Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet

Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson, recorded on July 2, 1948, July 23, 1951 and April 7, 1952 and released on Blue Note in 1956. The latter two sessions were originally released on ten-inch LP as Wizard of the Vibes (1952).

Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet
Compilation album by
Released1956
Recorded
  • July 2, 1948
  • July 23, 1951
  • April 7, 1952
GenreJazz
LabelBlue Note
BLP 1509
ProducerAlfred Lion
Milt Jackson chronology
Milt Jackson Quartet
(1955)
Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet
(1956)
Opus de Jazz
(1956)
Wizard of the Vibes
Studio album by
Released1952
Recorded
  • July 23, 1951
  • April 7, 1952
GenreJazz
LabelBlue Note
BLP 5011
ProducerAlfred Lion
Thelonious Monk 10-inch LP chronology
Genius of Modern Music: Volume 1
(1951)
Wizard of the Vibes
(1952)
Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2
(1952)

Background

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Recording

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The sessions were the work of The Thelonious Monk Quintet (the July 2, 1948 and July 23, 1951 sessions) and The Modern Jazz Quartet plus Lou Donaldson (a 1952 session). The album has been recompiled and expanded three additional times, with various tracks from these sessions added and deleted.

The tracks from the Modern Jazz Quartet plus Lou Donaldson consisted of John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass, Kenny Clarke on drums, Milt Jackson on vibraphone, and Lou Donaldson on alto saxophone. The tracks with the Thelonious Monk Quintet were Thelonious Monk on piano, John Simmons on bass, Shadow Wilson on drums, and Milt Jackson on vibraphone—with Kenny "Pancho" Hagood singing on the tracks "All the Things You Are" and "I Should Care".

Release history

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The original 1952 10" LP was expanded to a 12" LP in 1956, and retitled Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet with a cover designed by Reid Miles, his first for the label. In 1989, the cover and title of the 1956 version were used for a CD featuring the complete 1948 and 1952 sessions, but the 1951 Monk Session was moved to Monk's Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2. The 2001 album Milt Jackson: Wizard of the Vibes used the cover art and title of the original 1952 album, but contained a re-ordered and remastered version of the contents of the 1989 CD.

In each formulation, the album contained Blue Note Thelonious Monk-led performances unavailable on the parallel editions of Genius of Modern Music.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz    [2]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz described the tracks with Monk as "classics, rising to their greatest height with the riveting version of 'I Mean You'."[2]

The AllMusic reviewer wrote that "Jackson's inventive playing throughout both dates makes this an important CD in his considerable discography, so it should be a part of any bop fan's collection."[1]

Track listings

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Original release (Blue Note BLP 1509, 12", 1956)

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Side 1
No.TitleMusicDate recordedLength
1."Lillie" April 7, 1952 
2."Tahiti" April 7, 1952 
3."What's New?" April 7, 1952 
4."Bags' Groove" April 7, 1952 
5."On the Scene"Lou DonaldsonApril 7, 1952 
6."Willow Weep for Me"Ann RonnellJuly 23, 1951 
Side 2
No.TitleDate recordedLength
1."Criss-Cross"July 23, 1951 
2."Eronel"July 23, 1951 
3."Misterioso" (alternate master)July 2, 1948 
4."Evidence"July 2, 1948 
5."Lillie" (alternate master)April 7, 1952 
6."Four in One" (alternate master)July 23, 1951 

CD reissues

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All music is composed by Milt Jackson, except as noted.

1989 reissue
No.TitleLyricsMusicDate recordedLength
1."Tahiti"  April 7, 19523:26
2."Lillie"  April 7, 19523:13
3."Lillie" (alternate take)  April 7, 19523:15
4."Bags' Groove"  April 7, 19523:03
5."What's New?"Johnny BurkeBob HaggartApril 7, 19523:08
6."What's New?" (alternate take)BurkeHaggartApril 7, 19523:10
7."Don't Get Around Much Anymore" Duke EllingtonApril 7, 19522:58
8."Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (alternate take) EllingtonApril 7, 19522:56
9."On the Scene" Lou DonaldsonApril 7, 19522:40
10."Evidence" Thelonious MonkJuly 2, 19482:31
11."Misterioso" MonkJuly 2, 19483:11
12."Misterioso" (alternate take) MonkJuly 2, 19482:43
13."Epistrophy" July 2, 19483:05
14."I Mean You" MonkJuly 2, 19482:44
15."All the Things You Are"Roger Hammerstein IIJerome KernJuly 2, 19482:57
16."I Should Care" (alternate take)Sammy CahnJuly 2, 19483:00
17."I Should Care"Cahn
  • Stordahl
  • Weston
July 2, 19482:59
  • The 2001 RVG edition restores the ten-inch cover and title, and appends the alternate takes to their respective sessions.

Milt Jackson: Wizard of the Vibes (Blue Note LP 5011, 10", 1952)

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All music is composed by Milt Jackson, except as noted.

Side 1
No.TitleMusicDate recordedLength
1."Tahiti" April 7, 1952 
2."Lillie" April 7, 1952 
3."Criss-Cross"Thelonious MonkJuly 23, 1951 
4."Willow Weep for Me"Ann RonnellJuly 23, 1951 
Side 2
No.TitleLyricsMusicDate recordedLength
1."What's New?"Johnny BurkeBob HaggartApril 7, 1952 
2."Bags' Groove"  April 7, 1952 
3."On the Scene" Lou DonaldsonApril 7, 1952 
4."Eronel" July 23, 1951 

Personnel

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Musicians

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July 2, 1948

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July 23, 1951

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April 7, 1952

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Technical personnel

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Original

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Reissue

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Dryden, Ken. "Wizard of the Vibes - Milt Jackson | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 754. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.