Art Blakey

4 STARS DOWN BEAT MAGAZINE

PERSONNEL:

THELONIOUS MONK, piano
ART BLAKEY, drums
JOHNNY GRIFFIN, tenor sax
BILL HARDMAN, trumpet
SPANKY DEBREST, bass

New York City, May 14 (A3 & B1) & May 15 (A1-A2; B2-B3), 1957.

All compositions by Thelonious Monk
except “Purple Shades”, by Johnny Griffin.

SIDE A:
1. EVIDENCE 6:46
2. IN WALKED BUD 6:39
3. BLUE MONK 7:54

SIDE B:
1. I MEAN YOU 8:02
2. RHYTHM-A-NING 7:20
3. PURPLE SHADES 7:48

Down Beat Magazine original review
This is another set combining Monk with a group not his own but that soon becomes his own. Griffin throughout has less of the runaway fire and more cohesion than his recent recordings have shown. Hardman, too, seems in better control than on recent outings. Blakey’s work is not so blatantly out front as when he is at the reins, but his presence is certainly felt rhythmically and creatively. The LP is angular, often quite brittle, but also quite representative of Monk and where he stands today. (Dom Cerulli)