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Thelonious Monk was one of the most innovative and influential of the pioneering bebop pianists and composers with a uniquely distinctive and idiosyncratic style characterised by an angular, percussive and occasionally dissonant approach. He came to the fore in the 1940s, so when the era of the vinyl long-playing album dawned in the 1950s, he was ideally placed to take advantage of it. 

This 38-track 2-CD collection comprises the titles from his first 10” LPs on Blue Note and Prestige. The first two on Blue Note, “, “Genius Of Modern Music Vols. 1 & 2”, combine titles from sessions in the late ‘40s which were released as singles with some from 1951 sessions. The Prestige titles from the albums “Thelonious”, “Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP”, “Thelonious Monk Quintet” and “Thelonious Monk Plays”, were conceived as album projects, featuring extended performances, for which dedicate sessions were done from 1952 through to 1954. We also include bonus titles from a solo session in Paris in 1954. It features performances in the various Trio, Quartet, Quintet and Sextet line-ups with noted musicians of the day, including Gene Ramey, Milt Jackson, Sonny Rollins, Gary Mapp, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Percy Heath, Al McKibbon, Ray Copeland, Frank Foster, Curley Russell and more. 

It’s a set which captures one of the true greats of the genre at a key period of his career.

Tracks

CD 1
1. 'ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT Thelonious Monk Quintet 
2. OFF MINOR Thelonious Monk Trio 
3. RUBY MY DEAR Thelonious Monk Trio 
4. I MEAN YOU Thelonious Monk Quartet 
5. THELONIOUS Thelonious Monk Sextet  
6. EPISTROPHY Thelonious Monk Quartet 
7. WELL YOU NEEDN'T Thelonious Monk Trio 
8. MISTERIOSO Thelonious Monk Quartet 
From the album “Genius Of Modern Music Vol 1” (Blue Note BLP5002) 1951
9. FOUR IN ONE Thelonious Monk Quintet 
10. WHO KNOWS Thelonious Monk Quintet 
11. NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT Thelonious Monk Trio 
12. IN WALKED BUD Thelonious Monk Quintet 
13. HUMPH Thelonious Monk Sextet  
14. STRAIGHT NO CHASER Thelonious Monk Quintet 
15. SUBURBAN EYES Thelonious Monk Sextet  
16. ASK ME NOW Thelonious Monk Quintet 
From the album “Genius Of Modern Music Vol 2” (Blue Note BLP5009) 1951
17. LITTLE ROOTIE TOOTIE Thelonious Monk Trio 
18. SWEET AND LOVELY Thelonious Monk Trio 
19. BYE-YA Thelonious Monk Trio 
20. MONK'S DREAM Thelonious Monk Trio 
21. TRINKLE TINKLE Thelonious Monk Trio 
22. THESE FOOLISH THINGS Thelonious Monk Trio 
23. BEMSHA SWING Thelonious Monk Trio 
24. REFLECTIONS Thelonious Monk Trio
From the album “Thelonious” (Prestige PRLP142)   1953

CD 2
1. FRIDAY THE 13TH Thelonious Monk Quintet 
2. LET'S CALL THIS Thelonious Monk Quintet 
3. THINK OF ONE Thelonious Monk Quintet 
From the album “Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP” (Prestige PRLP166)   1954
4. WE SEE Thelonious Monk Quintet 
5. SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES Thelonious Monk Quintet 
6. LOCOMOTIVE Thelonious Monk Quintet 
7. HACKENSACK Thelonious Monk Quintet 
From the album “Thelonious Monk Quintet” (Prestige PRLP180)   1954
8. WORK Thelonious Monk Trio 
9. NUTTY Thelonious Monk Trio 
10. BLUE MONK Thelonious Monk Trio 
11. JUST A GIGOLO Thelonious Monk Trio 
From the album “Thelonious Monk Plays” (Prestige PRLP189)   1954
12. SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES Thelonious Monk 
13. ERONEL Thelonious Monk 
14. OFF MINOR Thelonious Monk
From the album “Piano Solos” (Disques Vogue M33342)   1954