Thelonious Monk - Palo Alto (1968) [WEB] (2020)

In the autumn of 1968, a sixteen-year-old boy named Danny Scher had a dream. He wanted to bring Thelonious Monk and his quartet to play a benefit concert at his high school in Palo Alto, California, in order to raise funds for his school and to help bring about racial unity in his community.

Armed with little more than a telephone, a persuasive pitch, an impressive knowledge of jazz and an iron-willed determination, Scher made the concert happen on Sunday, 27 October 1968. The concert was also recorded and lay, forgotten, in the vaults – until now.

On 31 July, Impulse! Records will release the previously unheard and unreleased High School recording in its entirety, via DSPs, on vinyl and on CD and vinyl.

The vibrant 47-minute set spotlights Monk’s steady touring band (tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley) and features his basic touring repertoire. Included in the mix is Monk’s lyrical love song ‘Ruby My Dear’; a spirited ‘Well You Needn’t with solos by all bandmembers; the pianist’s captivating solo reading of ‘Don’t Blame Me’ by Jimmy McHugh; an epic dance through ‘Blue Monk’; and a playful charge through ‘Epistrophy’ (available as a single now).

The show ends with a truncated encore of the 1925 Tin Pan Alley hit tune by Rudy Vall?e, ‘I Love You (Sweetheart of All My Dreams)’ and after a standing ovation, Monk saying his goodbyes because they had to leave to make their San Francisco date that evening.