Credits:

Thelonious Monk

Description:

Thelonious Monk is known as one of the greatest jazz geniuses of all time for his numerous masterpieces that still fascinate music fans around the world, and for his unique and one-of-a-kind style of playing. The previously unreleased live recordings of Thelonious Monk from the late 1960s, when he was at the peak of his powers, have been unearthed and released on the prestigious Impulse label, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year! Although previously unreleased live recordings of Monk have been released in the past, the major difference is that this album was recorded at an ordinary high school in Palo Alto, California. In October 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and the nation was rocked by racial discrimination, Monk performed a concert on campus in response to a high school boy's wish for unity through jazz, which was recorded in its entirety. He led the regular quartet of the time in a passionate performance of "Blue Monk," "Epistrophe," and other signature tunes.