Thelonious Monk – Thelonious In Action

One evening reaches its first LP

On August 7, 1958, Orrin Keepnews records Thelonious Monk’s quartet at New York’s Five Spot Café. Two albums emerge from the evening. Thelonious In Action appears first, followed by Misterioso. Both preserve the collaboration with Johnny Griffin, Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Roy Haynes, while presenting different parts of the program.

“Light Blue” and “Coming On The Hudson” open this record’s first side. The live album introduces the pieces within the atmosphere of a club performance. For “Coming On The Hudson,” recording and release dates must be distinguished: an earlier studio performance already exists but will not be released until much later. This is not a straightforward world-premiere story.

Four musicians and a recurring theme

Monk on piano, Griffin on tenor, Abdul-Malik on double bass and Haynes on drums perform on all seven tracks. “Epistrophy” appears twice in short theme performances, closing each side. Its return gives the program a frame and recalls the practical structure of a club engagement.

Between these appearances are “Rhythm-a-ning,” “Blue Monk” and “Evidence.” Attention can move from Monk’s themes to Griffin’s lines and then to the rhythm section. The four musicians build the same musical setting through different responsibilities; accompaniment need not occupy the foreground to help determine what happens next.

Taking the moment seriously

Thelonious In Action places the emphasis on music being made. It presents Monk with a particular group, before an audience and during a specific evening. Those circumstances make familiar compositions more than historical documents. They invite attention to entrances, pauses and replies.

As a companion to Misterioso, the album matters because it does not merely repeat the same program. Together, the records reveal more of this summer quartet. On its own, Thelonious In Action offers a focused encounter: seven tracks, four participants and a theme that brings each side to its close.

Stereo on a 180-gram LP

Analogue Productions edition AAPJ 1190 runs at 33⅓ RPM and presents the album in stereo. Kevin Gray’s AcousTech cut belongs to the Riverside Tenor Sessions project of 1997/98. The later pressing reuses that cut; it should not be described as a new mastering made in 2024.

The publisher specifies Quality Record Pressings, a tip-on jacket and the original analog master tape. The program contains the seven LP tracks without subsequent CD bonus recordings. The tracklist separates sides and titles clearly and avoids false precision where documented running times conflict. The focus remains on that evening’s music in an accurately identified edition.

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

More by Thelonious Monk: 5 by Monk by 5 · Brilliant Corners

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

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

• Thelonious Monkpiano, compositionParticipation: Album personnel
• Johnny Griffintenor saxophoneParticipation: Album personnel
• Ahmed Abdul-Malikdouble bassParticipation: Album personnel
• Roy HaynesdrumsParticipation: Album personnel

Produced by Orrin Keepnews. Recorded by Ray Fowler. Quartet on all seven tracks.