''Live at the It Club'' is a
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...
album released posthumously by
. Recorded October 31 and November 1, 1964, at the "It" Club in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California. The album features Monk's quartet—with
Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone,
Larry Gales on bass, and
Ben Riley on drums—performing original compositions as well as
jazz standards
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...
.
The album was first issued in 1982 as a double-LP entitled ''Live At The "It" Club''. In 1998, Columbia/
Legacy Records reissued the album as a double-CD set entitled ''Live At The It Club--Complete'' that includes virtually all of the band's performances from the two evenings.
History
In 1964, Monk assembled, and began touring and recording with, what would come to be regarded as his "most venerable" quartet. On October 31 and November 2 Monk recorded sessions for the album ''
Solo Monk''. The band performed on October 31 and November 1 at the It Club, and then again on November 3 and 4 at San Francisco's Jazz Workshop, performances that were later released as ''
Live at the Jazz Workshop
''Live at the Jazz Workshop'' is a live album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, that was recorded at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. The album was recorded on November 3 and 4, 1964, and released by Columbia Records in 1982.
Release history ...
''. Critic Bob Blumenthal called ''Live at the It Club'' "an incredible cache of vintage Monk" that serves as "a prime document of what
onk'sband sounded like" during this productive period.
Track listing
The quartet played three short sets on each of their two nights at the It Club. Tracks were omitted or edited for the 1982 release. The 1998 "complete" reissue includes the music as it was played, with a few exceptions. A take of "
Sweet and Lovely" was omitted due to issues with recording quality, and "
Straight, No Chaser", originally performed after "Bemsha Swing," was placed on the second disc.
[''Thelonious Monk - Live at the It Club (master)'']
Discogs.com, accessed January 21, 2018.
1982 Original LP
1998 CD Reissue
Personnel
*
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...
– piano
*
Charlie Rouse – tenor sax
*
Larry Gales – bass
*
Ben Riley – drums
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Live At The It Club
Albums produced by Teo Macero
Thelonious Monk live albums
1964 live albums
Columbia Records live albums
Live albums published posthumously