Misterioso Review

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(More customer reviews)I won't review this CD as a whole since many others have already. But in all these reviews I note scant mention of Johnny Griffin. In this live session from that now defunct little hole-in-the-wall, the Five Spot, Grif shows why he is considered the 'fastest tenor alive.' He's also the most passionate. His solos on this session are consistently amazing in their dexterity, imagination, and sheer emotional charge. He often moans ecstatically as he blows flourish after flourish of blue fire, yet never takes himself too seriously. He truly GETS Thelonious: the wry twinkle of Monkish humor. The second cut, 'Blues Five Spot,' is one of the greatest tenor solos of all time (See my Listmania, "Great Tenor Sax Solos.") Astonishing speed and melodic invention with the trio are followed by an un-accompanied cadenza of clean blues logic, topped off by the theme from Popeye the Sailor Man. Sonny Rollins was more magisterial and conscious of his greatness when he played with Monk; Trane was more esoteric and, well, heavy; but no one played Monk with more understanding than Johnny Griffin: they were friends for life. Grif knew the secret of Monk. The Master wasn't avant garde and he wasn't heavy: he was funky, blue, and full of laughter. Despite the primitive quality of the recording, and the idiots at the bar who keep dropping their glasses, this sizzling July evening in 1958, in the hippest of New York bars, at the heart of a by-gone era, is captured for all time here in one of the GREAT live jazz recordings.

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Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here it is-Clint Eastwood's *other* jazz film. The core of this biographical documentary about the innovative pianist and co-founder of bebop Thelonious Monk is footage of a recording date and tour from 1968, plus priceless scenes of Monk offstage. Filmmaker Bruce Ricker lets the 1968 film, shot by Michael and Christian Blackwood, speak for itself, interspersing stills, interviews, and some equally priceless early Fifties television footage. The 1968 film is shot in gorgeous black and white; the dark smoky club is especially impressive, visually.
Monk himself is imposing in black and white, with his greatcoat, pointy beard, and assorted headwear. In one scene he rolls into the recording studio wearing a lensless eyeglass frame and a Polish cavalry officer's cap. He shambles through the film, all sweat and bulk and cigarettes and raspy voice. There are a couple of great shots of his distinctive, spinning dancing, full of little surprises.
The recording studio scene is fascinating on a couple of levels. We get to see Monk and sax sideman Charlie Rouse go over the score of a song together. But we are also reminded that this is the late Sixties, when jazz isn't selling, and Monk is not a legend yet. The clueless producer and recording engineer, while friendly, keep telling him to play something to warm up, and then neglecting to record it. Monk finally loses patience and stomps off to a corner to angrily suck down a cigarette.
The film also records a European tour, which also has its problems. The octet that is supplied to him for the tour is oversized and under-rehearsed. They learn their parts on the plane to London, and can't get it together onstage the first night there. Much to the band's embarrassment, Monk has to stop songs to get everyone back on track. But in a day or two they shine, and receive rapturous applause.
The tour has its lighter moments. Perhaps the funniest moment is Monk lying in his bed in a Copenhagen hotel, trying to get his familiar down home cooking from room service. "Say, man; you got any chicken livers?" "Umm...Ve haff chicken sahlad." "You got any regular liver?" "Regular..." "Beef liver?" "Umm...Ja, ve haff beef liffer."
Here and there we meet a surprise guest. Some late Fifties/early Sixties New York club concert footage shows a room full of heavy-lidded white hipsters enjoying music by Monk and none other than John Coltrane. In a club kitchen, Monk clowns with Baroness Nica, who befriended many jazz musicians and in whose apartment Charlie Parker died. There's a montage of his records, including _Underground_, which boasts the single coolest album cover in the history of recorded music. The interview segments, with T. S. Monk, Jr. and Monk's manager are touching, giving insight as to how Monk struggled with the black dog, depression. And a couple of greybeards play some of Monk's music arranged for two pianos. It's lovely, fitting for the tribute it is. Just like this film.

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Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser. Filmmaker Bruce Ricker couldn't believe his luck. Michael and Christian Blackwood's extensive 1968 footage of the groundbreaking modern jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, including the only footage of the very private Monk off stage, was in excellent condition. The reels were, in Ricker's words, "just sitting there like the Dead Sea Scrolls of jazz." Ricker, as co-producer, joins director and fellow producer Charlotte Zwerin (Gimme Shelter), executive producer Clint Eastwood and others to bring these scrolls to astonishing life. Their Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser combines the Blackwood's rare footage of Monk in studio on tour and behind the scenes with new interviews, archival photos and more to create a landmark aural and visual treat.Tunes in order of appearance: Evidence; Rhythm-a-ning; On the Bean; Round Midnight; Well, You Needn't; Bright Mississippi; Blue Monk; Trinkle, Tinkle; Rhythm-a-ning; Ugly Beauty; Ask Me Now; Just a Gigolo; Crepuscule with Nellie; I Should Care; We See; Osaka T.; Evidence; Epistrophy, Don't Blame Me; Ruby, My Dear; I Mean You; Lulu's Back in Town; Off Minor; Pannonica; Boo Boo's Birthday; Misterioso; Monk's Mood; Sweetheart of All My Dreams; Round Midnight. Year: 1988 Director: Charlotte Zwerin

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Live 2007 - 4th Anuual Concert Tour - Original Compositions & Works By Thelonius Monk Review

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(More customer reviews)The SF Jazz Collective mixes the lineup a little bit and tackles Thelonious Monk on these CD's. Dave Douglas is in the trumpet chair, and he definitely brings a different feel than Nicholas Payton - he's less bluesy, more angular. The first CD has 12 Thelonious Monk songs, and then six of the eight Collectivists write the 8 songs on the second CD. The CD opens with "Brilliant Corners", and the band is tight. It has little of the awkwardness on Monk's original. For all I know, though, some of the octet have been playing the song their whole jazz lives. "Epistrophy" is a Monk chestnut handled with swing and spiced with good solos. "Crespuscule With Nellie" is played straight throughout. "Criss Cross", "Bye-Ya", and "I Mean You" are all strong. "I Mean You" stretches out a little bit. On previous SF Jazz CD's the songs often went 8-12 minutes. They consciously decided to keep the lengths a little closer to Monk's original versions. "Ugly Beauty" is the first in a series of less-familiar Monk songs to end the CD. "Ugly Beauty" and "Reflections" are my least favorite of the Monk half of the CD. "Oska T" is especially strong. "Homin' In" is bright and bouncy, and "Bright Mississippi" ends the first disc on a good note.
Joshua Redman and Bobby Hutcherson don't have songs on the originals disc. Rather, Dave Douglas has three songs, which make up the "San Francisco Suite". "Haast Pass", written by Matt Penman, is a good modern-sounding mid-tempo tune. Miguel Zenon contributes "Life At The End Of The Tunnel", which has a fine melody but especially strong soloing. "Lion's Gate" is by Renee Rosnes, and it's also a sharp tune. Andre Hayward's "Peace Offering" is a slower song, and it has a nice melody, but one strike against it is that it reminds me of a TV theme song. I don't know which one - I imagine I'd have to hear "Lion's Gate" and the TV song back-to-back, which will never happen. The Dave Douglas suite consists of three songs, each about six minutes long. "Alcatraz" is the best part, it has the most memorable melody, and an edgy feel. "Ameoba" is more diffuse, then "Assisi" ties things up nicely. Eric Harland's "Union" has the hottest moment on the CD where the horns are playing a dense polyrhythmic part and the drums drop out entirely.
You can definitely say the SF Jazz Collective did it again. I strongly recommend these CD's. This is the best of 2007.


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Disc 1: Works by Thelonious Monk 1. Brilliant Corners (5:56) - arranged by Renee Rosnes2. Epistrophy (5:38) - arranged by Miguel Zenon3. Crepuscule with Nellie (4:38) - arranged by Matt Penman4. Criss Cross (4:21) - arranged by Dave Douglas5. Bye-Ya (3:29) - arranged by Joshua Redman6. I Mean You (8:02) - arranged by Eric Harland7. Ugly Beauty (5:09) - arranged by Joshua Redman8. San Francisco Holiday/Worry Later (3:59) - arranged by Miguel Zenon9. Osaka T (7:00) arranged by Renee Rosnes10. Reflections (4:45) arranged by Dave Douglas11. Hornin' In (5:33) arranged by Dave Douglas12. Bright Mississippi (5:02) arranged by Matt Penman1. Haast Pass (14:08) - Matt Penman (Penperson Publishing, ASCAP)2. Life at the End of the Tunnel (10:31) - Miguel Zenon (Mazenon Music, BMI)3. Lion's Gate (9:59) - Renee Rosnes (Native Colors Music, BMI)4. Peace Offering (9:22) - Andre Hayward (Drebone Music, ASCAP)San Francisco Suite - Dave Douglas (Noenmity Music, BMI)5. Alcatraz (6:09)6. Amoeba (6:52) 7. Assisi (6:09)8. Union - Eric Harland (Dusean Publishing, SESAC)Limited edition of 3000

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Tour De Force Review

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(More customer reviews)Dizzy Gillespie joins his idol and mentor, Roy Eldridge, and Harry "Sweets" Edison for this enjoyable trumpet joust. The 1955 set's highlights include the title track, the fast-paced workout "Steeplechase" and the closing ballad medley. Highly recommended.

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Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2006.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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European Tour '56 (With the Modern Jazz Quartet & Review

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(More customer reviews)This CD offers Miles Davis in 4 different live settings, from his 1955 appearance at Newport with an all star pick-up group to a date at Birdland in October 1957 with tenor saxophonist Bobby Jaspar. In between are 2 broadcasts from Germany and Switzerland in November 1956 where Miles appeared with the MJQ and an aging and not very healthy Lester Young.
The Newport sides, despite their historical significance for Miles's career and his generally excellent playing, are rather raggedy, mainly because the musicians (Miles, Zoot Sims, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan) seem not to be that compatible and that rehearsal time together probably amounted to no more than a minute or two just before performing if any occurred at all. (Miles appeared unannounced, a walk-on.) Miles's playing wowed the critics, however, and sparked a renewed interest in him by record producers. In my opinion, though, much better are the 2 tunes from the Birdland session; Jaspar had an affinity for Miles's playing and they work well together.
The European dates are generally very good, despite the sadness produced by Lester's diminished tenor playing which definitely shows a decline in inventiveness and execution. Miles is in good form, though the highlight of the performances is the unidentified baritone sax solo on LESTER LEAPS IN (either Helmut Brandt or Johnny Freigl, members of the accompanying Kurt Edelhagen big band). The live sound is excellent, considering the time period. These live dates capture Miles at the beginning of his first rise to fame and set the table for his modal approach and a guy named Coltrane.


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This fascinating release comprises live recordings made at the end of 1956, when Miles accepted an offer to tour Europe with a formation called the "Birdland All Stars", which also included Lester Young and the Modern Jazz Quartet, along with European musicians such as pianist Rene Urtreger, bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Christian Garros. We have here the one and only existing evidence of Miles playing with Lester Young and with the MJQ. It also presents a rare occasion to find Miles playing as the sole horn in a quartet format. As a complement, we offer the complete 1955 Newport Jazz Festival performance, in which Miles played a famous version of "Around Midnight" backed by Thelonious Monk and Gerry Mulligan. The two bonus tracks come from a rare Birdland broadcast featuring Miles with tenor saxophonist Bobby Jaspar. Tunes include jazz standards and Miles Davis' compositions: How High the Moon, Lester Leaps In, Tune Up, What's New, Indiana, Four, Walkin', Lady Be Good, Hackensack, Around Midnight, Now's the Time, All of You and a second version of Four. And then George Wein had an All-Star band that had Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, Monk, Percy Heath, Connie Kay; he later added me. They played a couple of tunes without me and then I joined them on Now's the Time, which was a tribute to Bird's memo. And then we played Round Midnight, Monk s tune. I played it with a mute and everybody went crazy. It was something. I got a standing ovation. When I got off the bandstand, everybody was looking at me, offering me record deals. All the musicians there were treating me like I was a God, and all for a solo that I had trouble learning a long time ago. It was something else, man, looking up and applauding for what I had done." Miles Davis (From the liner notes). Discon.2006

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European Tour Review

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(More customer reviews)Most LRC disks are inaccurately/misleadingly labeled, and this CD is no exception.
The first three tracks are from Thelonious Monk, and are attributed to a 1957 group featuring Thad Jones. In actuality, "Blue Monk" dates from a 1967 Paris ORTF concert featuring a nonet with Clark Terry soloing (and is elsewhere available on CD's from Charly and FCD). "Light Blue" and "Evidence" are from a 1966 appearance at Newport, the quartet with Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley (and are available on Laserlight, Denon, etc.).
The last two tracks are usually attributed to a 1960 Paris concert by Max Roach's quintet with the Turrentine brothers and Julian Priester, and (like the Monk tracks) are widely available elsewhere. I can attest that the Fuel 2000 CD "Kardouba" has better sound quality. (The track called "To Lady" here is called "Kardouba" on that CD. "To Lady" is a different composition, featured on Roach's "Quiet As It's Kept" album on Mercury.)
These are all good performances, so the CD is worth hearing. But if you're hoping for a concert recording of Monk and Roach performing together, beware. And if you're a collector, you may very well have this material on other CD's.

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European Tour by Thelonious Monk, Max Roach
This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

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