This is part of the Prestige Records 50th Anniversary Special Commemorative Edition series.
These five tracks, recorded in the 1950s and reissued in 2006, feature Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins--two of the era's most progressive musicians--on the stand together. The interplay between Monk's skeletal, idiosyncratic, yet strangely logical playing and Rollins's full, rich tone and adventurous harmonic explorations complement each other beautifully on both standards ("The Way You Look Tonight") and Monk originals ("Friday the 13th"). "Friday the 13th" is the highlight of the set, featuring plenty of stretching out from Rollins, Monk, and French horn player Julius Watkins. This is a fine addition to any Monk and/or Rollins collection.
Recorded at WOR Studios, New York, New York on November 13, 1953 and the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on September 22 & October 25, 1954. Originally released on Prestige (7075). Includes original liner notes by Ira Gitler.
Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Thelonious Monk (piano); Julius Watkins (French horn); Art Blakey, Art Taylor, Willie Jones (drums).
Recording information: New Jersey (11/13/1953-10/25/1954); New York, NY (11/13/1953-10/25/1954).
Personnel: Thelonious Monk (piano); Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Percy Heath, Tommy Potter (bass); Willie Jones, Art Blakey, Arthur Taylor (drums).
