Pianist
Thelonious Monk
appeared at the
Olympia
in Paris on consecutive nights in March 1965; this is the second CD documenting some of the music played, which was probably first recorded for a radio broadcast. The slow fade of the music is due to the reverberation caused by the large theater's acoustics, but it doesn't interfere with the music. Like the previous
Malaco Jazz
CD from the day before, the play list has no surprises but the performances are exhilarating, including long versions of
Monk
's always swinging
"Well You Needn't,"
"Teo,"
"Bright Mississippi"
(his reworking of
"Sweet Georgia Brown"
), the old standard
"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You,"
and the inevitable set closer
"Epistrophy."
Tenor saxophonist
Charlie Rouse
is in great form and the quartet seems to have turned it up just a notch from the previous evening. One can't have enough versions of
playing his works, so this CD is recommended. ~ Ken Dryden