Thelonious Alone In San Francisco (Remastered 2026) Thelonious Monk

• 1 Blue Monk (Remastered 2026) 03:48
• 2 Ruby, My Dear (Remastered 2026) 03:58
• 3 Round Lights (Remastered 2026) 03:41
• 4 Everything Happens To Me (Remastered 2026) 05:40
• 5 You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart (Remastered 2026) 04:05
• 6 Bluehawk (Remastered 2026) 03:40
• 7 Pannonica (Remastered 2026) 03:53
• 8 Remember (Remastered 2026) 02:46
• 9 There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Remastered 2026) 04:22
• 10 Reflections (Remastered 2026) 05:08
• Total Runtime 41:01

Info for Thelonious Alone In San Francisco (Remastered 2026)

The varied catalog of memorable Riverside albums by Thelonious Monk includes two solo-piano efforts. Producer Orrin Keepnews remembers them as equally successful but strikingly different projects. The 1957 Thelonious Himself was recorded in New York on three separate nights and involved much creative ferment and many retakes. This album was accomplished with remarkable ease in Northern California two years later, in two brief sessions on consecutive afternoons (one preceded by lunch at a family-style Italian restaurant), with only one of the ten selections (a totally unfamiliar old pop tune arbitrarily chosen at the last moment) requiring more than one take!

Thelonious Alone in San Francisco documents Monk’s only solo recording made on the West Coast, captured over two evenings at Fugazi Hall in October 1959. These performances highlight Monk’s harmonic inventiveness and rhythmic playfulness, unfiltered by accompaniment. Alongside heartfelt interpretations of standards, the album includes several Monk originals—among them the elusive “Round Lights” and “Bluehawk.” Intimate, exploratory, and profoundly personal, this session is a cornerstone of solo jazz piano recordings.

"With the robust ambience of Fugazi Hall in San Francisco at his disposal, Thelonious Monk recorded ten unaccompanied tracks over two days to create a long-awaited sequel to his immensely endearing Thelonious Himself long-player. As had become somewhat customary for Monk, he brought with him a healthy sampling from his voluminous back catalog, cover tunes, as well as a few new compositions. What is most immediately striking about these recordings is the rich and accurate sound stage at Fugazi Hall. The overtones are rich and thoughtful in their ability to animate Monk's recreations of some of his most endearing works, such as the pair that opens this set. "Blue Monk" still retains the proud stride and walking blues heritage of previous renderings. Adding a bit of off-tempo improvisation, Monk propels and emphasizes the rhythmic swing even harder. He is obviously also enjoying what he is hearing. The audible maturity guiding Monk through the familiar, albeit offbeat, chord progressions of "Ruby, My Dear" is striking. His nimble reflexes and split-second timing render this version superior. Again, the sound of the hall offers even more to enjoy from this performance. It is unfortunate that the playful solitude of "Round Lights" was never revisited. This freeform composition is framed within a blues structure, yet reveals all of the slightly askew freedom of a Monk original. The recreation of an old 1920s hit, "There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie," is another of the highlights from Thelonious Alone in San Francisco that was never recorded again by Monk. The noir qualities are immeasurably enhanced by Monk's oblique phrasings as well as the eerie resonance of the Fugazi. This is an absolute must-own recording -- Monk enthusiast or not." (Lindsay Planer, AMG)

Thelonious Monk, piano

Digitally remastered

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