Thelonious Monk Quartet

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After being considered too “far out” during the bebop era and going through a period of neglect in the 1950s, Thelonious Monk became a surprisingly popular attraction starting in 1957 when John Coltrane was a member of his quartet.

The reason that it was surprising was that the innovative pianist and composer’s music was virtually unchanged after 1947; he simply had to wait for the rest of the music world to catch up to him.

By 1961 when he toured Europe, Monk was widely recognized as a musical giant and was nearing the peak of his fame.

This rare television broadcast from Bussum, Holland on Apr. 15, 1961 features Monk, his long-time tenor-saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore, and drummer Frankie Dunlop performing “Nutty,” “Bemsha Swing,” an incomplete “Crepuscule With Nellie,” and “I Mean You.”

While the film goes blank briefly before and after “Crepuscule,” the full-length versions of “Nutty,” “Bemsha Swing,” and an uptempo “I Mean You” are classic.

-Scott Yanow

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