Thelonious monk john coltrane at carnegie hall
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This is followed by a jaunty version of Nutty, which features some fine percussion and great fluency from Coltrane.Įpistrophy is complex with some fine cymbal work. ‘Crepuscule’ sounds like some type of seafood but it actually means ‘twilight’ and it was suggested that Monk should consider using the French word by his friend the Baroness. Monk laboured long and hard to produce music which captured his feelings and sought perfection in a piece that he usually played without improvisation or embellishment (on this version there is a brief reference to the ’52nd Street Theme’ just after Coltrane starts to play). John Coltrane also approaches this beautiful ballad, that he made great efforts to learn and interpret, with great sensitivity, while Shadow Wilson’s drumming is sparse and complements the two soloists.Įvidence is angular and almost jagged with Monk giving Coltrane the space to develop a solo that contains fast phrases reminiscent of his work on the recently recorded Blue Train.Ĭrepuscule With Nellie had been written in the early summer of 1957 at a time when Monk’s beloved wife was facing a major thyroid operation. Monk’s Mood features a pianist taking great delight in the tone of an excellent piano and the fine acoustics of the hall (although he also had access to two baby grand Steinway pianos: his own rented instrument and one owned by his friend Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter).
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The night at Carnegie Hall gave Monk the opportunity to perform in public on one of renowned venue’s concert grands. The original piano was inadequate and in very poor repair but with an eye to the crowds lining up outside every night the club owner rapidly agreed to allow Monk to source a Baldwin baby grand. In July, he obtained a residency at The Five Spot, a small bar on the edge of The Bowery and on Tuesday July 16, he was joined by John Coltrane. He had regained his Cabaret Card in May 1957 and was once again able to play in New York clubs that served alcohol. Brilliant Corners had been released and earlier work on Blue Note and Riverside was re-released on the new 12″ long playing LPs. He’d wake up and roll over to the piano and start playing… He would stop and show me some parts that were pretty difficult, and if I had a lot of trouble, well, he’d get his portfolio out and show me the music…sometimes, we’d get through just one tune a day.
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“I’d go by his apartment and get him out of bed (laughs). The superb and informative booklet which accompanies the CD release records Coltrane as saying:. He had kicked heroin after being fired by Miles Davis in April 1957 and spent a great deal of time at Monk’s apartment, learning from the older master-musician. This was the year in which Coltrane’s talents flowered. In the four months before the concert, John Coltrane had been playing as part of Monk’s quartet at the Five Spot. Two dollars, or $3.95 for the best seats and you were in. The rest of the bill was stellar and included Billie Holliday, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Zoot Simms and Sonny Rollins.
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The prospect of making a contribution to this local social action centre appealed to him because as a young person he had spent most of his free time at a youth centre across the road from his family home in Midtown New York. So here we go.Īt the end of November 1957, Monk was invited to play in two performances of a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall to raise funds for the Morningside Community Center in Harlem. Thirdly, I wanted to write about the Carnegie Hall Concert, with its tale of the re-discovery of a lost treasure of incalculable value. Secondly, I came to realise the significance of a short period during an amazing year for two of the all time greats (if not the greatest). I did think about writing about it over two or three posts but, somehow that didn’t seem satisfactory. The Colombia double CD runs to over 150 minutes and contains 19 separate compositions. Firstly, although it is an excellent recording featuring a great performance by Monk, a review of The It Club set is a daunting prospect. This started out as a review of Thelonious Monk Live At The It Club (in Los Angeles 1964) but ended up as a look at the Carnegie Hall Concert (November 1957), via a visit to The Five Spot in New York City (August 1958).