Epistrophy is an album of solo piano performances of material written by, or associated with, Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...

 by the American jazz pianist Ran Blake

Ran Blake

Ran Blake is an American pianist and composer from Springfield, Massachusetts. In a career that spans five decades, Blake has created a unique niche in improvised music as an artist and educator...

 recorded in 1991 and released on the Italian Soul Note

Black Saint/Soul Note

Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian jazz independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz.-History:...

 label.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow

Scott Yanow

Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...

 awarded the album 3 stars stating "Ran Blake's re-interpretations of 12 Thelonious Monk songs and four standards that Monk enjoyed playing are quite different than everyone else's".

Track listing

All compositions by Thelonious Monk except as indicated

1. "Epistrophy
   Epistrophy
   "Epistrophy" is a jazz standard composed by Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke in 1942. It has been called "the first classic, modern jazz composition."Its 'A' section is based on a pattern of alternating chords a semitone apart....
   
   " (Kenny Clarke
   Kenny Clarke
   Kenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
   
   , Monk) - 3:08
2. "Thelonious" - 5:18
3. "April in Paris
   April in Paris (song)
   "April in Paris" is a song composed by Vernon Duke with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg in 1932 for the Broadway musical, Walk A Little Faster. The original 1933 hit was performed by Freddy Martin, and the 1952 remake was by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, whose version made the Cashbox Top 50.Composer Alec...
   
   " (Vernon Duke
   Vernon Duke
   Vernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...
   
   , E. Y. Harburg) - 3:06
4. "Off Minor" - 1:39
5. "Criss-Cross" - 2:18
6. "Reflections" - 3:43
7. "Epistrophy" (Clarke, Monk) - 3:36
8. "'Round Midnight
   'Round Midnight (song)
   Round Midnight" is a 1944 jazz standard by pianist Thelonious Monk. Jazz artists Cootie Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Pepper, and Miles Davis have further embellished the song, with songwriter Bernie Hanighen adding lyrics...
   
   " - 5:50
9. "Hornin' In" - 0:56
10. "Just a Gigolo
    Just a Gigolo (song)
    "Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", written in 1928 by Leonello Casucci and Julius Brammer .-History:...
    
    " (Julius Brammer
    Julius Brammer
    Julius Brammer was an Austrian librettist and lyricist. Some of his better-known works were written in conjunction with the composers Emmerich Kálmán, Oscar Straus, Leo Ascher, Edmund Eysler and Robert Stolz....
    
    , Leonello Casucci
    Leonello Casucci
    Leonello Casucci was a composer.Casucci is best known for composing the music of the world-famous song "Schöner Gigolo" in 1929, with lyrics by Julius Brammer). The English lyrics for "Just a Gigolo" were provided by Irving Caesar....
    
    ) - 3:10
11. "Nice Work If You Can Get It
    Nice Work If You Can Get It (song)
    "Nice Work If You Can Get It" is a popular song.The music was written by George Gershwin, the lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was one of nine songs George Gershwin wrote for the movie A Damsel in Distress, in which it was performed by Fred Astaire with backing vocals provided by The Stafford Sisters...
    
     (George Gershwin
    George Gershwin
    George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
    
    , Ira Gershwin
    Ira Gershwin
    Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
    
    ) - 3:46
12. "Ruby, My Dear" - 2:59
13. "Monk's Mood" - 5:12
14. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
    Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
    "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...
    
    " (Otto Harbach
    Otto Harbach
    Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach was an American lyricist and librettist of about 50 musical comedies...
    
    , Jerome Kern
    Jerome Kern
    Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
    
    ) - 2:47
15. "Eronel" - 2:27
16. "Misterioso" - 3:08
17. "Epistrophy" (Clarke, Monk) - 1:17
    • Recorded at Barigozzi Studio in Milano, Italy on April 19 & 20, 1991