Though he was only nine-years-old at the time of the recording, he was aware of the special event of Monk doing a film soundtrack. Monk, who says “I never get tired of talking about my father”, is clearly gratified too. Monk’s son, the drummer and bandleader T.S. But, after all, this is Monk and his then-new quartet with Charlie Rouse at their best – and it’s the first new Monk discovery since 2005 when the recording, Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, suddenly surfaced – so it may eventually be seen as one of his essential albums. Despite having contributed some commentary to the booklet, I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at the ecstatic review coverage it’s received everywhere, including in Jazzwise last month.
Thelonious monk sheet music archive#
That’s one of the themes that has been a constant in discussions about Monk, along with the theory that he was elusive, monosyllabic, difficult to work with and – in many people’s eyes – weird.Īs for the renewed attention now, of course it helps that newly discovered archive material has been released, in the form of his soundtrack recording for the French film Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Even if, at the time of his emergence, lots of seemingly knowledgeable observers thought he was doing it all wrong. If someone like Thelonious Monk is still being talked about more than 100 years after his birth (10 October 1917), he must have been doing something right. Sometimes that can go a long way, but still, this is for special tastes outside mainstream jazz.Looking at music in historical terms, there’s nothing like a centenary for focusing our attention. There's a fluid ease in Summers' playing that suggests a real comfort zone and genuine love for this music. You do hear considerable riffing, and less improvisation, so if you're more into Jeff Beck than, say, Larry Coryell, bon appétit. But it gets much better with horn charts, the precise Erskine and searing DeFrancesco saving grace on "Hackensack." Then they really get down with Monk's stealth Misterioso feel on "Brilliant Corners," and an economical Summers works effectively on "Monk's Dream." Sting sings "'Round Midnight" and botches the lyrics, but they come back strong for most of the remainder of the disc, especially with a pristine take on "Ugly Beauty," a moderately raucous "Think of One," a free-for-all "Light Blue/Rhythm-A-Ning," with Erskine cutting loose, and Summers' courteous solo acoustic finale on "Ruby My Dear." Summers is rather noodle prone, though a sharp-edged John Abercrombie-type tone creeps in occasionally. The CD overall is inconsistent, starting with an out-of-tune bass and an inaccurate reading of the title track. His backing band has some considerable talent drummer Peter Erskine, organist Joey DeFrancesco, trumpeter Walt Fowler and cellist Hank Roberts are outstanding jazz musicians, and prove their mettle throughout. Guitarist Andy Summers long ago shed his Police-man's uniform to take a stab at being a jazz fusion guitarist, and this is his toughest test, tackling 13 of Thelonious Monk's most well known pieces.
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