As mentioned below in the description, this album was in 1967 but on Vinyl only. This 1996 version of the “Straight No Chaser” has restored several songs to their original length and added THREE bonus songs never released before (“This Is My Story, This Is My Song” is better known by the title “Blessed Assurance.” It is a classic album release that will become very rare as time goes by because of its originality. All the Jazz Con Class Radio listeners and readers here should purchase this album, it is very unique and could be his best, believe it or not.
About the album:
This CD reissue of one of Thelonious Monk’s most accessible (and commercially successful) albums differs greatly from the 1967 LP. Besides previously unavailable takes of Duke Ellington’s “I Didn’t Know About You,” Monk’s own “Green Chimneys” and the rare and exquisite piano solo “This Is My Story, This Is My Song,” the CD includes previously unheard takes of three of the album’s original six tracks. The time differences in these versions are substantial: the title track is lengthened by nearly a minute, the classic “We See” by 2:47 and “Japanese Folk Song (Kojo No Tsuki)” by a whopping 5:41. (For purists, Columbia reissued the original album on vinyl in 1998.) As always, the more Monk the better, but the added material is particularly welcome in this case……Read More
