The latest in the Craft Recordings/Concord reissue series of Thelonious Monk is his third solo album, originally released on Riverside, which captures Monk at the Fugazi Hall, San Francisco, California, on October 21st and 22nd, 1959, without an audience present. This was his third album in this style, just Monk and his piano, and at times we can hear himself talking to himself as he plays, which is a very human insight indeed. Two of the songs, “Bluehawk” and “Round Lights” were improvised blues which only ever appeared in this set, while the four other Monk compositions had appeared in prior recordings (there were also three covers in this set).
With no other musicians involved, and no need to keep to a rigid time signature, Monk relaxes into the music, allows himself to add many runs and additional nuances and seems to be really enjoying himself. It is strange to think this recording is nearly 70 years old as the remastering makes it feels as if we are sat right there on the stage while he plays. The sound quality is incredible given what the source tapes must have been like after all these years, and the only way to truly get the best of these is by playing on headphones and revelling in his touch and control.
There is no doubt he is one of the most important jazz pianists to have even recorded, and his influence both as a musician and composer is immense, and this recording finds him in his prime and is immense from beginning to end.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://www.theloniousmonkmusic.com/
https://craftrecordings.com/