Genius of Modern Music Volume 1

Recording history and tape provenance

Monk spent most of the 1940s as an underappreciated fixture of the Minton's Playhouse scene. Younger, more famous players like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker credited him in interviews without that translating into recognition for Monk.

That began to change in 1947. The journalist Bill Gottlieb, tipped off by pianist Mary Lou Williams, profiled Monk for a DownBeat cover story headlined "Thelonious Monk – Genius of Bop."

Blue Note's A&R man Ike Quebec arranged for Alfred Lion to visit Monk at his West 63rd Street apartment. Lion heard a solo performance including "'Round Midnight" and signed him within two weeks.

The three sessions used different bands. October 15 brought a sextet for "Thelonious" and "Humph." Idrees Sulieman played trumpet, Danny Quebec West alto and Billy Smith tenor, alongside Monk, Gene Ramey and Art Blakey.

October 24 pared down to a trio of Monk, Ramey and Blakey, for "Well You Needn't," "Off Minor," "Ruby My Dear" and "Introspection."

November 21 brought a quintet for "'Round Midnight," "In Walked Bud," "Monk's Mood" and "Who Knows?" George Taitt played trumpet and Sahib Shihab alto, with Monk, bassist Bob Paige and Blakey.

A fourth session the following July added vibraphonist Milt Jackson. That one is associated with Volume 2 and the separate Milt Jackson: Wizard of the Vibes release.

These sessions hold the first recordings of "'Round Midnight," "Ruby My Dear," "Epistrophy" and "In Walked Bud." They are also the first documented evidence of Monk as a bandleader and composer rather than a sideman.

Reid Miles designed the 1956 cover, one of his earliest for the label, predating the graphic style he became known for.

Why the source caps the sound

The 1947 sessions were recorded on primitive equipment, with no expectation of high fidelity. That is the constraint every pressing works inside.

Owner reports on the Classic Vinyl edition make the point directly. One writes that the original recording was always going to challenge any modern remaster. That owner concludes this is about as good as it will ever sound.

Blue Note's later tape-era standards are not the benchmark for this title. A pressing that handles the roughness honestly rather than over-processing it is the best available outcome.

There is also a band problem no mastering touches. Retrospective reviews note the players' unfamiliarity with Monk's material at the time. Blakey's drumming had not yet settled into Monk's compositional logic, and Shihab's alto tone reads oddly to modern ears.

Original Blue Note pressings

A 1956 first pressing has a "767 Lexington Ave" address on the labels. The disc edge is flat rather than stepped, and the front cover art is framed.

The dead wax carries an etched RVG mark, deep groove and the Plastylite ear. Clean near-mint copies command high prices, which reflects real scarcity for a 1956 Blue Note original.

The 1951 10-inch LP, catalogue BLP 5002, predates the 12-inch expansion by five years and draws on a narrower selection of the same 1947 material.

The 10-inch format had a short commercial life, so surviving copies are scarcer and less often traded than BLP 1510. It is a completist's item rather than a listening recommendation.

Blue Note Classic Vinyl (2022)

The Classic Vinyl edition, catalogue 4535336, is a mono 180g LP mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at Optimal in Germany.

Owners consistently describe it as about as good as this material will ever sound. They praise the cut for handling the source honestly rather than over-processing it. One owner reports a perfect pressing with no noise or defects.

Japanese pressings

Blue Note's catalogue was licensed to King Records and later Toshiba EMI in Japan across several series.

This title appeared as King GXF-3014 in 1977, a limited edition in King's higher-tier GXF series. King GXK-8058 followed between 1977 and 1980, in the larger "Blue Note Masterpiece Selection 150" series.

Toshiba EMI issued it again around 1983 in the "Blue Note BLP 1500 Series Part 1," catalogue BNJ-71010.

The earlier, more limited GXF series generally commands a premium over the larger-run GXK series among collectors of Japanese pressings. Copies are typically found with obi.

French pressing

A 1972 French reissue, catalogue BST 81.510 U, is a stereo LP, readily available and inexpensive.

That stereo is a reprocessing, since these 1947 sessions were recorded in mono. No sound reviews have surfaced and Discogs ratings sit around 3 out of 5. It is an affordable curiosity rather than an alternative to the Classic Vinyl or a mono original.

Pressings to avoid

No bootleg or notably compromised pressing of this title is widely documented.

Buyer's guide by budget

$: The Blue Note Classic Vinyl edition, as good as this material gets and the easiest recommendation here.

$$$: A Japanese King or Toshiba pressing with obi.

$$$$$: An original 1956 BLP 1510 first pressing in honest condition.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/120707-Thelonious-Monk-Genius-Of-Modern-Music

Related guides: Brilliant Corners · Monk's Dream · The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1