Thursday, July 03, 2014

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins

Artist:Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins
Song:The Way You Look Tonight
Album:The Definitive Sonny Rollins on Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary




Jazz legends Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins recorded together when Monk was briefly on Prestige Records in the early 50s. Rollins wasn't as well known as Monk at the time but would soon become a major player on the jazz scene. The Way You Look Tonight is from the 1954 album Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins. Monk went from Blue Note to Prestige in 1952. His first album The Thelonious Monk Trio featured Max Roach and Art Blakey on drums. Meanwhile Rollins signed with Prestige and released Sonny Rollins and the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1953. The Way You Look Tonight was one of three songs recorded for the 10 inch mini-LP Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk Quartet and then later on the LP Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins. There are two songs on that LP that do not include Rollins. Other musicians on The Way You Look Tonight are Tommy Potter on bass and Art Taylor on drums. Monk also appeared on one song on the 1954 Rollins album Movin' Out. And Rollins appeared on three songs on the 1954 album Monk. Later Rollins appeared on the 1956 Monk album Brilliant Corners. This was Monk's final album for Prestige as he had already left for Riverside Records. You would think that some enterprising record company would license the Monk/Rollins recordings and release a Complete Sessions CD. But that hasn't happened. Until it does, I suggest you check out this 2CD Sonny Rollins comp. It's a very good intro to his 50s recordings. There is a similar Thelonious Monk Prestige Records comp but it is too expensive. And Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins is available on CD but is also too expensive. With the exception of Brilliant Corners, the recordings they made together are spread across several albums and a complete recordings CD is in order. Jazz labels did this kind of random stuff all the time. Here's a video for The Way You Look Tonight by Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins.

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