THELONIOUS MONK QUARTET WITH JOHN COLTRANE: AT CARNEGIE HALL

Released in 2005, Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall is a vital document of a short-lived and under-recorded band featuring two jazz titans at pivotal moments in each of their careers. The recording—which was made by the Voice of America and later discovered in an unmarked box in the Library of Congress—captures an all-star benefit concert that took place on November 29, 1957 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Earlier in the year Coltrane’s drug addiction had caused his dismissal from Miles Davis’ group, but after he kicked his habit Monk hired the saxophonist for his quartet which began an extended residency at the Five Spot Café that summer. By the time the band—which included Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums—hit the stage at Carnegie Hall they were firing on all cylinders with Coltrane reaching new heights on a set of Monk’s timeless compositions including “Monk’s Mood,” “Crepuscule with Nellie,” “Bye-Ya,” and “Blue Monk.”