Thelonious Monk - Kind Of Monk (10CD) (2009) {Compilation, Repost}

At first glance this set contains tracks that seem to be all over the place with respect to career milestones and time frames. Most sets in this Kind Of series cluster around the mid-to-late 1950s for the artists who are topics of the sets. This one goes pretty heavy on the mid-to-late 1940s to early 1950s, with some mid-to-late 1950s and some material that was recorded as late as 1967. There is coherence to the composition of the set though. Nearly all of the tracks feature Monk as a leader. This is a departure from other sets in this series where it's a mix of leader and sideman.

Before proceeding I want to contrast this set with another box set that you may be considering: Mysterious Blues. That set features Monk mainly as a sideman, and while there is some overlap of tracks, both sets would make great additions to the music libraries of Monk fans. See my August 26, 2012 review of that set for specifics as well as comparisons to two more compilations that you may want to read before making final purchase decisions.

There is little in the way of documentation that comes with this set or any of the other sets in the Kind Of series. Basically, the back of the box gives some indication of what is inside via clues in the form of disc titles. Each cardboard slipcover gives a complete track listing which is always accurate, and dates and personnel, which turn out to be erroneous in many cases. I have provided a complete listing of tracks for each disc on a comment to this review so you can see exactly what you are getting. I have also taken the time to track down the actual locations, dates and personnel for each track. In some instances I needed to make an educated guess based on conflicting information in various discographies and would welcome any corrections.

The sound quality will probably trigger complaints from audiophiles, but to my ears it is adequate. By that I mean that it is not some poorly done 'needle drop' from scratchy LPs. On the other hand, no special care seems to have been taken to remaster the discs. If you are use to listening to MP3 albums, which by their nature have diminished fidelity, you will probably not have a problem with this set.

Here is the background information for each track - it's probably too much information for many folks and can be safely skipped, but for the die hard fans this is useful. I have also linked to some albums that are contained on specific discs. Those links will take you to product pages that contain in-depth reviews and/or sound samples in many cases.

DISC ONE contains tracks spanning 1948 through 1967 (the cardboard slipcover claims 1952 through 1957, but like other discography information from this entire Kind Of series, is incorrect. Track 1 was recorded at the Reeves Sound Studios in NY on December 7, 1956. Monk is backed by Clark Terry on trumpet, Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Paul Chambers on bass and Max Roach on drums.

Tracks 2 through four were recorded at WOR Studios in NY on May 30, 1952 by Monk backed by Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Lou Donaldson on alto sax, Lucky Thompson on tenor sax, Nelson Boyd on bass and Max Roach on drums.

Track 5 appears to be from the Brilliant Corners session and that specific song was recorded at Reeves Sound Studios in NY on October 15, 1956. However, the cardboard slipcover for this disc erroneously credits Ernie Henry as the alto saxophonist (Ernie played on the album, but not on that track - there was no alto sax on it. The rest of the musicians listed are correct: Monk backed by Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Max Roach on drums.

Track 6 was recorded at the Apex Studios in NY on July 2, 1948. Monk is backed by Milt Jackson on vibes, John Simmons on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums.

Tracks 7 and 8 appear to have been recorded at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, France on November 3, 1967. Monk is backed by Ray Copeland on trumpet, Clark Terry on flugelhorn, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Phil Woods on alto sax, Charlie Rouse and Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.

I cannot ascertain when or where the last track was recorded or by whom. The sleeve credits Monk with Ray Copeland on trumpet, backed by Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums. Copeland was with Monk in Europe along with Gales and Riley in 1967, but the only performances of Ruby My Dear (Track 9) would have included the same line-up as tracks 7 and 8. This was probably recorded at De Doelen in Rotterdam (Holland) on October 28, 1967 if my sleuthing is correct.

DISC TWO contains tracks from the Brilliant Corners session (1, 4 and 6) as well as from
Genius of Modern Music Volume 2 that was released in 1956 as a 12" LP for Blue Note (BLP-1511) (tracks 2, 3 and 5). The Brilliant Corners tracks were recorded at Reeves Sound Studios in NY on October 9 and 15, 1956 with Monk backed by Ernie Henry on alto sax, Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Max Roach on drums. The other session was recorded at WOR Studios in NY on May 30, 1952 by Monk backed by Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Lou Donaldson on alto sax, Lucky Thompson on tenor sax, Nelson Boyd on bass and Max Roach on drums.

DISC THREE is the album titled Mulligan Meets Monk that was recorded at Reeves Sound Studios in NY for Riverside on August 12 and 13, 1957. This disc does not contain the alternate takes that were released on the original album, although the core set list is included. Monk and Mulligan (on baritone sax) are backed by Wilber Ware on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums.

DISC FOUR is the entire 1955 album titled Plays Duke Ellington [Keepnews Collection]. This - to me - is a masterpiece and Monk's homage to one of his idols. It was recorded for Riverside at Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack, NJ studio on July 21 and 27, 1955. Monk is backed by Oscar Pettiford on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums.

DISC FIVE is comprised of tracks from a live performance at De Doelen in Rotterdam, Holland on October 28, 1967. The personnel formed into both a quartet and an octet for this performance date. Monk is backed by various combinations of Ray Copeland on trumpet, Clark Terry on flugelhorn, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Phil Woods on alto sax, Charlie Rouse and Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.

DISC SIX is a live September 11, 1958 performance at the Five Spot Cafe in NY that was released as Live At The Five Spot / Discovery!. This album features Monk in one of his rare pairings with John Coltrane on tenor sax backed by Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

DISC SEVEN contains all of the original tracks from the live August 7, 1958 performance at the Five Spot Cafe in NY. This album was recorded for Riverside and released as Thelonious In Action with seven tracks. This disc contains one bonus track - Nutty - and the reissued album contains ten tracks, of which three bonus tracks do not appear on this disc. Personnel for this performance were Monk backed by Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

DISCs EIGHT and NINE are taken from Blue Note and Prestige recordings between 1947 and 1953. Specifically, most of the tracks from these two albums comprise these two discs: first is Thelonious Monk Trio: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters which was recorded in NY and NJ for Prestige on October 15 and December 18, 1952 and September 22, 1954. Because of the time span between sessions Monk is backed by bassists Gerry Mapp and Percy Heath and drummers Art Blakey and Max Roach. The second is Genius of Modern Music 1 that was recorded for Blue Note in WOR Studios in NY on 15, 24 October and November 21, 1947. Personnel included the following backing Monk (not all musicians on every track): Idrees Sulieman or George Taitt on trumpet (depending on track) Danny Quebec West or Sahib Shihab on alto sax (depending on track), Billy Smith on tenor sax, Gene Ramey or Bob Paige on bass (depending on track) and Art Blakey on drums.

DISC TEN contains 8 of the 9 original tracks from the 1959 album recorded in 1957 for Riverside titled Himself. The missing track from this disc is the 21:55 minute track titled 'Round Midnight (In Progress). All of the tracks except for Track 5 were recorded by Monk alone at Reeves Sound Studios in NY on April 12, 1957. Track 5 was recorded at the same studio on April 16 with Monk accompanied by Wilber Ware on bass and John Coltrane on tenor sax.
~ review by Mike Tarrani



CD 01 - Blue Monk (42:16)
01. Bemsha Swing (7:44)
02. Skippy (3:01)
03. Sixteen (3:40)
04. Carolina Moon (3:28)
05. I Surrender Dear (5:28)
06. Epistrophy (3:11)
07. Thelonious (3:04)
08. Blue Monk (6:57)
09. Ruby My Dear (5:43)

CD 02 - Brilliant Corners (40:41)
01. Brilliant Corners (7:46)
02. Hornin' In (3:15)
03. Let's Cool One (3:49)
04. Pannonica (8:52)
05. I'll Follow You (3:48)
06. Ba Lue Bolivar Ba Blues Are (13:10)

CD 03 - The Gerry Mulligan Sessions (40:54)
01. Rhythm A Ning (5:19)
02. Straight No Chaser (7:04)
03. 'Round Midnight (8:30)
04. I Mean You (6:54)
05. Sweet & Lovely (7:17)
06. Decidedly (5:50)

CD 04 - A Duke Eliington Songbook (37:05)
01. Black And Tan Fantasy (3:25)
02. Solitude (3:44)
03. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (4:39)
04. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (5:42)
05. Sophisticated Lady (4:30)
06. Caravan (5:56)
07. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (5:55)
08. Mood Indigo (3:13)

CD 05 - Quartet & Octet In Europe (37:09)
01. Hackensack (11:01)
02. Ruby My Dear (5:45)
03. Blue Monk (6:58)
04. Hackensack (13:25)

CD 06 - Live At The Five Spot Vol. 1 (43:07)
01. Crepuscule With Nellie (2:55)
02. Twinkle Twinkle (10:01)
03. In Walked Bud (11:15)
04. I Mean You (13:45)
05. Epistrophy (5:11)

CD 07 - Live At The Five Spot Vol. 2 (65:39)
01. Light Blue (5:13)
02. Blue Monk (8:33)
03. Coming On The Hudson (5:21)
04. In Walked Bud (11:27)
05. Misterioso (10:53)
06. Let's Cool One (9:19)
07. Rhythm A Ning (9:33)
08. Nutty (5:21)

CD 08 - Epistrophy (59:28)
01. Evonce (3:03)
02. Surburban Eyes (3:01)
03. Epistrophy (3:06)
04. Eronel (3:04)
05. Nice Work If You Can Get It (3:00)
06. Ruby My Dear (3:07)
07. Introspection (3:12)
08. Off Minor (3:03)
09. Monk's Mood (3:06)
10. Who Knows (2:39)
11. Round About Midnight (3:12)
12. Misterioso (3:21)
13. Ask Me Now (3:15)
14. Four In One (3:30)
15. Criss Cross (2:56)
16. Straight No Chaser (2:56)
17. Willow Weep For Me (3:02)
18. Hornin' In (3:12)
19. Let's Cool One (3:43)

CD 09 - Monk's Dream (60:05)
01. Trinkle Tinkle (2:50)
02. Monk's Dream (3:08)
03. Reflections (2:48)
04. Little Rootie Tootie (3:07)
05. April In Paris (3:22)
06. Sweet And Lovely (3:36)
07. Think Of One (5:47)
08. These Foolish Things (2:48)
09. Well You Needn't (2:59)
10. Evidence (2:33)
11. Humph (2:52)
12. In Walked Bud (2:54)
13. Let's Call This (5:09)
14. I Mean You (2:46)
15. Friday The 13th (10:41)
16. Bye Ya (2:45)

CD 10 - Almost Solo (44:24)
01. All Alone (4:53)
02. Functional (9:22)
03. I Should Care (3:14)
04. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance Without You (4:24)
05. Monk's Mood (7:53)
06. April In Paris (3:53)
07. Round Midnight (6:42)
08. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (4:04)

Bass – Ahmed Abdul-Malik (tracks: 6-1 to 7-8)
Drums – Roy Haynes (tracks: 6-1 to 7-8)
Piano – Thelonious Monk
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane (tracks: 6-1 to 6-5, 10-5)












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