| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [3] |
The Unique Thelonious Monk is a 1956 album by Thelonious Monk.[4] It was his second for Riverside Records, and, like his Riverside debut, is made up of standards. It was a continuation of Riverside's strategy to broaden consumer interest in Monk by having him record cover versions of well-known material which, Riverside hoped, would help to break down the prevailing perception that Monk's original music was "too difficult" for mass-market acceptance.
Riverside, at the time of the first re-issue, printed copies of the stamp that was featured on the cover art.[2] Some of these made their way through the United States Postal Service, which issued a restraining order against the company.[2] Monk was subsequently featured on a genuine stamp, which was issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1995.[5]
Track listing
Side One
- "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)" (George & Ira Gershwin, Gus Kahn) – 3:11
- "Memories of You" (Eubie Blake, Andy Razaf) – 4:15
- "Honeysuckle Rose" (Fats Waller, Andy Razaf) – 5:32
- "Darn That Dream" (Eddie DeLange, James Van Heusen) – 6:30
Side Two
- "Tea for Two" (Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar) – 5:52
- "You Are Too Beautiful" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 4:53
- "Just You, Just Me" (Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages) – 7:59
Personnel
- Thelonious Monk – piano
- Art Blakey – drums (except for track 2)
- Oscar Pettiford – bass (except for track 2)
References
- ^ a b "The Unique Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b c Kelley, Robin D.G. (2009). Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. New York: Free Press. p. 249.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Yanow, Scott (May 8, 2000). Bebop. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306083 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Thelonious Monk". U.S. Stamp Gallery. Retrieved September 4, 2019.