Misterioso (Thelonious Monk Album)

''Misterioso'' is a 1958 live album by American jazz ensemble the Thelonious Monk Quartet. By the time of its recording, the pianist and bandleader Thelonious Monk had overcome an extended period of career difficulties and achieved stardom with his residency at New York's Five Spot Café, beginning in 1957. He returned there the following year for a second stint with his quartet, featuring drummer Roy Haynes, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, and tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin. Along with '' Thelonious in Action'' (1958), ''Misterioso'' captures portions of the ensemble's August 7 show at the venue.

One of the first successful live recordings of Monk's music, ''Misterioso'' was produced by Orrin Keepnews of Riverside Records. According to Keepnews, the pianist played more distinctly here than on his studio albums in response to the audience's enthusiasm during the performance. ''Misterioso''s title was meant to evoke Monk's reputation as an enigmatic, challenging performer, while its cover art was part of Riverside's attempt to capitalize on his popularity with intellectual and bohemian audiences; it appropriated Giorgio de Chirico's 1915 painting ''The Seer''.

''Misterioso'' was originally met with a mixed critical reaction; reviewers applauded Monk's performance but were critical of Griffin, whose playing they felt was out of place with the quartet. The album was remastered and reissued in 1989 and 2012 by Original Jazz Classics, and has since received retrospective acclaim, with some viewing Griffin's playing as the record's highlight. The saxophonist's solo during the performance of " In Walked Bud" in particular has developed renown among critics and jazz musicians.

Background

In 1951, Thelonious Monk was convicted of narcotics possession after refusing to betray his friend, pianist Bud Powell, to the police; a police search of the car belonging to Powell's female companion had discovered his glassine envelope of heroin lying beside Monk's feet. The conviction resulted in the suspension of Monk's cabaret card, the permit required by performers in New York for work in nightclubs. Although the loss limited him professionally, he recorded several albums of original music and received positive press during the 1950s. Monk's manager, Harry Colomby, led an appeal on the pianist's behalf in front of the State Liquor Authority (SLA) to have his card restored. Colomby argued to the SLA that Monk was "a drug-free, law-abiding citizen, whose productivity and growing popularity as a recording artist demonstrates his standing as a responsible working musician".

In May 1957, the SLA said Monk needed to get a club owner to hire him first, prompting Colomby to consider the Five Spot Café in New York City's East Village. "I wanted to find a place that was small", he later said. "I once drove past this place in the Village and there was a bar and I heard music ... A place where poets hung out." Joe Termini, who co-owned the venue with his brother Iggy, testified at Monk's police hearing, which resulted in the reinstatement of his cabaret card and his employment at the Five Spot Café. In his first stable job in years, Monk helped transform the small bar into one of the city's most popular venues, as it attracted bohemians, hipsters, and devout fans of the pianist's music. With the residency, he had finally found jazz stardom after twenty years of career struggles and obscurity.

Monk began his first stint at the venue in July 1957, with saxophonist John Coltrane, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, and drummer Shadow Wilson in his group. However, by the time it ended in December, he had lost Wilson to poor health, while Coltrane left in pursuit of a solo career and a return to Miles Davis's group. Monk returned to New York's club scene in 1958 with a new quartet and received an eight-week offer from Joe and Iggy Termini to play the venue again, beginning on June 12. He played most nights during the weekend to capacity crowds with Abdul-Malik, drummer Roy Haynes, and tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, who had performed with Monk before. Griffin was unfamiliar with all of his repertoire and, like Coltrane, found it difficult to solo over Monk's comping during their first few weeks. During their performances, Monk often left the stage for a drink at the bar or danced around, which gave Griffin an opportunity to play with more space. However, the quartet eventually developed a sufficient rapport and grasp of the set list.

Recording

Orrin Keepnews attempted to record the quartet live at the Five Spot Café on two different occasions in 1958 for his label, Riverside Records. His first recording of the ensemble was of two sets during their July 9 show. Monk was disappointed with the recording and did not allow Riverside to release it, although it was released years later after his death.

Keepnews returned to the venue on August 7 when Monk performed an evening show in the club's overcrowded room, which the producer had set up with recording equipment. It yielded both ''Misterioso'' and '' Thelonious in Action''; the latter was released first in 1958. The show was believed to be the first successful live recording of Monk's music, until the recording of his 1957 concert with Coltrane at Carnegie Hall was discovered and released in 2005. The two live albums from the Five Spot Café are the only recordings that document Monk's time with Griffin.

Composition and performance

According to jazz critic Gary Giddins, ''Misterioso'' is a hard bop record. The compositions performed for the album were arranged by Monk, who reworked four of his earlier compositions. In the album's liner notes, Keepnews wrote of Monk's approach to arrangements: "It should be axiomatic that Monk is a constantly self-renewing composer-arranger-musician, that each new recording of an 'old' number, particularly with different personnel, represents a fresh view of it—almost a new composition." In the producer's opinion, Monk played the piano more vividly and less introspectively than on his studio recordings in response to the enthusiastic crowds he drew nightly to the venue.

On "Nutty", Griffin incorporated lines from " The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and exhibited a frenetic swing that was complemented by counterplay from Haynes and Monk. "Blues Five Spot", a new composition by Monk for the album, is a twelve-bar blues homage to the Five Spot Café and featured solos from each player. Griffin and Monk transfigured chord structures and melodies throughout the performance. Griffin's solo vamp maintained the rhythm while quoting lines from other pieces, including the theme song for the animated ''Popeye

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