"Straight, No Chaser" was released on Columbia Records in 1967. What amazes me about Monk besides his brilliant musicianship was the fact that he wasn't the person the media made him out to be. He was in fact a genuine, hard-working artist trying to make ends meet. He was also a family man. Miles Davis, who had a feud with Monk during the 50s and 60s, wrote in his autobiography that Monk was "a sweet guy." Don't let the "image" of a reclusive, drug-addict, and eccentric tunnel dweller scare you away from his music, because he wasn't like that at all.
This recording contains some of Monk's best performances and sidemen: Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass, Ben Riley on drums, and, of course, Monk on piano. This in my opinion was his best group. Each of the musicians had an understanding of Monk's compositions better than any other musicians he's played with before. Charlie Rouse is the perfect foil to Monk. Rouse has a warm sound and is also technically amazing. You have to be gifted to play Monk's compositions. Though many of the melodies to his tunes seem simple, it's what the harmony is doing that confused people. Even John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins had trouble playing his tunes. In fact, Sonny Rollins had such difficulty with "Brilliant Corners" that the producer had to edit together three seperate tracks and Coltrane has said that he gets "lost" when he's playing some of Monk's tunes. I find this really incredible because both Rollins and Coltrane can play over just about any chord changes thrown at them. I guess my question is how did Rouse become such a walking encylopedia of Monk? Was it long practice sessions? Was it Monk explaining everything in detail to Rouse? Could be, but I think what it was is Rouse's empathy for Monk and his compositions. This is what kept Rollins and Coltrane from really understanding the inner-workings of these pieces. Rouse was indeed an amazing Monk sideman. The bass player, Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley also play an crucial role in Monk's music. They are the backbone of this quartet and they provide such a great support system.
"Straight, No Chaser" is a classic bebop jazz album and should appeal to fans of this type of jazz music. Every song is a world within itself and should inspire all who are willing to listen. Highly recommended.
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From the brand
WARNING:
California’s Proposition 65
Track Listings
1 | Locomotive |
2 | I Didn't Know About You |
3 | Straight, No Chaser |
4 | Japanese Folk Song |
5 | Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea |
6 | We See |
7 | This Is My Story, This Is My Song (Album Version) |
8 | I Didn't Know About You (take 1) |
9 | Green Chimneys (Album Version) |
Editorial Reviews
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Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Language : English
- Product Dimensions : 5.62 x 4.92 x 0.33 inches; 3.84 ounces
- Manufacturer : Legacy Recordings
- Item model number : SNY64886.2
- Original Release Date : 1996
- Run time : 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Date First Available : August 27, 1996
- Label : Legacy Recordings
- ASIN : B000002AD6
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #55,893 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #521 in Modern Postbebop (CDs & Vinyl)
- #683 in Bebop (CDs & Vinyl)
- #23,460 in Pop (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
155 global ratings
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2008
- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020The epitome of a jazz artist!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2020good music, good product
- Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015Jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, who some earlier used to dismiss as "bizarre" or "eccentric," finally found popular success in the 1960s. A string of albums for Columbia, an extensive touring schedule and even an appearance on the cover of Time Magazine in 1964 kept Monk solidly in the limelight as one of jazz's leading figures. In retrospect, this vertiginous ascent also presaged the end of his groundbreaking career. Rumors of failing mental health began to spread and some accused his late recordings of uninventive cyclical rehashing. Though Monk's Columbia recordings definitely contain fewer original compositions than previously recorded songs, they nonetheless have a character all of their own. Given what we now know about Monk's later years, the amount of original material he did manage to create during this phase now seems impressive and inspiring. Regardless of the truth behind some of the criticisms, Monk even managed to make his rehashes seem fresh and revitalized.
"Straight, No Chaser," released in 1967 following a two year gap in recording, contained almost no new material, but this doesn't really seem to matter almost fifty years after its release. Perhaps those who had followed Monk in his day experienced the repetition more directly as each new album appeared in sequence, but today this album's energy really stands up. Listening to it in a 21st century retrospective context probably makes the stigmas and ethos present in the late 1960s jazz scene seem less relevant. In any case, the album sounds strong all on its own and contains enough of Monk's angularly playful musicality to withstand repeated listenings. It does come very late in his recording career and only a few albums remained before Monk's final studio sessions and retirement from recording.
"Locomotive" opens the album with an addictive mechanic churn featuring a rhythm that sticks long after the final notes have faded away. As usual, Charlie Rouse channels Monk's musical thoughts and provides a streaming moving sax solo that perfectly accompanies the song's aura. "I Didn't Know About You," composed by Duke Ellington, begins with Monk solo on piano. Rouse's smooth sax eventually emerges, almost surprisingly, over the lilting piano making for another great sonic combination. This album's version of one of Monk's most famous songs, "Straight, No Chaser," runs over 11 minutes and includes a slew of incredible solos by the entire ensemble. The extremely extended "Japanese Folk Song (Kojo no Tsuki)," running at almost 17 minutes, never becomes worn and tired thanks to its intriguing melodic structures. Monk also begins this number solo and the rest of the band gradually joins in. This track doesn't seem to have appeared on any previous Monk his albums. The well-known and heavily covered jazz standard, "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," appears here in a lovely solo piano rendition. "We See" highlights Monk's catchy lyricism and provides further evidence that his music represents one of the happiest and most hopeful sounds in all of music.
Later CD reissues restored many of the originally reduced LP tracks to their full length. Not only that, three additional tracks continue the show beyond where the 1967 album left off. "This is My Story, This is my Song," shows Monk in a melancholy mood with just enough of his idiosyncrasies infused to keep the song from taking itself too seriously. An earlier take of "I Didn't Know About You" rolls into the boppy "Green Chimneys," a song that would appear on Monk's next album, "Underground". This take, though very listenable, doesn't quite have the drive of that subsequent album's version. In this context it provides a hint of the creative explosion that would soon unfold. "Underground," released the following year, included more original compositions than many previous albums. This makes "Straight, No Chaser" seem less innovative in comparison, but the seeds of "Underground" may have begun to emerge on its predecessor. Monk had not recorded in a few years before "Straight, No Chaser," so perhaps this served as a warm up to one of his last, and arguably one of his best, late albums. But "Straight, No Chaser" still stands up fine today even in comparison to "Underground." It represents Monk, one of the undisputed geniuses of modern music, in full form even in his later years.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2016This is a "need-to-know' album. Thelonious was a genius musician that will always live on.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2016Talk about standing the test of time! Some do, some don't. This one does.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2018It's just Monk. Good stuff.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2012One of the best small combo sessions of his. Right up there with Monk's Dream and Criss-Cross! Highlights include Locomotive, Green Chimneys and Japanese Folk Song
Top reviews from other countries
- Pierre BlanchardReviewed in Canada on August 14, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
bon cd bonne qualité .
-
とらいちReviewed in Japan on April 25, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars モンクの持つ日本に対するイメージ
ジャケットの丸い絵は月だと思うけどこのアルバムのメーン曲は"
荒城の月"のはず
- JazzrookReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars A neglected classic from Thelonious Monk's Quartet in 1966/67.
This overlooked studio album from the great pianist/composer Thelonious Monk(1917-82) was recorded in New York City on November 14/15, 1966 & January 10, 1967 with Charlie Rouse(tenor sax); Larry Gales(bass) & Ben Riley(drums).
Three tunes, 'Straight No Chaser', 'We See' & 'Japanese Folk Song' have been restored to their original unedited length while two previously unreleased performances have been included.
Everyone is in exuberant form on the nine tracks which feature four Monk originals.
Highlights include an animated version of 'Straight No Chaser', 'Green Chimneys' named after the school of Monk's daughter, Barbara, the 16-minute 'Japanese Folk Song' & Monk's piano solo 'Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea'.
'Straight No Chaser' is a little-known Monk album containing 76 minutes of inventive and exhilarating music that deserves a place in any modern jazz collection.
-
JeanGabReviewed in France on December 28, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Grand!
J'ai acheté ce CD pour un amateur de Jazz qui, aussi incroyable que çela puisse paraître, ne l'avait jamais entendu. Quel plaisir ça doit être de découvrir un tel chef d'oeuvre alors que l'on a déjà une oreille aguerrie! L'un des plus grands albums de l'un des plus grands artistes de Jazz, et pourtant tellement facile d'écoute.
Incontournable.
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kentaReviewed in Japan on December 6, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars monkさんに、
もんくは<<<いえねーよ ^^) _旦~~
まったりした
チャリーラウズが<<<またいいぜよ!!!!