The Wake

At Carnegie Hall may be 2005’s most unexpected release, as well as one of its best. Long thought to be lost, the recordings of this concert were unearthed at the Library of Congress and released by Blue Note Records this fall.

The collaboration of Monk and Coltrane, the former a brilliant composer/pianist and the latter a visionary soloist, is breathtaking. Their interplay on this live recording is so seemingly natural that their studio sessions are stiff by comparison. One listen to the opening track, “Monk’s Mood,” and you’ll wish that Coltrane’s tenure with this quartet had resulted in something more long-lived.

Regardless of your take on Monk’s use of dissonance (represented here by the track “Epistrophy”), John Coltrane’s unmistakable tenor sound will keep you listening to this record. Rhythm players Ahmed Abdul-Malik (bass) and Shadow Wilson (drums) are solid, but remain in the background for the most part. Admittedly, it’s hard to outshine a Thelonious Monk piano run or a blistering, soulful solo by John Coltrane.

Absent from the record are some of Monk’s more popular tunes, notably the rendition of “Ruby, My Dear” that the two had recorded, but it doesn’t matter. These pioneers could be playing a major scale in unison and it would sound like nothing you had ever heard before. Almost half a century later (the concert was given in November of 1957), this show sounds fresh, a testament to the abilities and vision of both artists. I think it’s safe to say that you need to hear this record.