MONK ALONE: 1962 - 1968

MONK ALONE
THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA SOLO STUDIO RECORDINGS OF THELONIOUS MONK: 1962-1968

Thelonious Sphere Monk is in the pantheon of American composers and musical thinkers. And although his pianistic efforts, especially the early ones, were at times scorned by those who could not—or would not—acknowledge his brilliance, Monk's approach to the keyboard was every bit as individualistic as his name.

Prior to a productive six-year stay at Columbia Records that began in 1962, Monk (1917–1982) had recorded thrice as a solo pianist. In 1954, he was unaccompanied in Paris; three years later he recorded by himself in New York, followed by a 1959 “live alone” in San Francisco. Monk’s producer at Columbia, Teo Macero, was enthralled by his solo work. Continuing the practice established with earlier Columbia albums of Monk, Macero would sometimes record him alone at the keyboard for possible future use. The results of these sessions can finally be heard.