Alone In San Francisco

“Alone In San Francisco” is perhaps the finest of Thelonious Monk’s solo albums. The album features Monk in superb form, performing a mixture of originals and standards in the reverberant Fugazi Hall, also a favourite venue of the Beat Poets and namechecked in Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”. Hearing Monk play unaccompanied emphasizes both his rhythmic playfulness and his oddly beautiful harmonic approach. For collectors, it’s the only chance to hear two Monk originals, “Round Lights” and “Bluehawk,” as well as his gorgeous reinvention of the cheesy 1930 ballad “There’s Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie”. So if you want to indulge in some quiet solitude, let Monk keep you company.

This is a recent reissue, used but in great shape.