Thelonious Monk - Live at the It Club

[mke]

Is anyone else shocked that "Bright Mississippi" was not included on the original issue, while a dispensable "Blue Bolivar Blues" (Rouse sounds bored) and a messy "Gallop's Gallop" (Rouse sounds lost, but it's a tough and not-so-frequent (?) tune) were? It's pretty much the album's only party tune and wakes everybody up, so why wasn't it there originally?

Larry Gales: slipping lots of little things under the cover of old-fashioned four-to-the-bar soloing.

[John L]

Good point about Bright Mississippi. As for Gallop's Gallop, I think that it is pretty clear why it was released. While other live Monk sets tend to repeat 20 or so common tracks, this is the one of the few performances of that tune.

[shrugs]

is there a new complete set out with Bright M.?

if so, I'll keep my eyes on the newsgroups.....

[MRS]

There's an 8+ minute "Bright Mississippi" ("Sweet Georgia Brown", I always loved that pun, almost as good as "Reflections") on disc one of Live at The Jazz Workshop which is probably my favorite recorded take of that tune. Raucous.

[John L]

Originally Posted by shrugs

is there a new complete set out with Bright M.?

if so, I'll keep my eyes on the newsgroups.....

Columbia/Legacy issued a complete Live at the It Club 2-CD set in 1998. It is fabulous, one of the best Monk sets (IMO). Bright Mississippi is there.

[Felix]

I'd second John L's opinion on the It Club set, it's one of my favorite Monk albums, and one that I spin quite often.

[john williams]

Yep! The Columbia/Legacy reissue of Live at the It Club is one of the most enjoyable of all the Monk albums.

[MRS]

Still say this is the cream of the C/L reissues:

[mke]

Originally Posted by John L

As for Gallop's Gallop, I think that it is pretty clear why it was released. While other live Monk sets tend to repeat 20 or so common tracks, this is the one of the few performances of that tune.

True, and it's a nice composition. One of the more frequently-recorded or more conventional tracks could have been dropped.

I love the "'Round Midnight" arrangement: Monk's accompaniment and the rhythmic changes really guide Rouse through a lyrical solo and Monk's own solo is equally song-like, but in an unexpected manner.

[John L]

Originally Posted by MRS

Still say this is the cream of the C/L reissues:

This one ain't no slouch either

[Uli]

Originally Posted by John L

Columbia/Legacy issued a complete Live at the It Club 2-CD set in 1998. It is fabulous, one of the best Monk sets (IMO). Bright Mississippi is there.

I dj'd Bright Missisipi quite often. Most of the time people reacted to it.

[Tom Storer]

Originally Posted by mke

Larry Gales: slipping lots of little things under the cover of old-fashioned four-to-the-bar soloing.

Yes! Gales is fabulous on that album. I'm actually a big fan of the "walking bass solo". Ron Carter and Larry Grenadier come to mind as two bassists who often do that.

[Uli]

Originally Posted by Tom Storer

Yes! Gales is fabulous on that album.

cool you say that. was asked a couple of times "who is on bass' but ncould not say as I was playing it from a burnt copy.

[BlueMiles]

I'm sure many people have heard this in one form or another. I remember hearing it when it came out on record (!), thinking it was good, but not spectacular.

I'm sure many of you own the CD version with so much extra music: nearly 20 tunes, and each CD probably packed with 75" of music.

I had been thinking I needed to get more deeply into Monk's 60s music and the Rouse quartet. This gives me a good dose of that music!

It is sparkling stuff. The quality of the music and the pure pleasure it imparts is considerable. I would have liked a few more ballads, like "Pannonica" or "Ask Me Now." In fact, "Round Midnight" is it as far as ballads go, at least among the Monk compositions here (all but 3 tracks).

I have to say that it is rather predictable...the way the band approaches every tune. Rouse always solos first; about half-way through his solo, Monk drops out and Rouse plays with bass and drums only; Monk comes in for a solo; then he is almost routinely followed by bass and drums solos. You'd think they'd mix it up some. But then that approach seemed common in those days. Performances by the Miles Davis quintet were like that too: Miles first, George Coleman (or Shorter) next, Herbie next, etc.

[Clay Fink]

I'm with MRS: T think live at the JW is a little bit better than the "It Club" date. But it's really just quibbling. I feel like this group had refined their sound to perfection by this point. Maybe they are predictable in form, but I still hear a lot of surprises. I can't get bored with this stuff and I've been listening to them since they came out 25 years ago.

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by BlueMiles

I'm sure many people have heard this in one form or another. I remember hearing it when it came out on record (!), thinking it was good, but not spectacular.

I'm sure many of you own the CD version with so much extra music: nearly 20 tunes, and each CD probably packed with 75" of music.

I had been thinking I needed to get more deeply into Monk's 60s music and the Rouse quartet. This gives me a good dose of that music!

It is sparkling stuff. The quality of the music and the pure pleasure it imparts is considerable. I would have liked a few more ballads, like "Pannonica" or "Ask Me Now." In fact, "Round Midnight" is it as far as ballads go, at least among the Monk compositions here (all but 3 tracks).

I have to say that it is rather predictable...the way the band approaches every tune. Rouse always solos first; about half-way through his solo, Monk drops out and Rouse plays with bass and drums only; Monk comes in for a solo; then he is almost routinely followed by bass and drums solos. You'd think they'd mix it up some. But then that approach seemed common in those days. Performances by the Miles Davis quintet were like that too: Miles first, George Coleman (or Shorter) next, Herbie next, etc.

I got to agree - if it ain't broke, then for god's sake don't try to fix it! Does anyone else still listen to these marvellous records? I really love (and of course Miles was doing with this with the Shorter Quintet too) the sound of just horn + bass & drums. Must have been quite a sight to see Monk do his 'bear dance' but you can see why - it's a Great rhythm section, with that glorious old school jazz group that makes the feet tap.
Don't forget jazz's roots as a dance music! Too many artists these days have!

[Tom Storer]

Originally Posted by baksheesh

Don't forget jazz's roots as a dance music! Too many artists these days have!

I agree with you. But I think dance music itself changes, so different generations have different rhythmic feels. I think the glorious swing that was so evident in jazz soloing in the 40's and 50's has gone the way of the dinosaur. Lots of modern players don't sound "swinging" to me because of that, and I regret it, but that's my problem, not theirs. They have different rhythms in their heads and hips than their grandparents did. Roots are essential, but a leaf is not a root. If you see what I mean.

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by Tom Storer

I agree with you. But I think dance music itself changes, so different generations have different rhythmic feels. I think the glorious swing that was so evident in jazz soloing in the 40's and 50's has gone the way of the dinosaur. Lots of modern players don't sound "swinging" to me because of that, and I regret it, but that's my problem, not theirs. They have different rhythms in their heads and hips than their grandparents did. Roots are essential, but a leaf is not a root. If you see what I mean.

Good point m'man! And of course, one thinks of classical music - people used to get their dance jollies dancing to literal 'dance' music, i.e. the Bouree, the Polonaise, the Mazurka etc. Poor bastids back then knew nothin' 'bout the liberating power of the rhythm. And then one thinks of the HUGE kerfuffle that was made about (now quite innocuous to our modern ears) 'jungle music' of swing etc. Gary Giddins book has a collection of great contemporary quotes revealing the attitudes prevalent at the time, including one from Stravinsky, who wrote a couple of 'jazz' things himself.
Here's a couple of the more chuckleacious;
John Philip Sousa - "some of it makes you want to bite your grandmother"
Igancy Paderewski - "a terrible revenge by the culture of the Negroes on that of the whites" (this is one that Gary used)

You gotsta feel sorry for those guys really.

[GuitarCrazyo]

Thank you for all your great comments, you have all been very helpful.
The only comment which I am surprised to get is that the text is too small? You probably have a much higher screen resolution than I do.

Anyway I will go through each comment and implement the suggested changes.

Thank you,
Vigfus Thor

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by GuitarCrazyo

Thank you for all your great comments, you have all been very helpful.
The only comment which I am surprised to get is that the text is too small? You probably have a much higher screen resolution than I do.

Anyway I will go through each comment and implement the suggested changes.

Thank you,
Vigfus Thor

WTF?!!