Thelonious Monk Live at the Village Gate 1963

Rec. at The Village Gate, N.Y. City. Probably summer, 1962 (or Nov. 12, 1963)
Although Xanadu suggests Nov. 12, 1963 for this concert, most experts think that the summer of 1962 is more probable.

Thelonious Monk - piano Charlie Rouse - tenor sax John Ore - bass Frankie Dunlop - drums

1. Rhythm-A-Ning
2. Body and Soul
3. Evidence
4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
5. Body and Soul (Second Version)
6. Jackie-Ing

MP3
FLAC pt 1 - pt 2

We now have many recordings of this quartet from this period in much better sound. So some might consider this one to be a relatively minor entry in Monk's discography. But they would be wrong. While probably no Monk concert could be categorized as "ordinary," this one is rather extraordinary. From the lead-off track, Rhythm-A-Ning, Monk leaves little doubt that this is not going to be business as usual. While Monk was often content to play Rhythm-A-Ning in the 60s with only minor variations in his solos, this version is highly unusual, not like any other recording of the song. The highlight of the concert for me comes on "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Monk's solo here is just a beauty of spontaneous construction. Of the 23 versions that I count in my collection of Monk playing I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, this one is my favorite.

Thanks to Kubla's Crib