Monk, Thelonious / Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960
Album: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Monk, Thelonious   Added:Aug 2017
Label:Saga  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2017-08-10 Pull Date: 2017-10-12 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Oct 1 Sep 17 Sep 10 Aug 27 Aug 20 Aug 13
Airplays: 1 1 1 2 4 2

Recent Airplay
1. Nov 15, 2018: No Cover, No Minimum
Pannonica (45 Master)
4. Sep 14, 2017: No Cover, No Minimum
Six In One
2. Oct 11, 2018: No Cover, No Minimum
Crepuscule With Nellie
5. Sep 03, 2017: The Daily bump
Light Blue
3. Sep 24, 2017: The Daily Bump
Well, You Needn't (Edited Version)
6. Aug 24, 2017: No Cover, No Minimum
By And By

Album Review
Fo
Reviewed 2017-08-05
THELONIOUS MONK: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 Saga, 2017

CLASSIC JAZZ – Previously unreleased, this session was used as the soundtrack to a French film in 1960. Monk's working quartet of the time, featuring his longtime tenor sax man Charlie Rouse, is enhanced with a second tenor (Barney Wilen) on a few tracks. Despite the hype surrounding the release, this is nowhere near the sort of major find we had a few years ago with the Monk/Coltrane Carnegie Hall set. But there are a few nice additions to the legacy here, especially the speedy versions of "Rhythm-a-Ning" and the improvised blues "Six in One."

Fo’s Picks: I – 1, 2, 3, 7, II – 1, 3, 5

DISC ONE

1. 5:47 – YES! fast romp dives in: playful piano, breezy saxes, driving rhythm
2. 5:16 – slow, moody ballad: eccentric solo piano alternates with trio
3. 4:28 – relaxed piano: a beautiful solo blues improvisation, after-hours feel
4. 4:57 – walking groove, awkward edit in intro (unedited version on disc 2)
5. 2:27 – slow solo piano ballad, first of 3 versions, a bit halting and lopsided
6. 2:55 – slow solo piano ballad, more soulful than #5 with added fragility
7. 6:20 – relaxed quartet ballad: the most inviting of the 3 versions, lovely end
8. 6:57 – relaxed blues stroll drifts off-center; cool sax solos bracket piano
9. 2:47 – just weird: stiff repeating drum figure makes everything awkward
10. 1:47 – calm spiritual for piano/sax/bass trio: nice sound, wish it was longer

DISC TWO

1. 5:36 – fast boppin fun, a bit more straightforward than the version on disc 1
2. 2:29 – slow solo/trio ballad, shorter & less cohesive than disc 1
3. 6:53 – relaxed quartet ballad, slightly warmer than the disc 1 version
4. 4:09 – relaxed and slouchy, this time the stiff drum figure thing almost works
5. 6:47 – jaunty midtempo walk, loosens up w/bright sax solo, quirky piano
6. 14:14 – the final versions of "Light Blue" just don't work, so do you really want to hear 14 minutes of the band trying to figure out the beat?

[ Fo ] - 5 August 2017

Track Listing
1. Rhythm-A-Ning   9. Light Blue
2. Crepuscule With Nellie   10. By And By
3. Six In One   11. Rhythm-A-Ning
4. Well, You Needn't (Edited Version)   12. Crepuscule With Nellie
5. Pannonica (Solo #1)   13. Pannonica (45 Master)
6. Pannonica (Solo #2)   14. Light Blue (45 Master)
7. Pannonica (Quartet)   15. Well, You Needn't
8. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues Are   16. The Making Of "Light Blue"