Monk (1956 album)


Monk is a 1956 compilation album by jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, featuring material recorded from 1953 to 1954 for the Prestige label and performed by Monk with two quintets, one featuring Julius Watkins, Sonny Rollins, Percy Heath, and Willie Jones and one featuring Ray Copeland, Frank Foster, Curly Russell, and Art Blakey. It was originally titled both Thelonious Monk and Thelonious Monk Quintets . Over the following decade, it was also re-released as Wee See and The Golden Monk The most common cover art, is 1958 revision, designed by Andy Warhol.

Background

Most of the recordings on this album first appeared on two 10" LPs: Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP and Thelonious Monk Quintet , both released in 1954.
Chris Sheridan, in his book Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk, dates the first 12-inch vinyl release of the album—Thelonious Monk —to 1956. Its release was preceded in the Prestige 12-inch catalog of Monk's work by Thelonious Monk Trio, and followed by Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins.

Reception

's Scott Yanow states "Every Thelonious Monk recording is well worth getting although this one is not quite essential".

Track listing

Side 1

  2. "We See" - 5:16
  4. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" - 4:34
  6. "Locomotive" - 6:23
  8. "Hackensack" - 5:13

    Side 2

  10. "Let's Call This" - 5:08
  12. "Think of One" - 5:47
  14. "Think of One" - 5:37
;Notes