Thelonious Monk Trio

About Thelonious Monk Trio

Thelonious Monk Trio is an album by American jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. The album features his earliest recordings for Prestige Records, performing as a soloist with a rhythm section of bassist Gary Mapp (originally credited as "Gerry Mapp"), either Art Blakey or Max Roach on drums, and one track with Percy Heath replacing Mapp. It also contains the earliest recorded versions of the jazz standards "Blue Monk" and "Bemsha Swing". Secondary sources have placed the album's release year to either 1954 or 1956. It was Monk's first proper studio album and has been re-released numerous times, occasionally under the title Monk's Moods and with different track orders. Its track listing expands on the 10" mini-lp Thelonious (1953), augmented with two tracks from his fourth 10" mini-lp, Thelonious Monk Plays (with Percy Heath and Art Blakey), released in 1954. more »