Thelonious Monk

Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960

SAM/SAGA. CD/DL/LP Rare Monk film score could be the jazz heritage release of the year. By 1959, pianist-composer Thelonious Monk had been gigging virtually non-stop for two straight years and his chops were tops. Director Roger Vadim asked him to score Vadim’s film version of Laclos’ famed novel and Monk agreed, entering a New York studio with a quintet. The soundtrack was never released apart from the movie and the tapes were thought lost until 2014, so this release is a major event – essentially new Monk. Most of the compositions are classics by the composer, but the novelty is the phenomenal performances by both Monk and tenor saxman Charlie Rouse. Particularly interesting is an extended cut where the maestro tries to teach the players an odd, difficult, quasiindustrial rhythm for his tune Light Blue – a glimpse into the eccentric barrier-busting of artistic genius. Like every rule Monk strove to break, he eventually succeeded.