Track Listing

1. Locomotive
2. I Didn't Know About You [Take 4]
3. Straight, No Chaser
4. Japanese Folk Song (Kojo No Tsuki)
5. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
6. We See
7. This Is My Story, This Is My Song
8. I Didn't Know About You [Take 1][#][*]
9. Green Chimneys [#][*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3449 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 1996-08-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Album Description
The Definitive and Complete Straight, No Chaser!

Thelonious Monk's fruitful tenure at Columbia Records resulted in several classic recordings, and coincided with having his portrait on the cover of Time magazine--a distinction bestowed on only five jazz artists.

Straight, No Chaser is undeniably one of those classics, and finds Monk in the good company of his long-time companions--Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales, and Ben Riley.

For this CD, reissue producer Orrin Keepnews has added approximately 25 minutes of never-before-heard Monk, meticulously re-editing lost portions of issued titles while discovering two complete, previously unissued performances.

Customer Reviews

A cd to build a collection around
This cd release is a showcase for Monk's last great group from the late 60's. Monk's piano is backed by the painfully underrated Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums. Monk's soloing is inspired and creative throughout. He swings hard on the title track, as well as the little know gem that opens the album, Locomotion. Of the two solo pieces, This is My Story, This is My Song stands out as a sweet soulful display of Monk's unique touch and harmonic sense. Charlie Rouse's warm round tenor remains with Coltrane, and Johnny Griffin as Monk's most complimentary soloists. His robust tone on the title track and Locomotion is countered by his sensitive interpritations of I didn't Know About You and Japanese Folk Song (Kojo No Tsuki). More beneficial to the listener than the standard "bonus tracks" are the restored bass and drum solos. Riley is a propulsive soloist, his bursting fills complimenting Monk's chording perfectly. Riley explores his instrument's range fully as a soloist and as an accompanist, developing consistenly interesting solos. The musicians are completely comfortable with the material, and each performance is definative, easily rewarding repeated listenings. The music benifits from superior recording quality as well, it sounds warm and full even on my $20 computer speakers! This is the first jazz cd I ever purchased, and remains a personal favorite. It not only is a perfect indroduction to Monk and Jazz, but will reward and delight long time fans of the man and the music. Highly Recommened!

Good, but a bit long-winded
This is a good album with lots of fine Monk tunes and should certainly be picked up by any serious Monk fan.

That said, I wouldn't direct anyone here first for the most essential Monk experience. Some bands can pull off long (8, 11, 14... minute) numbers where every second seems essential and you wouldn't cut any of it. Here, however, the length of some of these songs comes off as kind of undisciplined, and just seem like kind of extended blowing sessions or practice woodsheds. The original release edited some passages of these songs for length; I wonder if in the original recording sessions the band was instructed by the producer to just play out long, and the editing would make the final product.

Still, you could do a lot worse than long undisciplined blowing sessions with Thelonious Monk. Even so, I prefer the perfectly-constructed and well-balanced _Monk's Dream_ and _Criss-Cross_ (particularly the former) over this, which I personally find a bit hard to stick with all the way through. Between the extended song lengths and extra tracks, this CD gives more of a feel of a vault release of studio sessions than a single, cohesive album. It's not that I'm overly short of patience or some kind of jazz philistine; it's just the way it strikes me. I'll still get dinged on popularity points for having a minority opinion; oh, well.

*That* said, this record does have some of Charlie Rouse's (tenor sax) best work. On this one he finally gives up that one lick that he plays over and over in all the other Monk records I've heard with Rouse on it, and really seems to find his voice. And you've gotta love those irresistible Monk tunes like "We See" (and "Eronel" from Criss-Cross) that seem to have been written specially for Charlie Rouse; he captures the playful, light spirit so well.

Perfect, no kidding
If you love Jazz or just love great musical compositions, then Straight, No Chaser will become an instant favorite. Even if you have heard Straight, No Chaser, years ago, this updated reissue is something very special to the ears. Beautiful playing all the way around. Recording quality that will make you feel very good and tunes that will put bounce in your heart. Timeless Jazz that will quickly confirm why some people say that in Jazz, and music in general, never has there been anyone like Thelonius Monk. The other great thing about this CD is that it is a great value. Here is a whole lot of music and not a single cut will you want to skip over. Pop this in your player and be pleased.