Thelonious in Action: Recorded at the Five Spot Cafe [live]

by Scott Yanow One of the most exciting groups that pianist/composer Thelonious Monk ever led was his 1958 quartet with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, and drummer Roy Haynes. During one night at the Five Spot Cafe they recorded enough music to fill up two CDs; all of the performances are also on Monk's large Riverside box set. In Action, a companion to Misterioso, shows that Griffin was possibly even a more perfect sideman for Monk than John Coltrane had been the year before. Highlights include "Rhythm-A-Ning," "Blue Monk," "Evidence," and "Blues Five Spot."