Thelonious Monk -- "Monk's
Music"
The Thelonious Monk Septet
Sleeve notes by Orrin Keepnews.
Abide With Me; Well, You Needn't; Ruby, My Dear; Off Minor;
Epistrophy; Crepuscule with Nellie; (New York - June 26, 1957)
Ray Copeland - trumpet, Gigi Gryce - alto, Coleman Hawkins and
John Coltrane - tenors, Thelonious Monk - piano, Wilbur Ware - bass, Art Blakey
- drums.
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The Music:
Abide With Me is the 19th Century hymn, always a favorite of
Thelonious' (and, coincidentally, written by one William H Monk). It is stated
here in just under a minute - an instance of the rarer side of the LP-granted
freedom to make a piece as long or as short as desired. Only the four horns
play in this respectful, straight-forward arrangement that adds unique Monk
sonorities to the familiar tune.
Well, You Needn't is one of the two selections given extended
treatment, with blowing room for all; an approach more typical of Monk's
in-person appearances than of his recorded work. The tune was fully familiar to
all present; the result was relaxed and inventive solo work. Between ensembles,
opening and closing solos by Thelonious frame choruses by, in order: Coltrane,
Copeland, Ware, Blakey, Hawkins, Gryce.
Ruby, My Dear was the first tune set for the album. Monk heard
it in his mind as a perfect vehicle for the Hawk's matchless ballad style; and
he was right.
Off Minor, originally a trio number spotlighting sparse,
angular Monk piano, now becomes a rich seven piece score. Solos by Hawkins,
Copeland, Monk.
Epistrophy is the second long, blowing selection, with solos
by, in sequence; Coltrane, Copeland, Gryce, Ware, Blakey, Hawkins, Monk.
Crepuscule (meaning "twilight") with Nellie (Mrs
Monk) is largely Thelonious; a chorus and a half of piano followed by an
ensemble half-chorus.
'This is THELONIOUS MONK's music--an album emphasizing fresh
versions of some of his most notable compositions as played with great skill,
respect and enhusiasm by top jazz musicians.
Monk, throughout a long struggle for fitting recognition, has
at least been fortunate in one important respect: a substantial body Of
performers has always been aware of the originality, significance and validity
of his music and been eager for opportunities to play alongside him. To work
with Monk is a challenge, both because of the demands his music makes on
players and because he is an unrelenting perfectionist; but this is the sort of
challenge that talented and properly self-confident men appreciate and enjoy.
Thus, Thelonious has no difficulty in surrounding himself with
the best. Of the four horns on this album, the most noted is of course COLEMAN
HAWKINS, literally the first jazz saxophone star, who has remained consistently
at or near the top for more than three decades. One of the very few to change
effectively with changing jazz tides Hawkins joined with and encouraged modern
jazz in the mid-1940's when most older musicians were busy scorning and
misunderstanding it. He remains proud of a band he led on New York's S2nd
Street then, and of its pianist - Thelonious Monk. This LP marks his first
reunion with Thelonious in many years, and actually his first real experience
with playing Monk's music. But his rich, deep tones fit the occasion
wonderfully well, and so do his superb musicianship and a mind that has never
thought in terms of narrow jazz "schools"
GIGI GRYCE, who has led his own group for Riverside, is a
gifted young altoist and arranger who has figured importantly in the success of
Oscar Pettiford's big band. He learned much from a close association with
Charlie Parker, but certainly cannot be classed as a mere imitator of Bird.
JOHN COLTRANE, one of the most impressive of the young tenor men, first came
into real prominence with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1956. Just after the
present LP was recorded, he became a key member of Monk's newly·formed quartet.
RAY COPELAND, known to fellow musicians as a fine technician and inventive
soloist, has made concert appearances with Thelonious, who is among the many
who consider Ray among the most drastically underrated of current jazzmen. ART
BLAKEY, long a top-rated star and leader of the Jazz Messengers, is one of
Monk's favorite drummers, and has frequently recorded with him. Particularly
noteworthy is the ease with which Art adapts his celebrated explosive style to
fit Thelonious' requirements here. WILBUR WARE, who has, swiftly gained a
reputation as one of the most remarkable bassists to come along in many years
was also a member of Monk's 1957 quartet.
But, with all due respect to these six considerable talents a
Thelonious Monk album belongs primarily to Thelonious, For many years regarded
as an awesome genius, but one whose ideas were too far-out for general consumption,
Monk now seems finally to be gaining long-deserved acceptance. A highly
successful New York engagement at the Five Spot, in the Summer and Fall of 1957
helped by providing all comers with the prevlously rather rare experience of
close-up listening in a club setting. Also, some critics feel that he is
becoming (as John S. Wilson has put it) "increasingly lucid". If this
sort of comment is to be taken as meaning that his music is becoming simpler or
easier to digest, its accuracy is questionable, for such new compositions as
Brilliant Corners (in RLP 12-226) and Crepuscule with Nellie are at least as
complex and unconventional.as any of his earlier efforts. But it may be that,
through more than a decade of exposure to not only Thelonious but also the many
modernists who have absorbed his concepts, the jazz public and critics have
become able to listen to Monk without being distracted by misgivings about
dissonances, broken rhythms and the like, or by extraneous and dubious legends
about personal eccentricities. It is also probably true that Monk's own ability
to translate his ideas into actual piano performance has seldom if ever been at
a higher level of skill and clarity.
In any event, more and more new listeners now seem prepared to
take the trouble (and it still is trouble, although it can be vastly rewarding)
to pay close attention to Thelonious. Which makes it a fitting time to present
an album largely devoted to new and expanded treatments of four Monk
"classics" of the '40s, previously recorded by him only in briefer
versions and without horns.
It should be noted that terms like "composition,"
"arrangement," and for that matter even "performance," can
be quite misleading if taken too narrowly. To a performer-writer like Monk (and
like most major figures in East Coast jazz today), a composition is
automatically also an arrangement, designed to be played by himself and by
specific other instruments (often specific musicians). In subsequent
performance with other players and groups of different sizes, the arrangement
changes; after a while, a change of attitude towards the original composition,
or new creative ideas, can lead to further substantial alterations, (This may
be one reason why jazz of this school, whatever its own shortcomings might be,
can never be accused of· "coldness" a charge sometimes to be made
against music prepared once-and-for-all by arrangers who then do not continue
to be personally involved with the composition.)
Because of this, and because Monk never likes to consider any
tune as static, irrevocable or finally set, an 'old' Monk piece can and often
does become recast and revitalized to a point where it should properly be
regarded as 'new' music.
- Orrin Keepnews.