Thelonious Monk

2 CD SET - INCLUDES 6 BONUS TRACKS

This release contains all existing collaborative recordings by Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. They were highly compatible players, and Rollins was the pianist’s first choice when he planned to form his first regular quartet in 1960 (Sonny was unable to accept and Charlie Rouse joined the band instead) Rollins and Monk’s conjunct works consist of two 1953/54 studio dates for Prestige, the amazing 1956 LP Brilliant Corners (Riverside RLP12-226), and two songs from a 1957 Rollins session for Blue Note.

As a bonus all of the other tunes from the 1957 Blue Note date (with Horace Silver on piano replacing Monk), and two further interpretations of Monk’s compositions by Rollins: a wonderful 1956 live reading of “’Round Midnight” with the saxophonist sharing solo space with Clifford Brown, and a 1949 studio recording of “52nd Street Theme”, featuring Rollins with Fats Navarro and Bud Powell.

PERSONNEL:

THELONIOUS MONK, piano, SONNY ROLLINS, tenor sax, on all tracks, plus:

Collective personnel:

Clark Terry (tp), Julius Watkins (fhr), Ernie Henry (as),
Percy Heath, Tommy Potter, Paul Chambers, Oscar Pettiford (b),
Art Blakey, Max Roach, Art Taylor, Willie Jones (d).

Recorded in New York and New Jersey between 1953 and 1957.

5 STARS DOWNBEAT MAGAZIEN ( Brilliant Corners)
4 1/2 STARS DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE ( Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins)

Bonus tracks:

CD2, 6-9: Same personnel and session as CD2, 4-5, except Horace Silver (p)
replaces Monk.

CD2, 10: Clifford Brown (tp), Sonny Rollins (ts) Richie Powell (p), George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d). Radio broadcast “Town Casino”, Buffalo, NY, February 26, 1956.

CD2, 11: Fats Navarro (tp), Sonny Rollins (ts), Bud Powell (p), Tommy Potter (b),
Roy Haynes (d). New York, August 8, 1949.

INCLUDES 20-PAGE BOOKLET

CD1 – Total Time: 76:87

01 Let’s Call This
02 Think Of One [Take 1]
03 Think Of One [Take 2]
04 Friday The 13th
05 I Want To Be Happy*
06 The Way You Look Tonight
07 More Than You Know*
08 Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
09 Pannonica/ 10 Pannonica [Alt Tk]

CD 2 – Total Time: 73:46

01 Brilliant Corners
02 Bemsha Swing
03 I Surrender, Dear
04 Reflections
05 Misterioso
06 Why Don’t I?
07 Wail March
08 You Stepped Out Of A Dream
09 Poor Butterfly
10 ‘Round Midnight
11 52nd Street Theme