Editorial Review:

Album Description:
Australian pressing. This never-before heard jazz classic documents one of the most historically important working bands in all of Jazz history, a band that was both short-lived and, until now, thought to be frustratingly under-recorded. The concert, which took place at the famed New York hall on November 29, 1957, was preserved on newly-discovered tapes made by Voice of America for a later radio broadcast that were located at the Library of Congress in Washington DC earlier this year. Blue Note. 2005.

Amazon.com:
Every year sees a crop of newly found jazz gems, but rarely are listeners treated to anything as special as this 1957 concert recording of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, which was accidentally discovered in an unmarked box by a Library of Congress engineer early in 2005. Until now, fans could only dream of hearing these two immortals play together beyond the three studio tracks they left behind. But here they are, hitting their stride at an all-star benefit concert, basking in the chemistry they had developed in Monk's quartet during the preceding weeks at New York's Five Spot. Coltrane's playing is a revelation. He's both an inspired accompanist and a galvanizing soloist, taking the music to new heights with his bold, brilliantly challenging, and sometimes jaw-dropping phrases, note clusters, and blasts of power. Sharing with Coltrane a newfound sense of freedom following the personal and professional troubles that had plagued them both, Monk is clearly tickled to be in the tenorist's presence, injecting humorous commentaries and otherwise asserting his eccentric genius as a pianist. The material, which was very well recorded by the Voice of America, includes Monk classics like 'Epistrophy,' 'Monk's Moods,' and 'Evidence,' as well as a striking rendition of the standard 'Sweet and Lovely.' This is music that not only bears repeated listenings, but also demands them--the ultimate definition of a classic. --Lloyd Sachs









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Disc 1:

1. Monk's Mood
2. Evidence
3. Crepuscule with Nellie
4. Nutty
5. Epistrophy
6. Bye-Ya
7. Sweet and Lovely
8. Blue Monk
9. Epistrophy

Rating: - dropouts-remixing or mastering trouble?
I ordered this CD a week or so ago,
but did not have the time to listen
to it until last night.
I had really looked forward to this historic recording,
as I have heard some of the 'tracks' before.
A great live musical perfomance by renown and legendary
musical genius.
But every track- except one- has a 'dropoff' or 'cutout' of the audio
at the very end. I do not know whether to attribute this to
the actual copy I received, or a sloppy remixing or remastering
process. Even though this is a litho-screened 'factory' CD,
supposedly released by a 'major' label, it has the audio quality
of a bootleg MP3. If you have ordered this CD from the same or even a different vendor, and have experienced the same issues, please leave a comment.... I would rate half or no star if I could.

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Rating: - There are no words to describe this find!!!
I ABSOLUTELY could not believe that this recording actually existed. ANYONE who is a JAZZ fan recognizes the historical, musical and lyrical significance of this recording. I AUTOMATICALLY assumed that there would be something wrong with it when I received it because it was TOO GOOD to be true, but it was PERFECT in ALL respects. COLTRANE was READY!!! I mean, HE WAS READY!!! I have some recordings where he was slightly stumbling behind MONK, however, even his stumbling sounded beautiful. On this recording, he plays marvelously, and so does MONK. There is so much beauty on this CD, that it has been the ONLY CD in my CD player since I purchased it, is an UNDERSTATEMENT. I still have not tired from listening to it over and over again. As a matter-of-fact, I just 2-weeks ago purchased another copy. I could have burned me another copy, but I wanted to have the liner notes also, just in case something happened to my original copy. If YOU love MONK and if YOU love COLTRANE, YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED AT ALL!!!!

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Rating: - Glad they found it
Recorded on 11/29/57, featuring Thelonious Monk - piano and compositions, John Coltrane - tenor, Ahmed Abdul-Malik - bass, and Shadow Wilson - trap drums.

The hype surrounding the release of this music had some people seemingly calling it the greatest thing ever even before it had been released. It is great, I don't take anything away from it, but I don't consider it to be so much higher than Monk's Music or Complete Prestige Recordings that it knocks all that stuff down a few notches or makes them nearly irrelevant in comparison, like some people might have you believe.

Shortly after it was released I saw a contestant on Jeopardy say this was his favorite music of all time. That's taking it a bit far, I do believe. I think that the fact that this was lost and then discovered has added greatly to the way many people view it. Had this been released in 1958 or 1959 I think it'd be viewed as another set of great performances by 2 of the all-timers (which it is), rather than The Holy Grail.

The recording quality is top notch. You'll scarcely believe this is 51 years old as I sit here reviewing it. Wasn't it Miles Davis who said he hated Monk's approach to comping? I feel like I remember that from Miles: The Autobiography. This is one of those discs that proves that Miles was a bit whacked at times. For me, Monk's approach to comping is a huge part of why I love him. No matter who else is in the band, everyone sounds better when Monk is playing. That is soundly the case again here. Rhythmically, every band he was in was better and more potent when he was sculpting sound in his own way with them. The reverse is also true. Every band was a little less interesting when he stopped playing. Lots of bands can swing. Only one person made a band swing the way Monk made a band swing. Some of the stuff he does here behind/underneath Coltrane's solos is worth the price of admission alone. Monk's playing on the first Epistrophy (it's one of my all-time favorites) here probably scared people at the time, and Coltrane's entrance into the 2nd Epistrophy was as weird as tenor playing got back then.

Are you going to like or love this? Oh I bet so!

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Rating: - History In The Making
It's hard for me to find a flaw with this CD; You can almost picture the crowd, the small bursts of applause after Coltrane or Monk wind up an amazingly energized instrumental break; Not only is the sound quality here top notch, it still maintains the feel of a small club; The recording is crisp and clear, and only helps you to enjoy the tracks even more. A great CD for those just getting into jazz, too. Beautiful, inspired music played by some of the best. I am so happy this recording was made available, and someone actually took the time to make it what it is. Brilliant.

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Rating: - You Should Really Buy This
This recently discovered gem of an album documents the beautiful interplay of the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane. These two together sounded so great, so fresh. Not only is this a historic recording, it's a brilliant live performance between two jazz innovators. Anyone with ears can hear how amazing this record is and how truly inspired the musicians were.

Recorded in 1957, this recording has been sitting in the vaults at the Library Of Congress ever since. Why did it take them this long to put out?

The band is just smoking! Monk on piano, Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Shadow Wilson on drums, and Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass. This is probably one of Monk's best quartets right next to his famous 60s quartet with Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley.

If you're a Monk or Coltrane fan, don't pass this one up. Buy this right now!