Monk – Live In Paris, 1967 (Volume One) Review

by Don Berrymqn

The Thelonious Monk Estate has launched a new series of authorized albums of recorded material, some of which has been circulated for years as bootlegs of varying quality. The initial release, Monk Live in Paris, 1967 Volume One, showcases Monk’s longstanding quartet with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. They are joined by alto saxophonist Phil Woods, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, trumpeter Ray Copeland and tenor titan Johnny Griffin and they perform in various configurations. The full nonet, including trumpet legend Clark Terry, will appear in Volume Two of this concert recording (due to be released in October).

This recording was restored from recently discovered archival tape reels that were recorded at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France on November 3rd, 1967. The sound is superb, in particular the clarity of the piano is impressive for a live recording. It is pressed as a 180-gram LP on translucent deep blue vinyl. The album cover artwork was designed by Japanese graphic designer and artist Gaku Inada. The recording is also available as a digital download, but the LP is a must for audiophiles and Monk fans.

In the liner notes Sierre Monk says, “This marks the first official release from the Monk Estate. … In the coming years, we will embark on a mission to re-release previously bootlegged recordings of Monk, fully restored on vinyl, CD, and cassette. Monk’s career was marked by under-recording and limited critical support during his lifetime, and these performances offer a rare and essential glimpse into his musical genius.” TS Monk adds, “ For years, these [bootleg] recordings existed without context or respect for the artist. Official release restores dignity, accuracy, and historical balance. Monk’s career was under-documented, and these performances fill critical gaps in the record. Context matters.“

By the 60’s when this concert tour took place, Monk’s notoriety had grown beyond jazz inner-circles, attracting the ephemeral interest of the popular press. In 1964 he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, and in The Saturday Evening Post, Lewis Lapham wrote in the article “Thelonious Monk: High Priest of Jazz”: “Monk may be the dominant jazz musician of his time.” Respect for Monk has only grown over the decades, in a 2017 article pianist Fred Hersch wrote in The Paris Review: “Monk was an undisputed genius. He was among the inner circle of jazz musicians who pioneered bebop … and Monk emerged from that scene to create some of the most distinctive and enduring music in all of jazz.”

In addition to helping create modern jazz vocabulary and adding significant works to the canon, Thelonious Monk was also a great band leader. Monk’s studio albums are almost all with his quartet and you must listen to his live recordings to hear him lead larger ensembles. These live settings also allow the music to evolve. Monk Live in Paris, 1967 Volume One opens with Monk’s signature tune, “Epistrophy” which has great solos from Copeland and Rouse. “Evidence” has many magic moments, the highlight being a brilliant solo by Phil Woods. The shortest musical track is “Ruby My Dear” at 7:40 featuring the classic quartet of Monk, Rouse, Riley and Gale. It’s one of the finest renderings of this tune around. Rouse is masterful and Monk is in total genius mode on the piano.  On “We See” Ben Riley sounds a lot like Max Roach, Monk sits out on the solos and lets the soloists stretch out with just bass and drums,and Ray Copeland takes an expansive and inventive solo before Monk comes back with his own statement. That is followed by a swinging bass solo and drum solo. It is a very satisfying listen.

Track Listing:

link to Jazz Police article:https://www.jazzpolice.com/archives/20425