Monk In Paris: Live At The Olympia

They Say...

Review by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Joel Dorn's Hyena Records has been busy with partnerships. This one centers on the estate of Thelonious Monk. The label Thelonious Records was formed by Monk's son T.S. Monk and Peter Grain to open its vaults for the first time and issue unreleased live recordings that were both officially sanctioned and bootlegged. If this set, the second of a two- night engagement at Paris' famed Olympia Theater in 1965, is any indication of the quality and inspiration of these performances, Monk fans definitely have something to look forward to besides reissues. On this double-disc set -- the concert on one CD and a DVD of Monk and his quartet performing in Oslo in 1966 (in fine black and white) -- the band is Charlie Rouse, Ben Riley, and Larry Gales and from the jump on "Rhythm-A-Ning," they hit the gate blowing. Monk kicks it off, but it is Rouse who shines here, burning through the blues. Before fine solos by Gales and Riley round out the piece, the ensemble reenters to close it out. Monk has a pair of solo performances here, a gorgeous "Body & Soul" and "April in Paris," before the definitive work on the set, -- and its hinge separating the two parts of the concert -- "Well You Needn't" reveals the complete and nearly telepathic strength of the quartet. This piece, a complete blowout of intricate improvisation and rhythmic shifts and feints, is one of the greatest live recorded performances of this band ever. The show closes with "Bright Mississippi" and a moving reading of "Epistrophy," leaving listeners left in a kind of awe at the joyous, brilliant, and bright offering this band laid before a European audience nearly 40 years ago. If this recording is any evidence, the Monk catalog is about to expand with some real gems.