Thelonious Monk - Palo Alto (Impulse) --> fresh new monk!

[CJ Shearn]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

So I assume it's like the Coltrane "Blue World" CD packaging, which is/was pretty shoddy. I'll still buy the thing when it comes out in ten days, but sheesh, Impulse! really could give less of a shit what their product looks like.

CD packages have been getting bad for years but I wonder sometimes it's the labels' way of saying "yes, we think the CD is dead".  I didn't buy Blue World but the Both Directions At Once packaging is pretty bad.

[GA Russell]

39 minutes ago, CJ Shearn said:

CD packages have been getting bad for years but I wonder sometimes it's the labels' way of saying "yes, we think the CD is dead".  I didn't buy Blue World but the Both Directions At Once packaging is pretty bad.

My hunch has been that the companies don't see much point in spending money on packaging for items sold by mail order.

[CJ Shearn]

1 hour ago, GA Russell said:

My hunch has been that the companies don't see much point in spending money on packaging for items sold by mail order.

Interesting.

[cliffpeterson]

BTW-the sound is so good that I feel like I was there.  I can hear all 4 musicians about equally and clearly.  As for the music, it is great.  I think that Kelley was not wrong when he writes (that I could read) that the group was on fire.  About 40 minutes of music. 

[bertrand]

Did they only play 40 minutes or did they leave out some tunes?

[BrianB]

I think it’s 47 minutes 

[Dan Gould]

9 minutes ago, bertrand said:

Did they only play 40 minutes or did they leave out some tunes?

There's been no indication its not a complete set, and Monk did say that he had to get into town for his other gig after he played the last encore.

[clifford_thornton]

10 hours ago, CJ Shearn said:

CD packages have been getting bad for years but I wonder sometimes it's the labels' way of saying "yes, we think the CD is dead".  I didn't buy Blue World but the Both Directions At Once packaging is pretty bad.

yeah, I have the Both Directions set on LP and that version is nice/fine. The Coltranes both were easily bigger sellers as downloads or Spotify streams, and I'm sure that the Monk will be the same way. I still would rather have a CD than a few files on my Apple Music setup. 

[hbbfam]

7 hours ago, cliffpeterson said:

BTW-the sound is so good that I feel like I was there.  I can hear all 4 musicians about equally and clearly.  As for the music, it is great.  I think that Kelley was not wrong when he writes (that I could read) that the group was on fire.  About 40 minutes of music. 

I had a slightly different take. First, the sound is good, but a little bright to me.  But mostly I found the sax, drums and even bass were out front, and it was hard to hear Monk on several tracks.  I went back and listened to the same group "Live At The It Club".  Monk was more forward and prominent.  I realize that this was not professionally recorded.

[GA Russell]

I saw Monk at the Village Vanguard the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 30), 1968.

Charlie Rouse was on tenor, Walter Booker on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

I have long wanted a Monk recording of near that time, just because.  I have procrastinated all these years, and now a recording made a mere five weeks earlier is being released!  I'm looking forward to hearing it.

[soulpope]

2 hours ago, GA Russell said:

I saw Monk at the Village Vanguard the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 30), 1968.

Charlie Rouse was on tenor, Walter Booker on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

I have long wanted a Monk recording of near that time, just because.  I have procrastinated all these years, and now a recording made a mere five weeks earlier is being released!  I'm looking forward to hearing it.

What  band .... how did Walter Booker and Roy Haynes blend with Monk - could you share some memories ?

[GA Russell]

43 minutes ago, soulpope said:

What  band .... how did Walter Booker and Roy Haynes blend with Monk - could you share some memories ?

SP, I was still new to jazz at the time.  The four seemed well-rehearsed.  Booker and Haynes are two of my favorites.  I felt that of the four, Rouse was the weak link.

I noticed that, contrary to Lester Young's advice, Monk silently tapped his right foot the whole time.

Afterward, I went up to Monk, shook his hand and told him how much I enjoyed it.  He gave me a big smile.

Monk's hand was huge.  Very fleshy, like shaking a catcher's mitt.  I tell people that shaking Thelonious Monk's hand is my claim to fame!

[soulpope]

1 minute ago, GA Russell said:

SP, I was still new to jazz at the time.  The four seemed well-rehearsed.  Booker and Haynes are two of my favorites.  I felt that of the four, Rouse was the weak link.

I noticed that, contrary to Lester Young's advice, Monk silently tapped his right foot the whole time.

Afterward, I went up to Monk, shook his hand and told him how much I enjoyed it.  He gave me a big smile.

Monk's hand was huge.  Very fleshy, like shaking a catcher's mitt.  I tell people that shaking Thelonious Monk's hand is my claim to fame!

What an awesome experience .... thnx for sharing ....

[BrianB]

39 minutes ago, GA Russell said:

SP, I was still new to jazz at the time.  The four seemed well-rehearsed.  Booker and Haynes are two of my favorites.  I felt that of the four, Rouse was the weak link.

I noticed that, contrary to Lester Young's advice, Monk silently tapped his right foot the whole time.

Afterward, I went up to Monk, shook his hand and told him how much I enjoyed it.  He gave me a big smile.

Monk's hand was huge.  Very fleshy, like shaking a catcher's mitt.  I tell people that shaking Thelonious Monk's hand is my claim to fame!

So awesome! 

[romualdo]

6 hours ago, GA Russell said:

SP, I was still new to jazz at the time.  The four seemed well-rehearsed.  Booker and Haynes are two of my favorites.  I felt that of the four, Rouse was the weak link.

I noticed that, contrary to Lester Young's advice, Monk silently tapped his right foot the whole time.

Afterward, I went up to Monk, shook his hand and told him how much I enjoyed it.  He gave me a big smile.

Monk's hand was huge.  Very fleshy, like shaking a catcher's mitt.  I tell people that shaking Thelonious Monk's hand is my claim to fame!

Wow!!!

I'll just have to settle for his autograph (Brisbane, Australia 1965 tour) - no, I didn't see him (was a bit young)

[medjuck]

10 hours ago, GA Russell said:

I saw Monk at the Village Vanguard the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 30), 1968.

Charlie Rouse was on tenor, Walter Booker on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

I have long wanted a Monk recording of near that time, just because.  I have procrastinated all these years, and now a recording made a mere five weeks earlier is being released!  I'm looking forward to hearing it.

Wow! For some reason the idea of Haynes with Monk just sounds great to me. Did they ever record together?  (I know I could probably research it but I'm old and tired right now.) 

[Д.Д.]

3 hours ago, medjuck said:

Wow! For some reason the idea of Haynes with Monk just sounds great to me. Did they ever record together?  (I know I could probably research it but I'm old and tired right now.) 

Yes, "Thelonious in Action" and "Misterioso". 

[medjuck]

31 minutes ago, Д.Д. said:

Yes, "Thelonious in Action" and "Misterioso". 

Thanks. 

[Niko]

17 hours ago, GA Russell said:

I saw Monk at the Village Vanguard the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 30), 1968.

Charlie Rouse was on tenor, Walter Booker on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.

I have long wanted a Monk recording of near that time, just because.  I have procrastinated all these years, and now a recording made a mere five weeks earlier is being released!  I'm looking forward to hearing it.

I just checked your story against Kelley's book becaue I was surprised to see an entirely different rhythm section... according to Kelley, the quartet with Gales and Riley played the Thanksgiving week at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco (having stayed in California since the time of the Palo Alto gig) and then returned to NY after Thanksgiving without Larry Gales who decided to stay in California. Back in NY, Walter Booker war hired and the group played at the Club Baron in Harlem... then Ben Riley left, was replaced first by Mickey Roker, then by Art Blakey for a weekend and finally by Roy Haynes... the group you saw debuted at the Village Vanguard in late January 1969 (and didn't stay together for long)

[EKE BBB]

9 hours ago, medjuck said:

Wow! For some reason the idea of Haynes with Monk just sounds great to me. Did they ever record together?  (I know I could probably research it but I'm old and tired right now.) 

6 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

Yes, "Thelonious in Action" and "Misterioso". 

Additionally, there is the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, where they played as a trio with Henry Grimes. Released on non-legit labels.

Also, the Five Spot recordings with Coltrane ("Live At The Five Spot - Discovery!" on Blue Note) from September 1958, with Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass.

And more live recordings from that Fall 1958 were issued as "Live In New York, Vol. 1" on Explore and Thelonious Records labels.

Finally, the CBS Radio broadcast (Quaker City Jazz Festival, Philadelphia, PA, August 27, 1960), with Rouse, Steve Lacy and John Ore.

 

[GA Russell]

4 hours ago, Niko said:

... the group you saw debuted at the Village Vanguard in late January 1969

Niko, you are welcome to inform Kelley that he is wrong!

To be more specific about Monk's hand, the part of the palm which extends from the pinky finger to the wrist (whatever it's called) was huge, very inflated.  Extremely soft, and to use the cliche, smooth as a baby's bottom.

[Niko]

 you're really sure it was Thanksgiving and not 8 weeks later?

[GA Russell]

12 minutes ago, Niko said:

 you're really sure it was Thanksgiving and not 8 weeks later?

Yes, I was visiting a friend's family for Thanksgiving.

Maybe you can answer a question for me.  That night at the Village Gate (as I recall) Elvin Jones' trio was playing.  The door was open, and they were very, very loud.  The tenor sax was blaring away.  We did not go in to check it out.  I assumed that the sax was Joe Farrell because he was on Elvin's most recent album.  Can you determine for me if it was in fact Joe Farrell?  If not, who?  Thanks!

By the way, at the Fillmore East that night was a new group called Led Zeppelin.  My friend preferred to see them, but only single seats scattered around were still available.

[Niko]

Led Zeppelin at the Fillmore East is helpful because that also points firmly to 31 January or 1 February of 1969

http://www.ledzeppelin-database.com/geekbaseweb/Datelistpage.aspx?Venueid=35&sort=0

unlike Monk and Led Zeppelin, Elvin Jones hasn't been that thoroughly researched I think... so while Joe Farrell is very plausible, I can't find any evidence quickly...

[GA Russell]

Well, it's well documented that I'm losing my mind, but I can't imagine misremembering Thanksgiving!