Thelonious Monk

This gig recorded on Oct. 28, 1967 at the De Doelen concert palace in Rotterdam, stands out in so far as it breaks away from Monks usual setup: his quartet performance (with bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley) is peppered with prestigious guest appearances and all the musicians were already familiar with the pianist's universe: trumpet players Ray Copeland and Clark Terry, saxophone players Johnny Griffin and Phil Woods, and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland... It wasn't the first time that Monk played in an enhanced band (two of his major records prove his taste for bigger bands: The Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall, recorded in 1959, has him spearheading a tentet, arranged by Hal Overton; and Big Band and Quartet in Concert, a 1963 NYC Philharmonic Hall recording, displays a similar orchestral setup); the scenario they came up with on this tour was original to say the least: the quartet, after performing two numbers (Ruby My Dear and Hackensack), gradually added on performers, first becoming a quintet (with a solo by Ray Copeland) then an octet until Blue Monk, which was performed by a mini big band of nine musicians, starring the virtuoso bugle of inspired genius Clark Terry.