The Thelonious Monk Quartet ‎– The complete 1966 Geneva concert

• 2-CD SET (LIMITED EDITION)

• INCLUDES 2 BONUS TRACKS

• 12-PAGE BOOKLET

This release presents a complete long unavailable performance by the Thelonious Monk Quartet taped in Switzerland in 1966. This music had only previously appeared on a now hard to find set over twenty years ago. While Monk wasn’t always “on” during his concerts from this period, he is at his most inspired heights here. That was also the opinion of famed Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar, who was present at this Victoria Hall performance, which he wrote about in one of his books (we have included his commentary in our booklet).

As a bonus to this amazing live set, two never before released items captured at the Blue Note club in Philadelphia in 1956 have been added. Only two tunes survive (and one of them is sadly incomplete), but they offer us the only existing glimpse of a short-lived version of the quartet with Ernie Henry on alto sax, Paul Chambers on bass, and Willie Jones on drums.

PERSONNEL:

• Thelonious Monk – (piano)
• Charlie Rouse – (tenor sax)
• Larry Gales – (bass)
• Ben Riley – (drums)

Live at Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland, March 27, 1966.

• (*) BONUS TRACKS (Previously Unissued):
• Thelonious Monk (p); Ernie Henry (as), Paul Chambers (b); Willie Jones (d)
• Live At The Blue Note, Philadelphia, Nov. 17, 1956.

TRACKS:

• CD ONE: (46:56min)
• 01 Lulu’s Back In Town
• 02 Light Blue
• 03 Blue Monk
• 04 Off Minor
• 05 Epistrophy #1

• CD TWO: 62:30 (min)
• 01 Straight, No Chaser
• 02 I’m Getting Sentimental Over You
• 03 ‘Round Midnight
• 04 Evidence
• 05 Crepuscule With Nellie
• 06 Epistrophy #2
• 07 Rhythm-A-Ning [Incomplete] (*)
• 08 Bemsha Swing Into Epistrophy (*)