Part one of a two-part portrait of the great Jazz composer and pianist. A ride-along with Monk and his quartet, then consisting of Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley, that catches the crew in New York, where they knock dead the crowd at the Village Vanguard and lay tracks down at Columbia Records with legendary producer Teo Macero.
Nica De Koenigswarter, Larry Gales, Thelonious Monk
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In 1968, we had the opportunity to spend time with Thelonious Monk and his musicians, following him in New York, Atlanta, and in various European cities. In New York his quartet plays at the Village Vanguard and at recording sessions for Columbia Records; in Atlanta they appear at a Jazz Festival organized by George Wein. The members of the quartet were Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley. The group was joined on the European tour by Ray Copeland, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and Johnny Griffin, traveling as part of George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival road company.