Thelonious Monk — May 1961 Paris, France

This is Thelonious Monk as his best. And includes my favorite of his groups: Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Frankie Dunlop on drums, and John Ore on bass. This was recorded mono in Paris at the Olympia Theatre in front of a live audience. The musicianship is outstanding. Monk is a genius and shows that here. The group supporting him is perfect for the music. I love the live sounding drumming on this. I can’t say much more as Monk is a genius and should be more popular among audiophiles. The music is quirky and different while being wholly accessible. A rare treasure as no one else has this music. The sound is old school but good mono, capturing the live event beautifully. The tunes are all classic Monk such as Jackie-ing, I’m Getting Sentimental Over You, Crepuscule With Nellie, and Well You Needn’t. A classic.