Monk’s Dream (album)

Monk's Dream is the first album jazz musician Thelonious Monk released on Columbia Records. It was issued in 1963.

"Bye-Ya" and "Bolivar Blues" were recorded on October 31, 1962; "Body and Soul" and "Bright Mississippi" on November 1; "Sweet and Lovely", "Just a Gigolo" and "Monk's Dream" on November 2; and "Five Spot Blues" on November 6.

"Bright Mississippi" is the only track on the album that Monk had not previously recorded.

"Bolivar Blues" was originally titled "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are", and had been on Monk's 1957 Riverside album, Brilliant Corners.

"Five Spot Blues" was originally called "Blues Five Spot" and had first appeared on the album Misterioso, which was recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe in New York in 1958 and released on Riverside.

"Monk's Dream", "Bye-Ya", and "Sweet and Lovely" had also been previously recorded by Monk for Prestige Records at a session ten years earlier.

Track listing
All compositions by Thelonious Monk except as indicated.

Side one

 * 1) "Monk's Dream" - 6:26
 * 2) "Body and Soul" (Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and Johnny Green) - 4:29
 * 3) "Bright Mississippi" - 8:34
 * 4) "Five Spot Blues" - 3:15

Side two

 * 1) "Bolivar Blues" - 7:30
 * 2) "Just a Gigolo" (Julius Brammer, Irving Caesar, Leonello Casucci) - 2:29
 * 3) "Bye-Ya" - 6:01
 * 4) "Sweet and Lovely" (Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules LeMare) 7:48

2002 CD Reissue
The 2002 CD Reissue added the following bonus tracks.
 * "Monk's Dream" [alternate take] - 5:16
 * "Body and Soul" [alternate take] (Eyton, Green, Heyman, Sour) - 5:12
 * "Bright Mississippi" [alternate take] - 10:23
 * "Blue Bolivar Blues" [alternate take] - 6:12

On the original “Columbia Jazz Masterpieces” CD issue on Columbia/CBS Records (CK 40786), the song “Bye-Ya” clocks in at 6:03. The 2002 re-mastered edition on the Columbia/Legacy imprint (CK 63536) contains a version which runs only 5.25.

The most obvious difference between the versions is the longer arrangement before the piano solo (which starts at 2.46 on the original CD but at 2.07 on the Legacy version). It is difficult to tell if the shorter version is an edit or a completely different take.

Personnel

 * Thelonious Monk - piano
 * Charlie Rouse - tenor sax
 * John Ore - bass
 * Frankie Dunlop - drums