1961 · Album
Thelonious in Action
Recorded August 7, 1958, Five Spot Café, New York City · Riverside Records · Produced by Orrin Keepnews
Monk, Griffin, and a Hot August Night
Griffin pushes Monk harder than almost anyone else on record — and Monk loves it.
On August 7, 1958, Thelonious Monk and his quartet were playing the Five Spot Café in Manhattan's Bowery neighborhood, and somebody had the good sense to keep the tape rolling all night. That session produced two albums: Misterioso (1958) and this one. Think of them as two halves of the same evening. Thelonious in Action (1958) is the looser, slightly rougher half, and that is not a complaint — it is exactly what makes it worth your time.
The real story here is Johnny Griffin. Monk went through a lot of tenor players, but Griffin was something special in this band. He plays fast, sometimes almost recklessly fast, and he cuts through Monk's angular compositions with a confidence that few horn players managed. On a tune like 'Epistrophy,' Griffin does not just solo over the changes — he argues with them. The rhythm section of Roy Haynes on drums and Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass keeps things moving without getting in the way. Monk himself plays sparsely, dropping in and out, which was his habit, but when he sits out during Griffin's solos the space he leaves behind is just as interesting as the notes he plays.
The album also features the recorded debuts of two Monk originals: 'Light Blue' and 'Coming on the Hudson.' Neither became his most-played tune, but hearing them fresh here, still a little unpolished, is genuinely interesting. This is not the place to start with Monk if you are new to him — try a studio record first. But if you already know the compositions and want to hear what they sounded like when the room was hot and the night was young, this delivers.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Johnny Griffin
Introducing Johnny Griffin 1956
A Blowin' Session 1957
The Congregation 1958
Johnny Griffin Sextet 1958
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
