Search - Thelonious Monk :: Monk in Paris: Live at the Olympia (Bonus Dvd)

Quite a Treat for the Monk Fan

Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 02/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Disc 1 (a cd) of this 2-disc set was recorded in Paris on 3/7/65. Disc 2 (a dvd) was recorded in Oslo, Norway on 4/15/66. Both discs are the classic Monk (piano), Rouse (tenor saxophone), Gales (bass) and Riley (drums) band.



I see from previous reviews that some people love this one and some seem to dislike it. I am surprised there are any Monk fans who don't like this! I was apprehensive at first. I was thinking okay a new release from this "Monk family vault" thing, this could just be a scheme to make some money off of a few lousy recordings that are best used for collecting dust. I was wrong! I think this set is great. I mean, what is not to love? I'm still not much for the two solo Monk tracks (Body and Soul, and April in Paris), but so what? That's 2 tracks. On the first disc alone you're treated to killer performances of I Mean You, Well You Needn't, Bright Mississippi and Epistrophy. As for the sound, again, I'm not sure what the previous complaints are about. For the first minute or two on Rhythm-A-Ning yes, Monk's piano is quieter, but then it seems to come up and the whole mix levels out and from there on out this disc sounds excellent. Seriously, a few minutes into this disc and all my initial "quality" fears were wiped away.



The band is having a blast here... again, Monk is the master accompanist... his jagged bounce... that off-kilter swing of his piano just frames Charlie Rouse perfectly. When these two really get it going on (and they do really get it going on quite often here), it is a true joy to behold. As I've said in previous Monk reviews, there was a long time where I didn't like Rouse but I don't know what I was thinking back then. He is absolutely great. He's grown into one of my favorite tenor players.



This whole band just consistently knocks me out on this set. When people think of Monk it seems that he is usually all they think about. It's not often you hear people talk about Rouse, Gales and Riley but these 3 guys deserve all the credit in the world. They swing like crazy, and were a masterful ensemble at navigating the idiosyncratic waters of Monk's compositions.



As for the dvd, it's more of the same, but not as long as the cd. Again, the sound is fine here. I'm not sure how come people aren't hearing the bass or this, that, and the other thing. I've had no problems with any of this. I was thinking the DVD might be lame. Some sort of fuzzy picture that was filmed from 100 feet away and synched up to some ho-hum sound, but it isn't at all. Very nice and close black-and-white footage with sound that is more-or-less exactly the same as the quality of sound on the cd. The dvd performances are of Lulu's Back in Town, Blue Monk, and 'Round Midnight.



I've had this less than a month but I've been all over it ever since I bought it. I'm a satisfied customer and that's all there is to it. I'd think this set would be treasured by any and all Monk fans (or at least fans of this band/era of Monk's). Now I just need to get the 2nd disc in this series, Monk Around the World.



"

You haven't seen Monk until you've seen him

smurdge | 04/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Live recordings of "The Rouse Quartet" are sometimes gems but not particularly rare ones, and overall this seems to be pretty representative. A really cookin' "Rhythm-a-Ning" and an above average "I Mean You" are the highlights. "Well You Needn't" kind of drags on, and the solo performance of "April in Paris" is only about 1:20 long.The sound is OK- there are some moments when Rouse is off-mike, and the bass ranges from too loud to where did it go?. Monk is Monk and always worth hearing, but this would probably be a bit of a disappointment EXCEPT......for the bonus DVD. The Quartet performs "Lulu's Back in Town", "Blue Monk" and "'Round Midnite" (I think) on stage in an empty theatre in Oslo. You at home supply your own audience noises. There was a definite visual dimension to a Monk performance, and this film fills you in on the convoluted piano fingering, feet shuffling and dancing that audio CDs can't. It's also instructive how few drums a really good drummer, (in this case Ben Riley), needs to sound good. The DVD video and audio quality are both fine.Considering what you get for the price, I'd say buy buy buy!



EDIT: I recently discovered that the performances of Rhythm-a-Ning, I Mean You, April In Paris, and Body and Soul on the CD part of this set are identical to those on Disc 14 of the complete Riverside Monk set, and I would assume to those on the OJC CD Monk in France. Riverside has these as being recorded in April 1961.



How or why this happened, I don't know, but it is interesting.

"

Energetic live performance with a bonus DVD

R. J. Marsella | California | 02/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The cd of the Paris performance is wonderful . Great sound quality and Monk and the Quartet really cook on a number of his classics. The included DVD of the Oslo concert is a bit less energetic and the sound quality is not quite as good BUT how many chances to we get to see Monk perform these tunes. The inclusion of the DVD really makes this a bargain and well worth picking up. I would not consider this one of Monk's seminal recordings so I only gave it 4 stars but for Monkophiles it's a must own and for those who are curious this gives you a chance to hear AND see the man perform."