New Thelonious Monk album retrieved from skip!

[Jazzrook]

After the recent issue of the Coltrane 'lost' album there's now a new Monk recording live in Copenhagen, 1963 remastered by Gearbox Records from tapes discovered in a skip!

https://store.gearboxrecords.com/products/thelonious-monk-collectors-edition-pre-order

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

After the recent issue of the Coltrane 'lost' album there's now a new Monk recording live in Copenhagen, 1963 remastered by Gearbox Records from tapes discovered in a skip!

https://store.gearboxrecords.com/products/thelonious-monk-collectors-edition-pre-order

JR

I saw that before and I can't get that excited. Surely it's just another concert recording of which there are legion. Admittedly a fine Monk quartet (Frankie Dunlop is great), but the Monk "tour" was getting "routine" by this point, although very entertaining if you were there. I saw them in Bristol and Monk danced off stage during a Rouse solo and sat in the row behind us!

On the other hand, the 1959 Monk "lost" Liaison Dangerous" tapes that tuned up in Barney Wilen boxes are fabulous. Vital, energetic, fresh and some great playing. A true high spot.

[Jazzrook]

I saw that before and I can't get that excited. Surely it's just another concert recording of which there are legion. Admittedly a fine Monk quartet (Frankie Dunlop is great), but the Monk "tour" was getting "routine" by this point, although very entertaining if you were there. I saw them in Bristol and Monk danced off stage during a Rouse solo and sat in the row behind us!

On the other hand, the 1959 Monk "lost" Liaison Dangerous" tapes that tuned up in Barney Wilen boxes are fabulous. Vital, energetic, fresh and some great playing. A true high spot.

Agree about the wonderful 1959 'Liaison Dangerous' album. There's probably an element of hype about this Gearbox discovery but if it's anything like Monk's 1963 performance of 'Evidence'(with Monk dancing!) in Japan this new find should be well worth hearing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qweSlfP6BtI

JR

[elmo]

I received this album today and have only played it once but this album is definitely one of the best from this period.
Monk was certainly functioning at a higher creative level than many of the performances from that period. From the first track "Bye Ya" Monk sounds more enervated and creative - much like the Monk of Prestige and Riverside than Columbia. Charlie Rouse is good and Frankie Dunlop and John Ore were always one of the best of monk's rhythm sections. A highlight is a moving solo performance of Body & Soul.

elmo

[Ian Thumwood]

Elmo

There was a review of the album on line a few weeks ago which basically made the same conclusion. Rouse also came out well in that review. In fact, the whole review was suggestive that the performance deserved more praise than the recent Coltrane album where he suggested that there had been an over-reaction.