''Thelonious Himself'' is a studio 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", "B ...

released in 1957 by

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riverside ...

,. It was Monk's fourth album for the label. The album features Monk playing solo piano, except for the final track, "Monk's Mood", which features

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

on tenor saxophone and

Wilbur Ware Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 674. Oxford University Press He was a regular bassist for t ...

on bass. It was Monk's second solo piano studio album, and it was the first made by an American label and distributed in the United States. (Monk's first extended solo piano recording,

Piano Solo The piano is often used to provide harmonic accompaniment to a voice or other instrument. However, solo parts for the piano are common in many musical styles. These can take the form of a section in which the piano is heard more prominently t ...

, was recorded in Paris during June 1954, initially for the purpose of providing material for a radio broadcast. Monk had also recorded individual solo piano tracks for Prestige and Riverside records during the early and mid 1950s.) The original CD reissue, released in 1987 via

Original Jazz Classics Original Jazz Classics (or OJC) is a record label that founded in 1983 as an imprint of Fantasy Records. Under this name original editions of jazz LPs have been reissued on CD and LP, and formerly on cassette as well. The recordings in the seri ...

/Riverside Records, includes an extensive 22-minute solo recording of "'Round Midnight" outtakes and experimentation in the studio. A subsequent reissue, the Keepnews Collection edition, released in 2008 via Riverside Records, omits this sequence in favor of outtakes and alternate versions of several other tracks from the album. In the liner notes, Keepnews states that including the original "'Round Midnight" outtake "would have required eliminating virtually every existing alternate take of other selections — five other examples of this pianist's improvisational genius."

Cover

The cover photograph was taken by Paul Weller, and shows Monk in the control room of Reeves Sound Studios (where the album was recorded) seated at a

mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic inst ...

Critical reception

Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said ''Thelonious Himself'' is "probably onk'sbest" solo album, while ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine gave it five stars and called it "highly recommended". In ''

All Music Guide 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 databas ...

'' (2001), jazz critic

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

gave the album four stars out of five and did not find it as important but still intriguing because "Monk's hesitant stride and thoughtful yet unpredictable flights are always a joy to hear".

Track listing

Original vinyl release (1957)

Side One # April in Paris # Ghost of a Chance #

Functional Functional may refer to: * Movements in architecture: ** Functionalism (architecture) ** Form follows function * Functional group, combination of atoms within molecules * Medical conditions without currently visible organic basis: ** Functional sy ...

ake 2 Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It's located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán. The name ...

I'm Getting Sentimental Over You "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" is a song recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. The words were written by Ned Washington and the music was written by George Bassman. It was first performed in 1932. The original copyright is dated 1933 a ...

Side Two #

I Should Care "I Should Care" is a popular song with music by Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, published in 1944. Cahn said that the title came to him by the time they played the first 4 bars. It first appeared in the MGM film '' Thrill ...

# 'Round Midnight # All Alone # Monk's Mood — featuring

Original CD reissue (1987)

#" April in Paris" – 3:50 #" (I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (With You)" – 4:21 #"Functional" – 9:18 #"

" – 4:03 #"

" – 3:14 #" 'Round Midnight" – 6:39 #" All Alone" – 4:49 #"Monk's Mood" - 7:49 #" 'Round Midnight (in progress)" - 21:59

Keepnews Collection reissue (2008)

#"April in Paris" – 3:54 #"(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (With You)" – 4:24 #"Functional (take 2)" – 9:22 #"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" – 4:08 #"I Should Care (take 3)" – 3:15 #"'Round Midnight" – 6:44 #"All Alone" – 4:53 #"Monk's Mood (false start)" - :58 #"Monk's Mood" - 7:53 #"(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (With You)" – 4:13 #"Functional (take 1)" – 9:44 #"I Should Care (take 1)" – 3:29 #"I Should Care (take 2)" – 3:18

Personnel

- piano *

- tenor sax (on "Monk's Mood") *

- bass (on "Monk's Mood")

References

{{Authority control Thelonious Monk albums 1957 albums Albums produced by Orrin Keepnews Riverside Records albums Solo piano jazz albums