Thelonious Monk

Featuring JOHNNY GRIFFIN

COMPLETE LIVE AT THE FIVE SPOT 1958

Just after John Coltrane left him and before the arrival of Charlie Rouse, Thelonious Monk formed a quartet with Johnny Griffin, which played at the Five Spot in New York during 1958. Most of this music was issued on two albums: In Action and Misterioso. This edition contains all known music from that gig plus, as a bonus, a rare selection by Monk in a sextet that included Griffin, Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams.

***(*) PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ
“It might, on the face of it, seem improbable that such a headstrong and unmysterious character as Johnny Griffin could be so masterful an interpreter of Monk. But their partnership was an inspiring one, the tenorman unperturbed by any idea that Monk’s music was difficult, and the quartet is on blistering form on these dates recorded at New York’s lamented Five Spot.”

CD ONE:

1)LIGHT BLUE 5:15
2)COMING ON THE HUDSON 5:23
3)RHYTHM-A-NING 9:28
4)JUST A GIGOLO 2:09
5)BLUE MONK 8:29
6)EVIDENCE 8:45
7)EPISTROPHY [Theme] 1:08
8)NUTTY 5:22
9)BLUES FIVE SPOT 8:12
10)LET’S COOL ONE 9:15
11)IN WALKED BUD 11:20

TT: 74:51

CD TWO:

1)MISTERIOSO 10:47
2)EPISTROPHY[Theme] 1:04
3)EVIDENCE 10:16
4)BLUES FIVE SPOT 9:56
5)IN WALKED BUD/EPISTROPHY [Theme]
10:57 6)SWEET STRANGER 1:55
7)‘ROUND MIDNIGHT 6:18
8)BYA-YA/EPISTROPHY [Theme] 11:55
9)COMING ON THE HUDSON 6:04*

TT: 69:15

THELONIOUS MONK, piano
JOHNNY GRIFFIN, tenor sax
AHMED-ABDUL MALIK, bass
ROY HAYNES, drums

Live at the Five Spot, New York, August 7 (disc One and Disc Two, 1-2) and July 9 (Disc Two, 3-8), 1958.

*BONUS TRACK: Thelonious Monk (p), Johnny Griffin (ts), Donald Byrd (tp), Pepper Adams (bar), Wilbur Ware (b), Philly Joe Jones (d). New York, February 25, 1958.

NOTE: ART BLAKEY (d) replaces Roy Haynes on CD Two, track 8, only.
Monk plays solo piano on “Just a Gigolo” and “Sweet Stranger”.


See 16-page booklet for complete information.