Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Thelonious Monk: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960

14

Thelonious Monk: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960

By

Sign in to view read count
Thelonious Monk: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960
It's nearly impossible to underestimate the importance of the discovery of the tapes Thelonious Monk made for the French film Les Liasons Dangereuses 1960. Recorded in New York in July 1959, the session, although used in the film, was filed away for some 55 years. Recovered and remastered, we hear not only the soundtrack, but alternate takes and Monk rehearsing his band.

Monk had never scored a soundtrack, but was convinced by the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter to follow through with this project. The background to this work is almost as relevant as the music itself. The 56-page booklet that accompanied both the Record Store Day LP release and the double CDs gives us the historical context of the session with essays by jazz writers Brian Priestly, Alain Tercinet, and Monk biographer Robin D.G. Kelley. Plus, there are some gorgeous photographs of the recording session. 

In 1959, Monk was simultaneously at his musical height and physical and mental low. He had lost his cabaret card for the second time, been beaten by the police, and was institutionalized. While his recordings and unique piano style were finally being recognized by critics and the jazz cognoscente, his mental stability began to wobble. Like his friend Bud Powell, there was still genius lurking, but life had erected many obstacles for the great man. 

Heard here are classic Monk pieces "Rhythm-a-Ning," "Well, You Needn't," and "Crepuscule With Nellie." Unique here is the fact that Monk's soon-to-be favorite sideman Charlie Rouse is joined by saxophonist Barney Wilen, the young French phenom you might recall from Miles Davis' soundtrack from the film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud in 1957. Also heard are bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor, the latter is schooled by Monk on his rarely recorded "Light Blue." The 14 minutes of "Light Blue (making of)" recalls Monk rehearsing for his Town Hall concert in photographer W. Eugene Smith's loft space. Elsewhere there are the (by now) familiar "Pannonica" and "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are." Sure, but hearing Monk perform "Crepuscule With Nellie" and "Pannonica" back-to-back solo and in quartet, displays the humanity of the high priest. He performs a short blues improvisation, "Six In One," which is a sort of glimpse into the mind of the pianist. Then there's the gospel cover of "By And By (We'll Understand it Better By And By)," a song he certainly played growing up in church. He maintains the reverence due, but the music is unmistakably Monk. 

Track Listing

CD1: Rhythm-a-Ning; Crepuscule with Nellie; Six in One; Well, You Needn’t; Pannonica (solo); Pannonica (solo); Pannonica (quartet); BaLue Boliver Ba-lues-Are; Light Blue; By and By. CD2: Rhythm-a-Ning(alternate); Crepuscule with Nellie (take 1); Pannonica (45 master); Light Blue (45 Master); Well, You Needn’t (unedited); Light Blue (making of).

Personnel

Thelonious Monk: piano; Charlie Rouse: tenor saxophone; Barney Wilen: tenor saxophone; Sam Jones: bass; Art Taylor: drums.

Album information

Title: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Sam Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.