Review by Lindsay Planer
The studio and live recording sessions that Thelonious Monk cut during his six-year stay at the Riverside label are compiled over the 15 discs in the Complete Riverside Recordings. This middle era -- between his early sides for Prestige and the final ones for Columbia -- is generally considered Monk's most ingenious and creative period. The sessions are presented in chronological order, accurately charting the progression and diversions of one of the most genuinely enigmatic figures in popular music. The Complete Riverside Recordings explores Monk's genius with a certain degree of real-time analysis that simply listening to each of the individual albums from this era lacks. This is due in part to the 14 additional performances exclusive to this collection. However, a more satisfying level of assessing Monk's indelible marks of extemporaneous perfection can be heard within his prankster-like sense of timing or innate penchant for sophisticated arrangements. Among the sessions captured on this exhaustive set are the Duke Ellington sides and the Sonny Rollins era (which yielded the genre-defining Brilliant Corners), as well as meetings with Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, and Gerry Mulligan. Additionally, the entire Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall performance is presented just as it went down -- with solo and quartet sets intact.SESSIONS 1 & 2
July 21 & July 27, 1955 - New Jersey
These were Monk's first sessions for Riverside, and the tracks were issued on the album "Thelonious Monk plays the music of Duke Ellington."
* CD1/1 - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got Swing) - 4'39
* CD1/2 - Sophisticated Lady - 4'28
* CD1/3 - I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - 5'53
* CD1/4 - Black And Tan Fantasy - 3'25
* CD1/5 - Mood Indigo - 3'14
* CD1/6 - I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - 5'41
* CD1/7 - Solitude. (solo) - 3'43
* CD1/8 - Caravan - 5'55
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Oscar Pettiford - bass.
* Kenny Clarke - drums.
SESSION 3
March 17, 1956 - New York
These tracks, together with the next recording session, were released as "The Unique Thelonious."
* CD1/9 - Liza, All The Clouds'll Roll Away - 3'11
* CD1/10 - Memories Of You. (solo) - 4'17
* CD2/1 - You Are Too Beautiful - 4'55
* CD2/2 - Just You, Just Me - 7'58
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Oscar Pettiford - bass.
* Art Blakey - drums.
SESSION 4
April 3, 1956 - New York
* CD1/11 - Honeysuckle Rose - 5'31
* CD1/12 - Darn That Dream - 6'29
* CD1/13 - Tea For Two - 5'55
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Oscar Pettiford - bass.
* Art Blakey - drums.
SESSION 5
October 9, 1956 - New York
This was the first session for the "Brilliant Corners" album, one of the very best Monk albums.
* CD2/3 - Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-Are - 13'24
* CD2/4 - Pannonica. (opening - previously unissued) - 2'35
* CD2/5 - Pannonica - 8'50
* Ernie Henry - alto.
* Sonny Rollins - tenor.
* Thelonious Monk - piano & celeste.
* Oscar Pettiford - bass.
* Max Roach - drums.
SESSION 6
October 15, 1956 - New York
This was a four hour recording session, and the piece was not played to completion. The track finally issued was pieced together from several different takes.
* CD2/6 - Brilliant Corners - 7'46
* Ernie Henry - alto.
* Sonny Rollins - tenor.
* Thelonious Monk - piano & celeste.
* Oscar Pettiford - bass.
* Max Roach - drums.
SESSION 7
December 7, 1956 - New York
Since the previous session, Ernie Henry had left Monk's quartet and re-joined the Dizzy Gillespie orchestra, he was replaced by Clark Terry; and due to problems between Monk and Oscar Pettiford, the bass player was replaced by Paul Chambers.
* CD2/7 - Bemsha Swing - 7'50
* CD2/8 - I Surrender, Dear. (solo) - 5'31
* Clark Terry - trumpet.
* Sonny Rollins - tenor.
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Paul Chambers - bass.
* Max Roach - drums.
SESSION 8
April 5, 1957 - New York
These piano solo tracks were first issued on the album "Thelonious Himself." 9705
* CD3/1 - I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You. (take 5 issued only in Italy) - 4'12
* CD3/2 - I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You. (original take 7) - 4'21
* CD3/3 - I Should Care. (previously unissued take 1) - 3'28
* CD3/4 - I Should Care. (take 2 issued only in Italy) - 3'19
* CD3/5 - I Should Care. (original - take 3) - 3'13
* CD3/6 - Round Midnight. (in progress) - 21'55
* CD3/7 - Round Midnight. (original take 7) - 6'41
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
SESSION 9a
April 16, 1957 - New York
This session was part of the "Thelonious Himself." album
* CD3/8 - April In Paris - 3'52
* CD3/9 - I'm Getting Sentimental Over You - 4'04
* CD4/1 - Functional. (alternate take 1) - 9'43
* CD4/2 - Functional. (original take 2) - 9'18
* CD4/3 - All Alone - 4'51
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
SESSION 9b
April 16, 1957 - New York
Monk wanted this track to be included on the LP "Thelonious Himself." John Coltrane came in from Philadelphia just to record this one track.
* CD3/10 - Monk's Mood. (previously unissued false start) - 0'57
* CD3/11 - Monk's Mood - 7'52
* John Coltrane - tenor.
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Wilbur Ware - bass.
* Shadow Wilson - drums.
SESSION 10
June 25, 1957 - New York
The unsuccessful first day of a two day recording session that would produce one of Monk's best albums.
* CD4/4 - Crepuscule With Nellie. (previously unissued take 1) - 4'34
* CD4/5 - Crepuscule With Nellie. (breakdown previously unissued) - 1'01
* CD4/6 - Blues For Tomorrow. (no piano) - 13'32
* Ray Copeland - trumpet.
* Gigi Gryce - alto.
* Coleman Hawkins - tenor.
* John Coltrane - tenor.
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Wilbur Ware - bass.
* Art Blakey - drums.
SESSION 11
June 26, 1957 - New York
This session produced the excellent "Monk's Music" album, generally recognised to be one of Monk's best.
* CD4/7 - Off Minor. (alternate take 4) - 5'14
* CD4/8 - Off Minor. (original take 5) - 5'08
* CD4/9 - Abide With Me. (horns only) - 0'53
* CD4/10 - Crepuscule With Nellie. (previously unissued takes 4/5) - 4'46
* CD4/11 - Crepuscule With Nellie. (original take 6) - 4'39
* Ray Copeland - trumpet.
* Gigi Gryce - alto.
* Coleman Hawkins - tenor.
* John Coltrane - tenor.
* Thelonious Monk - piano.
* Wilbur Ware - bass.
* Art Blakey - drums.
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