Mr. Monk

While Monk’s best recorded work has been circulating for nearly a half-century, there continues to be a plethora of bootleg material available, especially in the form of live cuts from gigs at European nightclubs.

The estate of the late jazz pianist and legendary producer (and Hyena headman) Joel Dorn have been accumulating this stuff and giving it a legitimate release that ensures that a certain level of technical quality is met, no mean feat considering that the cuts on Monk ’Round the World come from numerous sources and have been lying around since the mid ’60s. Interesting but not spectacular versions of several Monk favorites (“Blue Monk,” “Bemsha Swing,” two takes on “Epistrophy”) are offered, but the only true gem here is a startling “Rhythm-a-Ning.” Monk’s back-up on the track are his longtime sax cohort Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and Frankie Dunlop on sticks and brushes, and the combo absolutely burns on one of bebop’s definitive cuts. The piece is from a 1961 show in Copenhagen and one can only hope that someone will come forward with more tape from this gig. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a self-professed Monk fanatic, contributes spare liner notes.

Hands of the master

Monk ’Round the World comes with a bonus DVD titled Monk in London; here the band’s rhythm section changes to Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums. Three songs are featured; a less inspired “Rhythm-a-Ning” along with “Nutty” and “Criss Cross.” The black & white film’s value comes of course from the music, not from the visual, as it is just four cats standing there (or sitting, in Monk’s case), sweating and doing what they do best. And like with their instrumental music, nary a word is said. There is just Monk’s slight grin at the end of the show, speaking just as expressively as his piano.

—Kevin Wierzbicki

www.hyenarecords.com / www.monkzone.com