material by Monk – recorded in Tokyo in 1963, and for many years a set that was unavailable to the rest of the world on record! The date's a great one – and features the classic Columbia quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, and Frankie Dunlop on drums – that impeccable group that provided Monk with such a strong platform for a number of years, and really helped focus and advance his ideas. Rouse is especially wonderful, and he gets a lot of freedom on the record to work out these complicated solos that differ from some of his tighter work on some of the Monk studio albums of the time The set covers 2 LPs – and titles include "Panonica", "Evidence", "Bemsha Swing", "Epistrophy", "Hackensack", and "Blue Monk". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost treasure from the legendary Thelonious Monk – a live date recorded in Paris at the end of the 60s – late in Monk's life, and every bit as wonderful as his famous 60s studio work with his quartet! Of that group, only Charlie Rouse remains on tenor sax – but Rouse is more than enough to make things great, and the interplay between his tenor and Monk's piano is completely sublime – full of angular movements, underscored with plenty of soul – and given support from Nate Hygelund on bass and either Paris Wright or Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's a rough edge to the music that's really great – that sharper, more sinister vibe that Monk could have in a live setting – and titles include "Light Blue", "Bright Mississippi", "I Mean You", "Ruby My Dear", "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams", "Crepuscule With Nellie", and "Nutty". CD

Monk plays solo piano and is joined on some of the tracks by Art Blakey on drums and Al McKibbon on bass. The songs are all originals except for "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and they include "Blue Sphere", "Hackensack", "Criss Cross", "Something In Blue", "Evidence", "Jackie-ing", and "Nutty". The album was recorded in London and produced by Alan Bates. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Memories Of You", "Don't Blame Me", "Just You, Just Me", "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)", "Tea For Two", "(I Love You, I Love You, I Love You) Sweetheart Of All My Dreams", "Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", and "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea". CD

A brilliant live set from the key 60s years of the Thelonious Monk Quartet – material recorded in Tokyo as part of a TV broadcasting – done with excellent sound, and different than the album release of material that came out from Columbia Records at the time! The group here features pure genius – a balance of Monk's modern piano with sax, bass, and drums at a level that's almost an answer to that pairing in the late 50s Dave Brubeck group – Monk really pushing the edges, alongside the stunning Charlie Rouse on tenor, with Butch Warren on bass and Frankie Dunlop on drums. This version of the group would be gone by the end of 1963, but sound wonderful here – on titles that include "Epistrophy", "Evidence", "Just A Gigolo", "Blue Monk", and "Ba Lou Bolivar Ba Luse Are". CD

A famous European set from Thelonious Monk – recorded early in the 60s with his famous quartet that included Charlie Rouse on tenor! Even at this point before the Columbia sides, Rouse is already amazing – really stretching out in these modern, angular lines that are quite different than any of his recordings a few years before – a perfect match for the inventive piano of Monk, as would later be demonstrated on a host of classic studio recordings. There's an open, spontaneous energy between the pair in this live setting, though – almost like they're working out new ideas, but doing so perfectly – with the bass of John Ore and drums of Frankie Dunlop to round things out. Titles include "Bemsha Swing", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "San Francisco Holiday", "Body & Soul", "Straight No Chaser", and "Epistrophy". CD

A pair of classic live albums! First up is Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall – 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! Next is Thelonious Monk Quartet Plus Two At The Blackhawk – a stunning pre-Columbia session from Thelonious Monk – a really great live date that has Monk's familiar quartet augmented by west coast players Joe Gordon on trumpet and Harold Land on tenor! Given that Charlie Rouse is already in the group on tenor, the addition of Land's horn makes for a very soulful set – and Gordon's one of those players we love whenever we get a chance to hear him on record, which isn't that often, given how few sessions he cut! Other players include John Ore on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – and titles include "Four In One", "Let's Call This", and "Worry Later". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning pre-Columbia session from Thelonious Monk – a really great live date that has Monk's familiar quartet augmented by west coast players Joe Gordon on trumpet and Harold Land on tenor! Given that Charlie Rouse is already in the group on tenor, the addition of Land's horn makes for a very soulful set – and Gordon's one of those players we love whenever we get a chance to hear him on record, which isn't that often, given how few sessions he cut! Other players include John Ore on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – and titles include "Four In One", "Let's Call This", and "Worry Later". CD features 2 bonus tracks – a second version of "Epistrophy", and "Evidence". CD

A full length LP that brings together 2 earlier sessions by Thelonious Monk! The main part of the album is a legendary Monk quintet recording, done at a time when Thelonious was mostly pretty trio-heavy in the studio – and a set that features some great tenor by Frank Foster, alongside trumpet by Ray Copeland, bass by Curley Russell, and drums by Art Blakey! Tracks are longish, and although they have some Monkish moments, especially on the ballads, there's also some looser bop-style solo work from the horns. Titles include "Locomotive", "Hackensack", "We See", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Added to these tracks are 3 more by another quintet – one that features Sonny Rollins on tenor, Julius Watkins on French Horn, Percy Heath on bass, and Willie Jones on drums. Titles include 2 takes of "Think Of One", plus "Let's Call This". CD

Includes the tracks "Well, You Needn't", "Misterioso", "Bemsha Swing", "'Round Midnight", "Epistrophy", "Ruby, My Dear", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Blue Monk", and "Straight, No Chaser". CD

Titles include "Well, You Needn't", "Misterioso", "Bemsha Swing", "'Round Midnight", "Epistrophy", "Ruby, My Dear", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Blue Monk", and "Straight, No Chaser". LP, Vinyl record album

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". CD features two bonus takes of "I Mean You" – plus one alternate each of "Decidedly" and "Straight No Chaser". CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic solo piano album from Thelonious Monk – recorded live in San Francisco, and maybe one of his best albums ever in the format! There's a special sort of quality that makes Monk's solo work so different from his trio, quartet, and larger group music – this real understanding of the piano, and a personal sense of sonic shading, even when covering some of his familiar compositions – maybe a bit like the way that Sun Ra's solo piano is also so distinct. 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", and "Round Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant title for this brilliant album from Thelonious Monk – a set that really has him coming back strongly in the second half of the 50s – with a new talent for arrangements that really goes past his previous work! Monk's piano and compositions are every bit as great as before – but what really makes the album amazing is his ear for horn lines – particularly the alto of Ernie Henry and tenor of Sonny Rollins, both of whom add in an additional angular quality to Monk's groove. Clark Terry replaces Henry on a few numbers – and the rhythm is from the wonderful team of Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach – on classic long takes of "Brilliant Corners", "Ba-Lue Bolivar Blues Are", "Pannonica", and "Bemsha Swing". CD

Includes Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane, Misterioso, 5 by Monk by 5, Thelonious Himself, Alone In San Francisco, At The Blackhawk, Thelonious In Action, Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall, and Monk In France. CD

A solid collection that brings together 21 tracks from Monk's Prestige and Riverside albums. Features work recorded with Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Max Roach, John Coltrane, and Johnny Griffin – plus some excellent solo material too! CD

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP 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 is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this first volume include "Round Midnight", "In Walked Bud", "Thelonious", "Epistrophy", "Misterioso", "Well You Needn't", and "Off Minor". CD

A great collection of Thelonious Monk's early pre-LP 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 is notable also for the fact that Monk's playing sometimes in larger group settings – not just trio ones – and here, his early writing for and interplay with saxes and trumpet certainly has a strong effect on the development of modern jazz in the 50s – as you'll hear on tracks that include work from players like Sahib Shihab and Lou Donaldson on alto, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Idrees Suliman and Kenny Dorham on trumpets – depending on the volumes. Art Blakey is on drums throughout – and titles on this second volume include "Four In One", "Ask Me Now", "Criss Cross", "Skippy", "Hornin In", "Sixteen", and "Let's Cool One". New version features a total of 18 tracks with great remastering and some rare alternate takes! CD

Some excellent Monk from the mid 50s – recorded between the early Blue Note sides and the later revolutionary ones for Riverside, all featuring Monk in some pretty heavy tenor company! Side one features Monk playing with Frank Foster, Ray Copeland, Curley Russell, and Art Blakey – on tracks that include "We See", "Locomotive", and "Hackensack". Side two features Monk with Sonny Rollins, Julius Watkins, Percy Heath, and Willie Jones – on two takes of "Think Of One", plus "Let's Call This". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

Live recording with Charlie Rouse on tenor! CD

Fantastic work from Thelonious Monk – a superbly-recorded live set from early 60s Paris – done with his legendary quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor! The music here is wonderful – tracks that are often quite long, and stretched out nicely from the Columbia Records material by the group – with especially long improvisations by Monk that really reignite our respect for his genius – and the kind of soulful solos from Rouse that are always a perfect match! The bass of John Ore is beautifully recorded too – maybe even more powerful here than usual – and Frankie Dunlop completes the group with wonderfully deft work on drums. Titles include "Nutty", "Bemsha Swing", "Evidence", "Body & Soul", "I Mean You", "Epistrophy", "Just A Gigolo", "April In Paris", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Jakie-ing", and "Off Minor". CD

Fantastic work from Thelonious Monk – a superbly-recorded live set from early 60s Paris – done with his legendary quartet with Charlie Rouse on tenor! The music here is wonderful – tracks that are often quite long, and stretched out nicely from the Columbia Records material by the group – with especially long improvisations by Monk that really reignite our respect for his genius – and the kind of soulful solos from Rouse that are always a perfect match! The bass of John Ore is beautifully recorded too – maybe even more powerful here than usual – and Frankie Dunlop completes the group with wonderfully deft work on drums. Titles include "Well You Needn't", "Jackie-ing", "Hackensack", and "Rhythm A Ning". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful live set from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet – that magical lineup you'll know from Monk's early 60s albums on Columbia Records, captured here in a concert performance that really opens up so many different currents of the group's sound! Monk is crucial, of course, on piano – but the group also moves with a perfect sense of timing for his music, thanks to the work of John Ore on bass and Frankie Dunlop on drums – a group who are then topped by some fantastic tenor work from the amazing Charlie Rouse – a hell of player at many levels, but one who always seemed to hit new heights with Monk! The double-length package really gives the group a lot of room to open up – and tracks move nicely between extended numbers and a few nice shorter bits – on titles that include "Just A Gigolo", "Well You Needn't", "Round Midnight", "Bemsha Swing", "Balu Bolivar Balues Are", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Jackie-Ing", and "Blue Monk". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo piano from Thelonious Monk – ten tracks recorded in London in 1971! CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare non-Columbia Records 60s session by the Thelonious Monk Quartet – that magical group that featured the modern piano giant in the lead, with tremendous tenor from Charlie Rouse, as well as bass from John Ore and drums from Frankie Dunlop! Consider the outfit to be the modern jazz variant on the Dave Brubeck Quartet – like that one, a rock-solid unit of players who seem to share equal roles in the magic of the music, with a long legacy of years together – but also a group that's a lot more freewheeling in their sense of experimentation! Rouse is a treasure, as always – and the set was done for Danish radio in 1961, and is very well-recorded. Titles include "Epistrophy", "Jackie-ing", "Crepuscule With Nellie", "Round Midnight", "Off Minor", and "Ba Lue Bolivar Ba Lues Are". CD

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

A landmark in jazz – easily one of Thelonious Monk's greatest albums ever, and a magical crossroads of talents that brings together a variety of jazz traditions! The work is performed by an ambitious Monk septet that includes both Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane on tenor – and if you've ever doubted the brilliance of Hawk, this is the record to change your mind. The rest of the group is equally great – with Ray Copeland on trumpet, Gigi Gryce on alto, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – all coming together with Monk to craft a perfect set of tunes that are virtually the definition of "modern jazz". Titles include "Abide With Me", "Off Minor", "Crepuscule With Nellie", and "Epistrophy". CD features 2 bonus tracks – alternates of "Off Minor" and "Crepuscule With Nellie". CD

A lost live recording from the legendary Thelonious Monk Quartet of the 60s – done at a time when the group wasn't recording at all, as a small benefit at a high school in California! Yet despite that setting, the vibe here is as relaxed, open, and human as if the combo were playing at an overseas club – very personal presentation of the best ideals inherent in Monk's piano, Charlie Rouse's tenor, Larry Gales' bass, and the drums of Ben Riley! Monk had been having some health issues during the year, but they don't show up at all in his performance – save for maybe a sense of brooding darkness at times, although that was always a quality that might appear in his performance. The music is every bit as essential as the London recordings that would emerge a few years later – and titles include "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", "Don't Blame Me", "Epistrophy", and "I Love You Sweetheart Of All My Dreams". CD

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". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Unidentified Solo Piano", "Blues Five Spot", and "In Walked Bud/Epistrophy". CD

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". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Unidentified Solo Piano", "Blues Five Spot", and "In Walked Bud/Epistrophy". CD

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. CD

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. CD