Thelonious Himself is a mostly solo set by pianist Thelonious Monk. Monk s hesitant stride and thoughtful yet very unpredictable flights are always a joy to hear. He performs a variety of swing standards (including April in Paris and I m Getting Sentimental over You ), his blues Functional and as a bonus track, there is an alternate take of Round Midnight from the earlier date. The one non-solo track is Monk s Mood, a ballad that finds Monk joined by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and bassist Wilbur Ware. The overall results are not quite essential but they should greatly interest Thelonious Monk fans who do not have his huge Riverside box set. [Originally released in 1957, Thelonious Himself was reissued on CD in 1988 and again in 2006.]

Tracklisting:

Tracks

Thelonious Himself (1957)
01 - I Don t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
02 - I Should Care
03 - Round Midnight
04 - Arpril In Paris
05 - Functional
06 - I m Getting Sentimental Over You
07 - All Alone
08 - Monk s Mood

Portrait Of An Ermite (1954)
09 - Well You Needn t
10 - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
11 - Off Minor
12 - Round Midnight
13 - Eronel
14 - Reflections
15 - We See
16 - Hackensack
17 - Evidence