Thelonious Monk – Misterioso

A second attempt at the Five Spot

A crowded club, a quartet and a producer returning for another attempt: Misterioso takes us to New York’s Five Spot Café on August 7, 1958. Orrin Keepnews had recorded the group in July, but Monk was dissatisfied with those tapes. The August session supplies the music released on Thelonious In Action and subsequently on Misterioso.

Johnny Griffin plays tenor saxophone, Ahmed Abdul-Malik double bass and Roy Haynes drums. With Monk, they form a group whose brief shared history is preserved on these live albums. The records offer a window onto a particular summer and music taking shape in front of an audience.

Space for Griffin

“Nutty,” “Blues Five Spot” and “Let’s Cool One” occupy the first side. The dedication of “Blues Five Spot” ties the program directly to its setting. On the second side, Griffin receives extended space in “In Walked Bud,” with Monk sitting out during part of his solo. What accompaniment contributes, and what its absence makes possible, becomes a tangible listening question.

Monk performs “Just a Gigolo” alone before the quartet returns for “Misterioso.” These changes in personnel are part of the program and are reflected in the credits. The music changes perspective while remaining connected to the same evening.

An album for attentive listening

Giorgio de Chirico’s “The Seer” gives the cover an enigmatic character. The performance brings us back to four individual musicians and their decisions. Griffin’s contribution has not always received the same critical response: early and later reviews place their emphasis differently. That is another reason to approach the record with open ears.

Its appeal within a collection lies in the movement between Monk’s compositions, Griffin’s improvisation and the short unaccompanied piano performance. Rather than seeking a final explanation of Monk, we can follow an evening’s music. Another play may bring different details to the foreground.

The stereo edition AAPJ 1133

Analogue Productions presents Misterioso on one 180-gram LP at 33⅓ RPM, in stereo. Kevin Gray’s AcousTech cut traces back to the Riverside Tenor Sessions box of 1997/98, with later individual pressings using the same metalwork. The publisher specifies QRP, a Stoughton tip-on jacket and the original analog master tape for the current edition.

One edition-specific question remains unresolved: the original box is documented as having an early fade on the title track. Whether, and to what extent, a particular later copy is affected requires checking the record itself. No full running time for that performance is promised here. The tracklist contains the six LP titles without the later CD bonus material.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and dispatch from Hilden.

More by Thelonious Monk: Monk’s Music · The Riverside Tenor Sessions

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Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Thelonious MonkpianoParticipation: A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3
• Johnny Griffintenor saxophoneParticipation: A1, A2, A3, B1, B3
• Ahmed Abdul-Malikdouble bassParticipation: A1, A2, A3, B1, B3
• Roy HaynesdrumsParticipation: A1, A2, A3, B1, B3

Produced by Orrin Keepnews. Recorded by Ray Fowler. B2 is solo Monk.