1954 · Album
Blows for LP
Recorded 1954 · Prestige Records · Format: 10-inch LP (PrLP 166)
Julius Watkins Brings Horn Color to Monk's Piano
Watkins's French horn softens and complicates Monk's angular compositions, adding a layer few would expect.
What makes Blows for LP (1954) distinctive is the presence of Julius Watkins on French horn—an unusual choice for a Thelonious Monk session that shifts the sound away from what you'd expect. Monk's piano is still the gravitational center, angular and sparse as always, but Watkins occupies the space that a second horn usually holds, bringing a mellower, darker voice to tracks that might otherwise sit in bebop's familiar territory. The French horn was rare in jazz combos in 1954, and Watkins handles it without affectation, respecting Monk's compositional logic while adding harmonic warmth to his dissonances.
Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone anchors the front line with his characteristic directness, and Percy Heath's bass and Willie Jones's drums keep the session grounded. This was early work for Rollins with Monk—not yet the full partnership that would yield richer records later, but enough to show how Rollins's tone and phrasing complement rather than compete with the composer's intentions. The session swings without strain, which matters because Monk's tunes can sound airless in less capable hands.
This 10-inch album was the second of five Prestige releases under Monk's name, and its contents were later scattered across other collections. In its original form it remains a curiosity—not Monk's strongest statement, but valuable for the specific alchemy of these five players in this particular combination. Watkins's horn keeps it from feeling like a standard bebop date, which alone makes it worth hearing.
Who's playing
Percy Heathdouble bass
Thelonious Monkpiano
Sonny Rollinstenor saxophone
Willie Jonesdrums
Julius WatkinsFrench horn
Where next?
More by Sonny Rollins
All 23 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
