Thelonious Monk - 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses'

Every year (sometimes more often), we've come to expect new discoveries from the vaults by Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, and Sonny Rollins.  But in 2017, who knew there were hidden gems by Monk, and from a professionally recorded studio session, no less!

This session had never been released to the public before; the tapes were thought lost for all these decades.  Usually, when recovered sessions are heralded as "long-lost," a quick listening reveals why.  But the result in this case is a surprisingly terrific Monk album.

Any occasion for unreleased Thelonious Monk recordings is one for celebration.  The discovery of his excellent soundtrack sessions for Roger Vadim's film 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' from 1960, an adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 18th century novel, happened by accident.  Producers Zev Feldman, François Le Xuan, and Frederic Thomas found these tapes while searching French saxophonist Barney Wilen's manager's archives in search of unreleased material. What they found were the original soundtrack and full sessions cut in New York during a single day in 1959 – the same fertile year that yielded the Monk's At Town Hall; 5 by Monk by 5, and Thelonious Alone in San Francisco.  Like these recordings, this soundtrack showcases Monk at the very top of his game.

In 1959, Monk was commissioned to compose and play the score for a Roger Vadim film, 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' an adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 18th century novel.  By the time of the recording date at Nola Penthouse Studio in Manhattan, he hadn't written anything new.  But after watching a print of the movie, he took several tunes from his catalog—"Rhythm-a-ning," "Crepuscule with Nellie," "Well You Needn't," "Pannonica," "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are," "Light Blue," and "By and By", and set them to breezier paces or moodier cadences than usual.

For various reasons, including health issues and legal troubles, Monk had no time to travel or compose original music for the film.  For this session he brought along tunes from his repertoire – as was his customary practice throughout his career – and reinvented them for the film with his working quartet of saxophonist Charlie Rouse, drummer Art Taylor, and bassist Sam Jones, with the addition of Barney Wilen (who should be far better known to American jazz fans). The album is one of the few occasions in the pianist's discography where he employed two tenor players, the other being "Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk", with Harold Land alongside Rouse.

CDs includes the actual soundtrack music as used in sequence, but never released. "Rhythm-a-Ning" is followed by "Crepuscule with Nellie" (his wife was in the studio), "Six in One," and "Well You Needn't," all of which are sprightly and at times even hot. There are two solo takes of "Pannonica" also used, along with a quintet version.  It is notable to note that Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, Monk's friend and patron, was also present. "Ba-Lue-Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" is followed by a brief "Light Blue" and the short gospel hymn "By and By," which makes its first-ever appearance here.

Disc two contains alternate takes, a pair of masters for a 45 rpm single, an edited version of "Well You Needn't," and the jewel: a 14-minute in-process recording of "Light Blue" complete with studio dialogue. It's a cousin to the making of "'Round Midnight" with Gerry Mulligan that showed up in the '80s: A one-of-a-kind revelatory document. This music was not only professionally recorded, but preserved with archival standards, making for an excellent fidelity reproduction.

CD1

1. Rhythm-A-Ning
2. Crepuscule With Nellie
3. Six In One
4. Well, You Needn't
5. Pannonica (Solo 1)
6. Pannonica (Solo 2)
7. Pannonica (Quartet)
8. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
9. Light Blue
10. By and By (We'll Understand It Better By And By)

CD2

1. Rhythm-A-Ning (Alternate)
2. Crepuscule With Nellie (Take 1)
3. Pannonica (45 rpm Master)
4. Light Blue (45 rpm Master)
5. Well, You Needn't (Unedited)
6. Light Blue (Making Of)

Recorded at Nola Penthouse Sound Studios, 111 W. 57th St., New York, N.Y., Monday, July 27, 1959.
Mastered from the original master tapes.

Musicians:
Thelonious Monk - Piano
Charlie Rouse - Tenor Saxophone
Barney Wilen - Tenor Saxophone on "1,2,8,11"
Sam Jones - Bass
Art Taylor - Drums

For the freeload, tell us about something you did that was dangerous.