In the Thelonious Monk universe, I’ve noticed over the years a general perception among aficionados that the artist’s work diminished significantly later in his career. Personally, I have not found that to be accurate, as evidenced by the excellent 1968 Palo Alto concert that Impulse! Records issued several years ago. That notion comes to mind again while listening to an outstanding 1967 live concert recorded in Paris.
Monk Live in Paris 1967 (Volume One) marks the first in a series of official releases selected by Thelonious Sphere Monk III. This new release was sourced from digital remasters created in 2002 by the late, great audio engineer and producer Rudy Van Gelder, working from a pristine archival tape reel discovered in France. The recordings were restored at the time for the Monk Estate’s then-label, Thelonious Records, but unfortunately remained unreleased for more than 20 years.
These revelatory performances are finally being issued to the public on the Estate’s own terms. Portions of the recordings have circulated as bootlegs over the years.
For this performance, Monk’s classic mid-1960s quintet was expanded to a full nonet, adding several significant players, as documented in the album’s official press materials: “… it showcases Monk’s longstanding quartet featuring tenor man Charlie Rouse and the bass/drums tandem of Larry Gales and Ben Riley, who are joined by five very special guest horn men. Alto saxophonist Phil Woods, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, Ray Copeland and tenor titan Johnny Griffin (Rouse’s predecessor in the quartet) perform in various permutations – with the full nonet, including trumpet legend Clark Terry…”
The 180-gram audiophile vinyl features disc mastering and lacquer cutting by Warren Defever of Third Man Mastering, with United Record Pressing handling the plating and pressing. The recording is also available as a digital download. You can order the vinyl now for about $30 from Amazon.
Pressed on translucent blue vinyl, the record is well centered and, happily, quite quiet. The album also includes a bonus insert with additional liner notes.
The band is swinging on Monk Live in Paris 1967 (Volume One) and, as far as I can tell, Monk seems to be having a great time taking the music into some interesting spaces. One of the standouts for me is trumpeter Ray Copeland, who launches into some joyful, soaring solo flights.
As an added bonus, the Monk Estate has partnered with luxury hatmaker Optimo to recreate a limited run of 88 hats, one for each key on a piano keyboard, like the one Thelonious Monk wore back in the day. Each hat comes with the first pressing of the recording, produced in a special edition color and signed by Thelonious Sphere Monk III and Optimo founder Graham Thompson. The hat is titled, simply, The Monk.
Part two of the concert is expected to be issued later this year, so as soon as we get our hands on it, I’ll be sure to follow up with a review. Can’t wait!
Our Ratings:
★★★★★★★★★★ Music
★★★★★★★★★★ Sound Quality
★★★★★★★★★★ Packaging
Where to buy:
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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