Monk's Dream / Four In One / Monk's Mood / Jackie-ing / Trinkle, Tinkle / Bye-Ya / Epistrophy* / Thelonious. / Little Rootie Tootie* / Locomotive*/Skippy*. 45:56.
Neidlinger, b; Marty Krystall, ts, b cl; Brenton Banks, p; Billy Osborne, d; Hugh Schick, tpt; Jerry Peters, kybd William Jefferey, d. circa 1988, Santa Monica, CA. *Hollywood, CA.
Although Buell Neidlinger is not exactly a household name, his recordings have been covered in these pages to the point where most regular readers should be semi-conversant with his work. Here we find him and his long-standing musical cohort Marty Krystall fronting the veteran quartet of over a decade known as Thelonious that is dedicated to continuing the Monkian legacy by performing compositions strictly from his pen. The initial six titles stem from a live radio broadcast at KCRW studios with Krystall's razor-sharp tenor very much in attendance while Neidlinger's upright takes the first ride on "Monk's Dream" and walks a spot a la Leroy Vinnegar on the following "Four In One." The piano of Brenton Banks echoes the honoree in many places and drummer Osborne struts some parade traps on "Jackie-ing." The other five Monk charts are sound board tapings from a concert at Hollywood's Palace Theatre. This is the quintet with trumpet man Hugh Schick, Jerry Peters on keyboards and trapster William Jefferey. The use of the portable electronic keys, often in an organ setting, added a unique timbre and made me wonder what the Cat in the Hat would have sounded like seated behind a Hammond B-3. The mind boggles. Krystall forsakes his tenor on "Epistrophy" and "Locomotive" for the bass clarinet, which supplies even more fresh sonics to the occasion. Nothing against the fine quartet that precedes this but I could take an entire CD of this group and still want more. Easily recommended for both sets.
– Larry Hollis
