The seven-song
Unique Thelonious Monk (1956) platter was the pianist's second during his remarkable five-year tenure on
Riverside. His debut for the label was the aptly titled
Plays Duke Ellington (1955) and once again, on this disc,
Monk's song selection did not feature any original compositions. Rather, the well-chosen
standards included exemplify and help further establish the pianist and bandleader within the context of familiar melodies at the head of a trio -- consisting of
Oscar Pettiford (bass) and
Art Blakey (drums). Regarding the personnel, while
Pettiford had also accompanied
Monk on the
Ellington sides,
Blakey replaces
Kenny Clarke. The pairing of
Monk and
Blakey cannot be overstated. Immediately, evidence of their uncanny instrumental interaction is the rhythmic focal point of
"Liza, All the Clouds'll Roll Away" as the two play musical cat-and-mouse. They cajole and wheedle atop
Pettiford's undulating undercurrent as it sonically corals their skilled syncopation and otherwise inspired mile-a-minute interjections. This is starkly contrast to the haunting, lyrical piano solo on
"Memories of You." Monk infuses the piece with such profound ingenuity and integrity that his re-evaluation and innovative arrangement are singularly and undeniably his own.
Fats Waller's
"Honeysuckle Rose" reels with a frolicking and ever-so-slightly inebriated gate. It is likewise highlighted by
Monk's dreamlike single-note runs up and down the keyboard and the
stride piano-style chord progressions that preserves a fluidity within the tune. The advanced score maintains a guise of almost goofy abandon within
Monk's highly logical and well-sculpted musical structure. The juxtaposition of
"Darn That Dream" is another study in the vacillating moods of
The Unique Thelonious Monk. The sophisticated performance is understated, yet remains loose and limber and perfectly in keeping with the album's leitmotif of exploring
Monk's skills as an arranger and musician. As if he were testing his audience, the manic and atonal opening to
"Tea for Two" -- briefly featuring
Pettiford on bowed upright bass -- rollicks with a youthful visage, rather than being a simple reworking of this well-established classic. This LP concludes with one of
Monk's most memorable pieces on the fun and freewheeling
"Just You, Just Me." The trio struts and glides as
Monk's intricate fingering simultaneously displays his physical dexterity as well as his ability to play so deftly in the moment. Both attributes would resurface ten-fold once
Monk began to animate his own compositions on the genre-defining
Brilliant Corners (1956). ~ Lindsay Planer
