''Criss-Cross'' is an album by

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

that was released by Columbia; his second for that label. The album consists of previously released Monk compositions that were re-recorded for Columbia by the Thelonious Monk Quartet.

History

''Criss-Cross'' was recorded during and shortly after the sessions for Monk's first Columbia LP, '' Monk's Dream''. The quartet of musicians that appear on the album had been playing together for four years at the time of the recording sessions, and was thus one of the longer-lived bands of Monk's career.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Lindsay Planer called the album "some of the finest work that Monk ever did in the studio with his '60s trio and quartet." The critical and popular success of the group during this period led to Monk's appearance on the cover of ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine in February 1964. It later became known that as Monk's international profile was reaching its apex in the mid-1960s, his manic depressive episodes were getting more severe and his composing output was diminished. ''Criss-Cross'' and Monk's other Columbia recordings have been criticized for revisiting well-worn material and offering few new compositions or new perspectives on older works. However, many retrospective reviews for CD reissues of the material have argued that the Columbia recordings have their own virtues, documenting a well-rehearsed band that had thoroughly absorbed the material in a way that some of Monk's 1940s and 1950s studio bands were unable to. Before entering the studio to record this album, a journalist reportedly asked Monk if he would be recording a new solo rendition of the classic song " Don't Blame Me", to which he replied: "Maybe, it depends on how I feel when I get there." Monk recorded his solo version of "Don't Blame Me" right after arriving at the studio. "Eronel" is a distinctly bop tune that is fast-paced and showcases Monk's virtuosic piano playing. The track "Crepuscule with Nellie" is a piece Monk wrote for his wife. The track "Pannonica" is available only on CD re-issue and named for Baroness

Pannonica de Koenigswarter Baroness Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter (''née'' Rothschild; 10 December 1913 – 30 November 1988) was a British-born jazz patron and writer. A leading patron of bebop, she was a member of the Rothschild family. Personal life Kath ...

. Koenigswarter was Monk's friend and patron, and she wrote the liner notes for the original LP.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Thelonious Monk except where noted. Side One # "Hackensack" – 4:12 # " Tea for Two" (

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

Irving Caesar Irving Caesar (born Isidor Keiser, July 4, 1895 – December 18, 1996) was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including " Swanee", "Sometimes I'm Happy", " Crazy Rhythm", and " Tea for T ...

) – 3:46 # "Criss Cross" – 4:52 # "Eronel" (Monk,

Idrees Sulieman Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002) was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter. Biography He was born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after converting to Is ...

Sadik Hakim Sadik Hakim (born Forrest Argonne Thornton; July 15, 1919 – June 20, 1983) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Forrest Argonne Thornton was born on July 15, 1919 in Duluth, Minnesota. The name Argonne came from the World War ...

) – 4:29 Side Two #

Rhythm-A-Ning This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. 0-9 52nd Street Theme A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" b ...

" – 3:53 # " Don't Blame Me" (Retake 1) (

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, Ju ...

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

) – 7:04 # "Think of One" – 5:17 # "Crepuscule with Nellie" – 2:45 1993 CD reissue bonus track: #

"Pannonica" (Take 2) – 6:46 2003 CD reissue additional bonus tracks: #

"Coming On The Hudson" (Take 3) – 7:31 # "Tea For Two" (Take 9) – 5:12 # "Eronel" (Take 3) – 5:59

Notes

Track 10 first released on the 1963 Columbia compilation LP ''The Giants of Jazz''.''Various – The Giants Of Jazz''
Discogs.com, accessed January 22, 2018 Tracks 11 and 12 previously unreleased.

Personnel

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Was ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

John Ore John Ore (December 17, 1933 – August 22, 2014) was an American jazz bassist. Ore attended the New School of Music in Philadelphia from 1943 to 1946, studying cello and followed this with studies on bass at Juilliard. In the 1950s he worked wit ...

– bass *

Frankie Dunlop Francis Dunlop (December 6, 1928 – July 7, 2014) was an American jazz drummer. Dunlop, born in Buffalo, New York, grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at age nine and drums at ten. He was playing professionally by age 16 and re ...

– drums

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Criss Cross Thelonious Monk albums 1963 albums Columbia Records albums Albums produced by Teo Macero