Thelonious Monk Quartet – live in Amiens, France – 1966 – ORTF – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
I realize I ran another Monk concert from his 1966 tour in July of this year. But times call for much needed comfort and Thelonious Monk is comfort food – and man, can we use it now.
Not going to elaborate – but if you’ve been cognizant of just how the world has been going lo, this year so far – you know that you need to get your mind off things – go away someplace – inside your head at least. You just want to be taken away and transported.
Oh, if we could just time-travel and be sitting in the audience during this gig in Amiens, life would be wonderful, beyond words. But no, we have to take what we can get. And if sounds and vibes and notes allow us to drift off to that place of infinite joy and peace, let’s do it. We can pretend lots of things.
Since there were no notes accompanying this recording, I am assuming, since it’s from 1966 that it’s the same lineup as the Paris gig from March of that year with Charlie Rouse on tenor – Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.
There isn’t much I can add about this gig or any of the gigs I have run that hasn’t already been written, pointed out, relayed or said someplace else. Suffice to say, this is essential listening – even if you’re a casual fan of Jazz. Thelonious Monk left such an indelible impression on the Music world that its hard to pick it apart and analyze it without turning it into a PhD thesis. Analyzing music is fine to a point – but it’s ultimately an art form; a conversation with the soul and you can’t subject it to the same rigors you would a science experiment.
Sometimes you just have to let the music do the breathing.
’nuff said – enjoy the show.
