Thelonious Monk • Thelonious Alone In San Francisco

 

Review by Lindsay Planer
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.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/thelonious-alone-in-san-francisco-mw0000649655

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Reseña de Lindsay Planer
Con el robusto ambiente del Fugazi Hall de San Francisco a su disposición, Thelonious Monk grabó diez temas sin acompañamiento durante dos días para crear una esperada secuela de su inmensamente entrañable long-player Thelonious Himself. Como ya era habitual en Monk, trajo consigo una buena muestra de su voluminoso catálogo, versiones y algunas composiciones nuevas. Lo que más llama la atención de estas grabaciones es la riqueza y precisión del sonido de la sala Fugazi. Los matices son ricos y reflexivos en su capacidad de animar las recreaciones de Monk de algunas de sus obras más entrañables, como el par que abre este conjunto. "Blue Monk" sigue conservando la orgullosa zancada y la herencia del blues andante de anteriores interpretaciones. Añadiendo un poco de improvisación fuera de tiempo, Monk impulsa y enfatiza aún más el swing rítmico. Obviamente, también está disfrutando de lo que está escuchando. La madurez audible que guía a Monk a través de las progresiones de acordes familiares, aunque fuera de ritmo, de "Ruby, My Dear" es sorprendente. Sus ágiles reflejos y su sincronización en fracciones de segundo hacen que esta versión sea superior. Una vez más, el sonido de la sala ofrece aún más para disfrutar de esta interpretación. Es una pena que la soledad juguetona de "Round Lights" no se haya retomado. Esta composición de forma libre está enmarcada dentro de una estructura de blues, pero revela toda la libertad ligeramente desviada de un original de Monk. La recreación de un viejo éxito de los años 20, "There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie", es otro de los puntos álgidos de Thelonious Alone in San Francisco que nunca volvió a ser grabado por Monk. Las cualidades noir se ven enormemente realzadas por los fraseos oblicuos de Monk, así como por la inquietante resonancia de los Fugazi. Se trata de una grabación absolutamente imprescindible, sea o no un entusiasta de Monk.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/thelonious-alone-in-san-francisco-mw0000649655

Tracklist
1 - Blue Monk - 3:41
2 - Ruby, My Dear - 3:55
3 - Round Lights - 3:33
4 - Everything Happens To Me - 5:35
5 - You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart - 3:58
6 - Bluehawk - 3:37
7 - Pannonica - 3:48
8 - Remember - 2:36
9 - There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie - 4:17
10 - Reflections - 5:03


Credits:
    Piano – Thelonious Monk

Notes:
Came in smooth-sided jewel case. On at least some copies, there was a yellow wraparound sticker that has the catalog number and record label information.
Recorded in San Francisco; October 21 and 22, 1959.

Label: Riverside Records ‎– VDJ-1549
Series: Riverside Masterpiece Series
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bop, Hard Bop

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