Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
Encyclopedia
At Carnegie Hall is a much acclaimed live album
by The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane
.
It was recorded on 29 November 1957 at "Thanksgiving Jazz", a benefit concert produced by Kenneth Lee Karpe for the Morningside Community Center in Harlem
. Other acts playing included: Billie Holiday
, Dizzy Gillespie
, Ray Charles
, Sonny Rollins
, and Chet Baker
with Zoot Sims
. The recording, by Voice of America
, documents two sets by the Monk Quartet with Coltrane that night – an early set (tracks 1-5) and a more relaxed late set (tracks 6-9), which the recording does not fully document.
The tape was stored at the Library of Congress
where it sat, untouched, until 2005 when it was discovered by recording lab supervisor Larry Appelbaum. The recording was then restored
by producer Michael Cuscuna
and T.S. Monk (Thelonious Monk's son).
The recording has been highly praised: Newsweek
called it the "musical equivalent of the discovery of a new Mount Everest," and Amazon.com
editorial reviewer Lloyd Sachs called it "the ultimate definition of a classic". Soon after its release, it became the #1 best selling music recording on Amazon.com.
This discovery substantially increased coverage of Monk and Coltrane's partnership; the only other recordings known are The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
CD set (assembled from previously issued albums) and Discovery, believed to document a reunion at the Five Spot
café in 1958, recorded on amateur equipment by Coltrane's first wife.
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
.
It was recorded on 29 November 1957 at "Thanksgiving Jazz", a benefit concert produced by Kenneth Lee Karpe for the Morningside Community Center in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Other acts playing included: Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
, and Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
with Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...
. The recording, by Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, documents two sets by the Monk Quartet with Coltrane that night – an early set (tracks 1-5) and a more relaxed late set (tracks 6-9), which the recording does not fully document.
The tape was stored at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
where it sat, untouched, until 2005 when it was discovered by recording lab supervisor Larry Appelbaum. The recording was then restored
Audio restoration
Audio restoration is a generalized term for the process of removing imperfections from sound recordings. Audio restoration can be performed directly on the recording medium , or on a digital representation of the recording using a computer...
by producer Michael Cuscuna
Michael Cuscuna
Michael Cuscuna is an American jazz record producer and writer. He is a leading discographer of Blue Note Records....
and T.S. Monk (Thelonious Monk's son).
The recording has been highly praised: Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
called it the "musical equivalent of the discovery of a new Mount Everest," and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
editorial reviewer Lloyd Sachs called it "the ultimate definition of a classic". Soon after its release, it became the #1 best selling music recording on Amazon.com.
This discovery substantially increased coverage of Monk and Coltrane's partnership; the only other recordings known are The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings is a 2006 release of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane's work for the Riverside Records label in 1957, with two tracks previously unreleased in any form....
CD set (assembled from previously issued albums) and Discovery, believed to document a reunion at the Five Spot
Five Spot
The Five Spot Café was a jazz club located at 5 Cooper Square in the Bowery neighbourhood of New York City.-History:In 1937, Salvatore Termini purchased what was then known as the Bowery Café, a working-class bar located under the Third Avenue El. In 1946, two of Termini's sons, Joe and Ignatze ...
café in 1958, recorded on amateur equipment by Coltrane's first wife.
Track listing
- "Monk's Mood" – 7:52
- "Evidence" – 4:41
- "Crepuscule With Nellie" – 4:26
- "Nutty" – 5:03
- "Epistrophy" – 4:29
- "Bye-Ya" – 6:31
- "Sweet & Lovely" – 9:34
- "Blue Monk" – 6:31
- "Epistrophy" (incomplete) – 2:24
Personnel
- Thelonious MonkThelonious MonkThelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
– piano - John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
– tenor saxophone - Ahmed Abdul-MalikAhmed Abdul-MalikAhmed Abdul-Malik was a jazz double bassist and oud player of Sudanese descent....
– bass - Shadow WilsonShadow WilsonRossiere "Shadow" Wilson was an American jazz drummer.Much of Wilson's early work was with swing jazz orchestras. He played with Lucky Millinder in 1939, and following this with Benny Carter, Tiny Bradshaw, Lionel Hampton, Earl Hines, Count Basie, and Woody Herman...
– drums