Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream (1962)

Front Cover	Album Info
	Artist/Composer Thelonious Monk Title Monk's Dream Length 73:39 Discs: 1 Tracks: 12 Format HQ 192+ kbps Packaging Jewel Case Label Columbia/Legacy Cat. Number CK 63536 Style Bop; Hard Bop Rating Recorded 1962

Musicians	Credits
Thelonious Monk piano Charlie Rouse sax tenor John Ore bass Frankie Dunlop drums	Producer Teo Macero Producer Orrin Keepnews Engineer Tim Geelan

Track list

01 Monk's Dream (Take 8) 06:30 02 Body and Soul (Re-take 2) 04:32 03 Bright Mississippi (Take 1) 08:40 04 Blues Five Spot 03:18 05 Blue Bolivar Blues (Take 2) 07:35 06 Just a Gigolo 02:31 07 Bye-ya 05:26 08 Sweet and Lovely 07:58 09 Monk's Dream (Take 3) 05:18 10 Body and Soul (Take 1) 05:14 11 Bright Mississippi (Take 3) 10:25 12 Blue Bolivar Blues (Take 1) 06:12

Notes

AMG Review by Lindsay Planer (5): Monk's Dream is the Columbia Records debut release featuring the Thelonious Monk Quartet: Monk (piano), Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), John Ore (bass), and Frankie Dunlop (drums). Jazz scholars and enthusiasts alike also heralded this combo as the best Monk had been involved with for several years. Although he would perform and record supported by various other musicians, the tight — almost telepathic — dimensions that these four shared has rarely been equalled in any genre. By the early '60s, bop had become considered passé by artists as well as fans looking for the next musical trend. This is coupled with the fact that discerning Monk fans would have undoubtedly recognized many of these titles from several live recordings issued at the end of his tenure on Riverside. Not to belabor the point, however, but precious few musicians understood the layer upon layer of complexities and challenges that Monk's music created. On tracks such as "Five Spot Blues" and "Bolivar Blues," Rouse and Dunlop demonstrate their uncanny abilities by squeezing in well-placed instrumental fills, while never getting hit by the unpredictable rhythmic frisbees being tossed about by Monk. Augmenting the six quartet recordings are two solo sides: "Just a Gigolo" and "Body and Soul." Most notable about Monk's solo work is how much he retained the same extreme level of intuition throughout the nearly two decades that separate these recordings from his initial renderings on Prestige in the late '40s. Monk's Dream is recommended, with something for every degree of Monk enthusiast.