MONK THELONIUS/IN FRANCE

Descripción

IN 1961THELONIOUS MONK AND HIS QUARTET TOURED EUROPEPRODUCING A SERIES OF LIVE ALBUMS FOR VARIOUS LABELS. THE FIRST EUROPEAN CONCERTAS WELL AS RECORDINGS OF MONK IN PARISITALYBERNCOPENHAGENAND STOCKHOLM ALL DATE FROM THAT YEAR. THE PERFORMANCES DREW ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY FROM A BODY OF THE PIANISTS BEST-LOVED ORIGINAL MATERIALAND MONK IN FRANCE IS NO EXCEPTION. WHILE HIS PLAYING HERE IS LESS ENERGIZED THAN IT CAN BEMONKS SINGULAR PHILOSOPHY IS WELL INTACT. THE PIANISTS LINES ARE SPARSE AND FLUID. CHARACTERISTICALLYHE MAPS OUT ONLY THE NECESSARY NOTES IN HIS OFF-KILTER MELODIESBUILDING SOLOS FROM PERFECTLY BALANCED MELODIC/RHYTHMIC MOTIFS. THE EUROPEAN TOURING LINEUP IS COMPLETED BY DRUMMER FRANKIE DUNLOPBASSIST JOHN OREAND TENOR SAXOPHONIST CHARLIE ROUSE. ROUSE HAD JOINED MONK TWO YEARS EARLIERREPLACING JOHNNY GRIFFIN ON 1959S EVIDENCE. HE HAS A VIBRANT TONE AND FLUID RHYTHMIC SENSE BEST HEARD HERE ON I MEAN YOU. THE 1960S WOULD SEE MONK SIGNING TO COLUMBIA RECORDSWHERE HE WOULD RELEASE ANOTHER STRING OF EXCELLENT RECORDINGS LIKE MONKS DREAMCRISS CROSSAND SOLO MONK. MONK IN FRANCE REPRESENTS A PLEASANT BUT UNESSENTIAL SIDETRACK IN THE PIANISTS OUTPUT.