All-Analog 180g Vinyl LP Reissue Mastered from the Original Master Tapes by Kevin Gray and Pressed at RTI!

Recorded at the tail end of 1962 and originally issued in 1963, Monk's Dream served as Thelonious Monk's debut for Columbia Records after releases for Blue Note, Prestige and Riverside. Working with producer Teo Macero and featured in a quartet setting with Charlie Rouse (tenor saxophone), John Ore (bass), and Frankie Dunlop, (drums), Monk's Dream was the best selling LP of Monk's lifetime, ultimately contributing to his appearance on the cover of Time magazine in 1964.

The eight-song set features five Monk originals including the rhythmically complex "Five Spot Blues" and "Bolivar Blues," as well as a pair of solo sides sans accompaniment in "Just A Gigolo" and "Body and Soul." Although a majority of the tracks had been previously recorded in various live settings with different titles, this quartet is regarded by many as one of the best groups Monk was ever associated with and it is their studio interpretations of the material that remain the definitive versions and add up to one of Monk's signature albums!

Mastered from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI, Impex Records' all-analog 180g vinyl LP reissue allows full immersion in Monk & Co.'s telepathy. Tight, controlled bass lays low under supple mids and crisp highs in ways even the best original pressing can't touch.

"If this record doesn't get your feet tapping and your head nodding (and not as in "out"!) I'm not sure what would... The recording trades natural space for honest tonality and incredible immediacy and excellent dynamics. Where Monk solos on the standards he gets a big spread across the stage almost taken from his keyboard perspective... Here the transparency, immediacy and transient clarity surpass that of the original and without losing any of the original's more attractive qualities. The reissue is surely lower in distortion on the dynamic peaks and the blacker backgrounds heighten the instrumental relief... A great reissue and very highly recommended... If you have no Monk albums, this would be a good place to start." - Michael Fremer, www.analogplanet.com, Music 9/10, Sound 9/10!

"Produced by Teo Macero, Monk's Dream was the first LP for his new label, and would also become the best selling of Monk's career... The sound here, as compared to original mono and stereo pressings, is more dynamically nimble and present, as well as tonally somewhat cooler. But if the early LPs sound warmer, they also have a hooded coloration that floats over the sound, making them sound more homogenized, and not as lively as this fine Impex reissue." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, Music 4/5, Sonics 3.5/5

"The sound of this new issue is to die for and then some. Impex releases only a handful of LPs each year, but its track record for taste and great sound is unrivaled. Perfect in every way!" - Dennis Davis, HiFi+, 10 out of 10 for Recording & Music

Musicians:
Thelonious Monk, piano
Charlie Rouse, tenor saxophone
John Ore, bass
Frankie Dunlop, drums