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Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

mdutch

New Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
47
:thumbs: When I posted my "introduction" earlier this January, I mentioned my interest in Jazz. Several others commented, and we began an impromptu discussion about an album I regard as one of the most important jazz sides of the past ten years: Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. For those of you interested in jazz who have heard this album, I hope you get a chance to post your comments on this thread. If you want to add it to your collection, click the album title above for a quick Amazon link (though you can buy it just about any jazz outlet).

(from National Public Radio archives)
One day in late January, 2004, Larry Applebaum, jazz specialist and the Library of Congress Recording Lab Supervisor was thumbing through some old Voice of America audiotapes about to be digitized at the Library of Congress when he made a discovery that would stun him and many other jazz fans.

Eight 10-inch reels of acetate tape were labeled "Carnegie Hall Jazz 1957." One of the tape boxes had a handwritten note on the back that said "T. Monk" with some song titles. . . . Applebaum got excited at the prospect of finding unpublished materials by the jazz master Thelonious Monk. Then he heard another distinctive sound. "I recognized the tenor saxophone of John Coltrane and my heart started to race," Appelbaum says.

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Other tidbits of info by mdutch...

Even though these two giants of jazz worked in the same town (NY) and had even been playing together nightly for the past four months, there existed almost no recordings of their performances. So the discovery of these two greats playing together is not only historically significant, but the musical result is magnificent.

The Voice of America is a U.S. Government-owned radio network of channels that broadcast news, information, and entertainment across the globe. By charter, they are PROHIBITED from broadcasting to the United States. Since Jazz is considered America's "original art form", and is loved around the world, the broadcast of live concerts by American Jazz greats was a regular part of their programming. Since the recording was funded with public money, it was squirreled away like Spielberg's Ark of the Covenant, and lay dormant for over 45 years. After a year of negotiations and restoration, the album was released on the Blue Note label: # ASIN: B000AV2GCE

Hope you like it. Let's hear what you think.

DISCLAIMER: Both Thelonious Monk and Jon Coltrane are artists whose jazz styles are an acquired taste, much like Single Malt Scotch, Double Ligeros, and oral sex. (...though not necessarily in that order, or all at once.) :love:
 
I love both Monk and Coltrane for different reasons and this addition to their collection is a wonderful thing. I have not heard it yet but will buy it shortly to listen. On a side note, Coltrane's contribution to Jazz is quite remarkable when one realizes how young he was when he died, like the Bird. I find it impossible to understand how he mastered and pushed the frontier of Jazz and the Tenor the way he did. The man was a genius, much like Monk. Monk, may not have had the theory of Contrane but he had something else that is equally hard to master and describe. These are my two cents on these great men of music. I will let you know how the recordings are as soon as I get a listen to them. Thanks for the info and the site. :thumbs:
 
My wife got me this for Christmas. It is excellent!! :thumbs:
 
As a newcomer to Jazz (thanks entirely to the handle of another CPer, MilesMingusMonk) I've just begun to scratch the surface of the music of these two greats. I'll be sure to check this out, though. Thanks for the info. :thumbs:

Edit to add: I sent the Amazon.com link to the Mrs. with a note that it would be a great birthday present. Let's see if she follows up!
 
My wife got me this for Christmas. It is excellent!! :thumbs:

How are the album notes that come with it?


I haven't taken the time to read them fully, but it is 13 pages of info! I DID notice the copy of the lineup for that night at Carnegie Hall:

Billie Holliday
Dizzy Gillespie
Ray Charles
Chet Baker
Monk/Coltrane
Sonny Rollins

All of those great artists for as low as $2.00 a seat!!! :cool:
 
Thank you for bringing this recording to my attention. I've been a fan of jazz for many years, but unlike some of my other friends, have never really pursued the history or theory of jazz. I've only had time to listen, enjoy, and see a few live shows.

Wilkey
 
Always been a big Monk fan and I love this recording. For various reasons, my favorite Monk lp's have always been:

Monk/Clark Terry - In Orbit

Thelonious in Action - Recorded at the Five Spot

Monk - Mysterioso

Monk/Sonny Rollins - s/t

Those are absolutely phenomenal.

Always liked Coltrane, but have forever been more partial to Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie Davis, Lester Young and Art Pepper.
 
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