A couple of months ago, we reported that the Library of Congress had discovered some unknown tapes of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane performing together for a 1957 Voice of America broadcast (see previous JazzTimes article Unreleased Monk and Coltrane Tapes Found). Negotiations for their commercial release have recently been completed and, if all goes well, the tapes will be available Sept. 27.
Blue Note was the victor in the battle with Sony/BMG’s Legacy and Verve for ownership rights of the recording. The tentatively-titled Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane: 1957 Concert will be released jointly by both Blue Note and Thelonious Records, the label founded by Monk’s son T.S., also a former Blue Note recording artist. Blue Note also owns the rights to early Monk recordings.
Mail-order label Mosaic will likely release the album on vinyl in October.
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