Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Alone in San Francisco (1959/2011) [HDTracks FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz]

Among the other aspects of his genius, Thelonious Monk was a brilliant solo pianist, as he proved on two classic unaccompanied recitals for Riverside. This sequel to the acclaimed Thelonious Himself was recorded in 1959 and found Monk in a relaxed mood that led to some of his most thoughtful and moving playing. The program maintains a winning balance among Monk’s classic ballad creations, his blunt blues lines (with debut performances of “Bluehawk” and “Round Lights”), and a selection of pop tunes from his youth including the obscure “There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie”.

With the robust ambience of Fugazi Hall in San Francisco at his disposal, Thelonious Monk recorded ten unaccompanied tracks over two days to create a long-awaited sequel to his immensely endearing Thelonious Himself long-player. As had become somewhat customary for Monk, he brought with him a healthy sampling from his voluminous back catalog, cover tunes, as well as a few new compositions. What is most immediately striking about these recordings is the rich and accurate sound stage at Fugazi Hall. The overtones are rich and thoughtful in their ability to animate Monk’s recreations of some of his most endearing works, such as the pair that opens this set. “Blue Monk” still retains the proud stride and walking blues heritage of previous renderings. Adding a bit of off-tempo improvisation, Monk propels and emphasizes the rhythmic swing even harder. He is obviously also enjoying what he is hearing. The audible maturity guiding Monk through the familiar, albeit offbeat, chord progressions of “Ruby, My Dear” is striking. His nimble reflexes and split-second timing render this version superior. Again, the sound of the hall offers even more to enjoy from this performance. It is unfortunate that the playful solitude of “Round Lights” was never revisited. This freeform composition is framed within a blues structure, yet reveals all of the slightly askew freedom of a Monk original. The recreation of an old 1920s hit, “There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie,” is another of the highlights from Thelonious Alone in San Francisco that was never recorded again by Monk. The noir qualities are immeasurably enhanced by Monk’s oblique phrasings as well as the eerie resonance of the Fugazi. This is an absolute must-own recording — Monk enthusiast or not.

Tracklist:
01 – Blue Monk
02 – Ruby, My Dear
03 – Round Lights
04 – Everything Happens to Me
05 – You Took the Words Right Out of My Heart
06 – Bluehawk
07 – Pannonica
08 – Remember
09 – There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie (take 2)
10 – Reflections
11 – There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie (take 1)

Download:

mqs.link_ThelniusMnkThelniusAlneinSanFrancisc19592011HDTracks24882.rar

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