Pianist/composer Thelonious Monk: "Monk's Music".

CiTR -- The Jazz Show

Tonight's Jazz Feature is an important album by pianist/composer Thelonious Monk called "Monk's Music". It is a series of older Monk compositions with one new piece played by a larger group than Monk usually recorded with at that time. It was done in one evening on June 26,1957. Monk selected the band and it included Ray Copeland on trumpet, Gigi Gryce on alto saxophone, John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophones, Wilbur Ware on bass and Art Blakey on drums and of course Monk on piano. As an extra feature I'll play the results of the evening before which seemed lost as Monk was exhausted and had to go home. The evening was salvaged by the band agreeing to record a long 12 bar blues written by Gigi Gryce that was called "Blues for Tomorrow". The Monk album was fully completed the next night and is considered one of Monk's finest recording dates. "Monk's Music" is the Jazz Feature tonight....don't miss it!