180g Vinyl LP!
Original Jazz Classics Reissue Series!
All-Analog Mastering from the Original Tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio!
Pressed at RTI!
Regarded as one of the greatest jazz collaborations of all time, this 2023 edition of Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane is released as part of the newly relaunched Original Jazz Classics Series. The LP is cut from the original master tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. In addition to Monk and Coltrane the album also features the talents of Art Blakey (drums), Wilbur Ware (bass), Gigi Gryce (alto sax) and more. The set is presented in a Tip-On jacket with obi.
Since its inception in 1982, Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics® (OJC) series quickly established a reputation as the go-to imprint for collectible jazz reissues. OJC served as a home for the label's impressive jazz catalog – which had grown to include thousands of celebrated titles from Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland, and Pablo. Drawing on this vast wealth of material, Original Jazz Classics released over 850 titles.
Its goal was simple: to reissue influential jazz albums with the utmost care and reverence for the originals — from the cover art and liner notes to the audio recordings themselves. Given Craft Recordings' shared passion for meticulous preservation and quality, it is a natural step to relaunch Original Jazz Classics as part of the Craft family.
2023 sees the continuation of this influential jazz series on audiophile-quality vinyl, through the ongoing release of several of the most coveted (and long out-of-print) albums in this vast collection.
When Monk and Trane spent six months of 1957 working together at New York's Five Spot Cafe, it was an historic event which certainly should have been exhaustively recorded. But nonmusical conflicts made that impossible, leaving as the only permanent remainders of this momentous encounter the three remarkable quartet selections that highlight this album.
Their playing styles melded so well together as the former's loose, limber piano runs brush so lovingly against the more majestic tones of the latter's tenor sax work. The album also features one of my favorite Monk solo performances on 'Functional.'
Features
- Craft Original Jazz Classics Series
- 180g Vinyl LP
- (AAA) Lacquers Cut from the Original Tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
- Pressed at RTI
- Tip-On Jacket with OBI
Musicians
| John Coltrane | tenor saxophone |
|---|---|
| Gigi Gryce | alto saxophone ("Off Minor," "Epistrophy") |
| Ray Copeland | trumpet ("Off Minor," "Epistrophy") |
| Thelonious Monk | piano |
| Wilbur Ware | bass |
| Shadow WIlson | drums ("Ruby My Dear," "Trinkle, Tinkle," "Nutty") |
| Art Blakey | drums ("Off Minor," "Epistrophy") |
Selections
Side 1:
- Ruby, My Dear
- Trinkle, Tinkle
- Off Minor
Side 2:
- Nutty
- Epistrophy
- Functional
