"The Best Tenor You Never Heard: JR Monterose"

ghost of miles · January 13, 2007

This week on Night Lights it’s The Best Tenor You Never Heard: J.R. Monterose. J.R. Monterose is a saxophonist rarely heard even by jazz fans, and his most well-known recording, Charles Mingus’ Pithecanthropus Erectus, is one that Monterose himself later all but disowned. He recorded only sporadically as a leader and withdrew from the jazz world several times, woodshedding or playing in towns distant from the music’s metropolitan centers. His sound, although influenced by other tenor horns such as Chu Berry and Sonny Rollins, was all his own, airy and full of weight at the same time, and rife with pleasing, weaving turns of phrase and a compelling, hard-edged honesty.

Monterose was active as a sideman during the mid-1950s (a full discography of his career can be viewed here), playing and recording with Mingus, vibraphonist Teddy Charles, pianist George Wallington, and trumpeter Kenny Dorham. We’ll hear several of those recordings and others from dates led by Monterose himself, up to the 1964 album IN ACTION. “The Best Tenor You Never Heard: J.R. Monterose” airs Saturday, January 13 at 11:05 p.m. EST on WFIU and at 9 p.m. Central Time on WNIN-Evansville. It also airs Sunday evening at 10 p.m. EST on Michigan's Blue Lake Public Radio. The program will be posted Tuesday afternoon in the Night Lights archives.

Next week: "A Few Words About Jazz."

Edited February 16, 2009 by ghost of miles

Larry Kart · January 13, 2007

It's not J.R., it's JR (for his nickname "Junior" -- from "Frank Anthony Monterose Jr." -- not for initial letters).

ghost of miles · January 14, 2007

I'm aware of his actual name and the derivation of the nickname, but this seems to be one of those cases where the "incorrect" version has become accepted--Mike Fitzgerald, who's as fierce a stickler for accuracy as anybody I know, lists him as "J.R.," as does the Blue Note album and most other jazz sources that I've come across--hence my use of what seems to me to be the more widely-coined "J.R."

Fortunately, I did refrain from using this image for the post:

ghost of miles · January 14, 2007

...and of course some of us have heard him live!

Yes--and Chuck's posted some memories from Monterose's early-1960s Iowa days. (Wasn't Nelson Algren teaching up there around that time, too?)

I was only able to get up to 1964 with this show... will probably do a sequel centered around the later recordings somewhere down the line.

Chuck Nessa · January 14, 2007

...and of course some of us have heard him live!

Yes--and Chuck's posted some memories from Monterose's early-1960s Iowa days. (Wasn't Nelson Algren teaching up there around that time, too?)

I was only able to get up to 1964 with this show... will probably do a sequel centered around the later recordings somewhere down the line.

Yup. JR was a big influence on my life. If I live long enough, I'll tell some more stories and will hope I don't offend any members.

He had a bunch of "perspectives" to give.

ghost of miles · January 17, 2007

"The Best Tenor You Never Heard: J.R. Monterose" is now archived.

Edited December 6, 2008 by ghost of miles

BruceH · January 18, 2007

I love his eponymous Blue Note album...and his work on Kenny Dorham's Round About Midnight At the Cafe Bohemia; I do wish he'd recorded more.

ghost of miles · January 18, 2007

I love his eponymous Blue Note album...and his work on Kenny Dorham's Round About Midnight At the Cafe Bohemia; I do wish he'd recorded more.

I played a cut off each (albeit an excerpt in the case of the Dorham), but have you heard THE MESSAGE or IN ACTION? I like them even more than the Blue Note.

Chuck Nessa · January 18, 2007

But they were later, and a different JR. He was really proud of all of his recordings and loaned his only copy of The Message to me. It was badly warped at the edge from some heat but I got the message and later found a fresh copy.

The Studio 4 record only hints at the playing at that time. A second date was recorded but can't/hasn't been found. This record was by the quartet I heard 6 times a week in those days. I remember "Out of This World" and maybe one of Miles modal tunes. This stuff fades................

For a side note: He loved Perry Como - "He was a barber before he was famous"!

BruceH · January 18, 2007

I love his eponymous Blue Note album...and his work on Kenny Dorham's Round About Midnight At the Cafe Bohemia; I do wish he'd recorded more.

I played a cut off each (albeit an excerpt in the case of the Dorham), but have you heard THE MESSAGE or IN ACTION? I like them even more than the Blue Note.

I'll have to listen to your show.

Larry Kart · January 18, 2007

For a side note: He loved Perry Como - "He was a barber before he was famous"!

Caught Como live in the late '70s or early '60s at the Mill Run Theater in Niles, Il. He had very good time.

JSngry · January 18, 2007

Better than you might expect.

Definitely better than the cover would lead you to believe...

ghost of miles · December 6, 2008

Hey, c'mon, that's a great cover! ^_^

We're re-airing "The Best Tenor You Never Heard" this week on Night Lights (check out our handy-dandy new station map for airtimes around the country; just click on the balloons for broadcast dates and website links), but it is already archived for online listening.

AndrewHill · December 9, 2008

I just scored a copy of that Studio 4 date, viz Bainbridge on cd about a half year ago, and its really good. Besides his BN and The Message, it seems there's not much else to round out the 50's and 60's as leader. I know he recorded some stuff later on, but besides that, his discography seems really small-a real shame!

Dave James · December 9, 2008

I've got everything I can find that Monterose recorded. Of those six or seven I have, I've got to go with In Action as a favorite. Even though he's just playing with a house band, Monterose really shines. I will argue until I keel over that his version of Lover Man is definitive. There's a world weary sound on that one that just tumbles out of his horn. The piano solo is also memorable. For a live recording in an out of the way place, the sound is excellent.

If you're a fan of his, go into the discography on the Night Lights link and look at all the private, unreleased recordings. Man, I'd give my left you know what to hear some of that stuff.

If there's anything that's rare but still commercially available, I'd sure like to know about it. I guess the hen's tooth in my collection is T.T.T.

Up over and out.

AndrewHill · December 9, 2008

I guess the hen's tooth in my collection is T.T.T.

Details?

Niko · December 9, 2008

I guess the hen's tooth in my collection is T.T.T.

Details?

michael fitzgerald did a monterose discography...

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Mon...se/jrm-disc.htm

btw, i played rene thomas "guitar groove" the other day and it's amazing album (ojc!) with great contributions from monterose (actually, i used to not really get this album but decided to make it my favorite thomas album now)

Edited December 9, 2008 by Niko

Dave James · December 9, 2008

Details.

Only the tunes I've put in bold type are on the CD. BTW, T.T.T. is an acronym for Twelve Tone Tune. Wonder where the tapes from the balance of the program are hiding?

Date: July 2, 1988

Location: Jazzhus Slukefter, Copenhagen, Denmark

Label: Storyville

J.R. Monterose (ldr), J.R. Monterose (ts), Hod O'Brien (p), Niels 'Guffy' Pallesen (b), Jesper Elen (d), Stephanie Nakasian (v)

a. 01 I Hear A Rhapsody - 10:15 (George Fragos, Dick Gasparre, Jack Baker)

b. 02 Love Is Here To Stay - 10:15 (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

c. 03 You Don't Know What Love Is - 12:57 (Don Raye, Gene DePaul)

Storyville CD: STCD 8291 -- T.T.T. (1999)

d. 04 Lady Bird - 10:15 (Tadd Dameron)

e. 06 Sometimes I'm Happy - 7:07 (Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar)

f. 07 Pain And Suffering...And A Little Pleasure - 10:10 (J.R. Monterose)

g. 08 Theme For Ernie - 17:10 (Fred Lacey)

h. 09 All The Things You Are - 12:06 (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)