Product Description:
Personnel: Thelonius Monk (piano); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Frank Foster (tenor saxophone); Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Ray Copeland (trumpet); Wilbur Ware, Oscar Pettiford, Curley Russell (bass); Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Shadow Wilson (drums).
Producers: Orrin Keepnews, Bill Grauer, Bob Weinstock.
Digitally remastered by Kirk Felton at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California.
This is part of Prestige's The Art Of The Ballad series.
Monk's classic '50s recordings for the Riverside label are the source for the selections on this theme compilation. Monk is commonly known as the mad genius of jazz, concocting unusual harmonies and knotty, angular melodies played over skewed rhythms. This superficial assessment leaves out a very important aspect of the pianist/composer's artistry. From his earliest days, Monk always had a special way with a ballad, and that's the point the tracks on this collection prove so pointedly. From the steady, sure-footed pools of melody Monk conjures on a 1957 "Ruby, My Dear" to the almost classically-tinged approach he brings to bear in his poignant 1956 take on the standard "I Surrender, Dear" it's clear that Monk's vaunted idiosyncracies and unique creative flourish are as present here as on any of his recordings.
