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More importantly, this band - which also included drummer Shadow Wilson and bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik- had it right on November 29, 1957, at Carnegie Hall. The John Coltrane on this date is far more assured than he had been four months earlier on the Five Spot date and on the initial Prestige side Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Blue Monk (Live At Carnegie Hall, New York/1957) Thelonious Monk Quartet John Coltrane At Carnegie Hall ℗ 20.

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At Carnegie Hall is a live album by The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane.

Album information[edit]

New York Philharmonic

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 performing 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 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).

Coltrane Monk Carnegie Hall

Reception[edit]

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.

Metropolitan Opera

The discovery substantially increased coverage of Monk and Coltrane's partnership; the only other recordings known are from 4 sessions that took place in April, June and July of 1957 and originally issued on Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane, Monk's Music and Thelonious Himself. Additionally, Discovery! believed to document a reunion at the Five Spot café in 1958, recorded on amateur equipment by Coltrane's first wife.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks composed by Thelonious Monk unless otherwise noted.

1. 'Monk's Mood' – 7:52
2. 'Evidence' – 4:41
3. 'Crepuscule With Nellie' – 4:26
4. 'Nutty' – 5:03
5. 'Epistrophy' (Monk, Kenny Clarke) – 4:29
6. 'Bye-Ya' – 6:31
7. 'Sweet and Lovely' (Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules LeMare) – 9:34
8. 'Blue Monk' – 6:31
9. 'Epistrophy' (incomplete) – 2:24

Personnel[edit]

• Thelonious Monk – piano
• John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
• Ahmed Abdul-Malik – bass
• Shadow Wilson – drums

References[edit]

1. ^Allmusic review
2. ^All About Jazz review
3. ^Christgau, Robert. 'Consumer Guide: Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall'. The Village Voice: December 27, 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01.
4. ^Rolling Stone review
5. ^Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0195313734.