180 gram vinyl LP in Gatefold packaging
THE COMPLETE LP + 2 BONUS TRACKS
Just after John Coltrane left him and before the arrival of Charlie Rouse, Thelonious Monk formed a quartet with Johnny Griffi n, which played at the Five Spot Café, in New York, during 1958. The group was recorded there and the resulting music was issued on two albums: In Action and the present Misterioso. Monk hadn’t been working a lot prior to these performances. There was by that time a law that prohibited a musician convicted for drugs in New York to work in any of the city’s clubs for a specifi c duration of time due to the loss of his “cabaret card”. Monk, like Charlie Parker and many others, had been a victim of the system, and thus he was unable to play New York clubs for a time (although he could play theatres such as Carnegie Hall and other places that didn’t sell alcohol). These were Monk’s fi rst issued live recordings (that is, taped live, but recorded with professional equipment). However, many other previous live recordings made under non-professional conditions have surfaced since.
PERSONNEL:
THELONIOUS MONK, piano
JOHNNY GRIFFIN, tenor sax
AHMED-ABDUL MALIK, bass
ROY HAYNES, drums
Live at the Five Spot, New York, August 7, 1958.
*Bonus tracks: From the same performance, but not included on the original LP.
Note: “Just a Gigolo” is an unaccompanied piano performance.
Original recordings produced by ORRIN KEEPNEWS.
Side A:
1 NUTTY
2 BLUES FIVE SPOT
3 LET’S COOL ONE
4 LIGHT BLUE*
Side B:
1 IN WALKED BUD
2 JUST A GIGOLO
3 MISTERIOSO
4 COMING ON THE HUDSON*
Label: Jazz Images