Craft Recordings continues their reboot of the Original Jazz Classics (OJC) series with another heavy-hitting 180 gram LP reissue, Thelonious Monk's 1957 release, Monk's Music (Riverside Records). Monk's Music is a cornerstone from his middle period on Riverside Records, and features an all-star lineup of some of the greatest players in jazz, including John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, and Art Blakey, to name a few. Monk's Music was not only Thelonious Monk's first album to be recorded and released in both mono and stereo versions, but was Riverside Records first stereo recording as well. The mono LP came first, with the stereo LP appearing about nine months later; this reissue is of the stereo version. According to original session producer Orrin Keepnews, the stereo feed used an unusual microphone pattern; it's definitely in stereo, but has somewhat of a more distant presentation than the mono tapes. I've had some difficulty over the years trying to decide whether the stereo LPs and CDs of this record were actually mono or perhaps rechanneled from mono, but obviously not.
New lacquers for Monk's Music were cut from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, and the all analog, AAA LPs were pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The reissue is housed in a near-perfect replica of the original, heavy tip-on outer jacket, with crisp artwork sourced from the vaults of Craft and Riverside Records. A custom OBI strip provides a glimpse of the reissue's technical information while adding to its already distinctive appearance, and will definitely enhance its collectibility. The LP arrived inserted into a non-scratching, Craft-branded rice paper inner sleeve, which helps keep it free from paper dust accumulation and minimizes static buildup. I have no doubt that the outstanding packaging will add significantly to the desirability of this reissue to collectors. High resolution 24-bit/192kHz digital downloads are also available for purchase and streaming on most major online services. You can order a copy of Monk's Music from Craft Recordings' web store HERE, and you can also find it at a variety of online retailers and brick and mortar locations, or at your local independent record store.
Thelonious Monk, Monk's Music. 180 Gram Prestige LP, $39 MSRP
Thelonious Monk recorded no fewer than four albums in 1957, including a pair of undeniably classic LPs, Brilliant Corners and Monk's Music. Monk and producer Orrin Keepnews assembled a cast of players that included Monk on piano; a trio of saxophone players that included John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, and Gigi Gryce; Ray Copeland on trumpet; Wilbur Ware on bass; and Art Blakey on drums. The sessions took place at Reeves Sound Studio in New York City, and Jack Higgins engineered the album, which was recorded on June 25-26, 1957. All the tunes, with the exception of the opener, "Abide With Me," were composed by Thelonious Monk, and had been previously recorded at earlier points in his career. Despite that, Monk's recordings from this period—especially Brilliant Corners and Monk's Music—created the template for Monk's renaissance as a performer that would happen in a few short years when he signed to the Columbia label and soon landed on the cover of Time. Containing some of the most important and accessible recordings of Monk's career, Monk's Music is a landmark of hard-bop jazz.
Track List
Side A
- Abide With Me
- Well, You Needn't
- Ruby, My Dear
Side B
- Off Minor
- Epistrophy
- Crepuscule With Nellie
Craft's Original Jazz Classics Series Continually Exceeds My Expectations!
You can click on my name in the header above to show the components that occupy my dual audio systems. For Monk's Music, I used the all-analog setup for my evaluation, which now features a pair of XSA Labs Vanguard compact monitor loudspeakers. The Vanguards are arranged in a nearfield listening environment, and are designed to offer an updated homage to classic British monitor loudspeakers like the LS3/5A. They run in tandem with a pair of Caldera 10 subwoofers, which add a couple of extra octaves to the overall bass response. The system incorporates PS Audio's superb Stellar phono preamplifier, and is powered by my PrimaLuna EVO 300 tube integrated amplifier. It now features a matched quad of RAY Tubes Reserve EL34 power tubes and three matched pairs of RAY Select 12AU7 output tubes, which have elevated the EVO 300's performance to a remarkable new level of analog goodness. My ProJect Classic turntable is mounted with an Ortofon Quintet Bronze moving coil cartridge, and it tracked RTI's pressing perfectly, giving Monk's Music the kind of sumptuous analog sound that's totally apropos for classic AAA LPs like the OJCs.
Monk's Music is another glorious example of the superior analog technology that the partnership of Craft Recordings and RTI have intermingled in the rebirth of the OJC brand. The 180 gram LP from RTI was beautifully glossy, with zero surface imperfections, and the backgrounds were impressively silent with virtually no groove or surface noise audible during playback. Kevin Gray has given us another perfect transfer that easily captures all the magic of session engineer Jack Higgins' original recording from 1957. The realism of this music across the XSA Vanguard loudspeakers—especially with the EVO 300's new tube complement from RAY Tubes—was powerful, dynamic, and much more visceral than what I was hearing from my 1983 original OJC repress. It actually sounds better than any LP or digital disc version in my collection (including the early 2000's SACD), it's that good!
You can't go wrong with the new Original Jazz Classic reissues from Craft Recordings. Mint condition originals of Monk's Music are virtually nonexistent on Discogs, with domestic copies regardless of condition rating going from $75 upwards of $250, which makes $39 for Craft's new OJC reissue a real bargain. With the exception of a handful of limited edition represses, the LP has been out of print domestically for over forty years. This is undeniably the best sounding LP or digital version of this music I've ever heard—the tracks leaped from my loudspeakers with the kind of analog goodness I wasn't expecting from a reissue of any provenance. Monk fans and collectors should grab one immediately! Many thanks to Craft Recordings and Jacob Kossak for his assistance; Monk's Music comes very highly recommended!
Craft Recordings
All images courtesy of Craft Recordings.
