Thelonious Monk’s early recordings box-set out soon: Video

Craft Recordings, the Catalog Division of Concord Music, is releasing a limited-edition box set titled The Compete 10-inch LP Collection on December 15.

The collection will include all five of the 10” vinyl LP the pianist and composer recorded for the Prestige jazz label, spanning 1952 and 1954. They are: Thelonious (recorded in 1952), Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP (recorded in 1953), and Thelonious Monk Quintet, Thelonious Monk Plays, and Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk (recorded in 1954).

Each album in has been carefully restored and remastered from the original analog tapes and will be released in high-res and standard audio formats across all streaming on digital platforms. The Complete 10-inch LP Collection box set will include a booklet with new liner noted by Robin D.G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. Monk would have turned 30 this year and remains one of the most highly regarded jazz artists in history, known for his unique style on and off the piano.

In 2017, Concord Bicycle Music announced the establishment of Craft Recordings as its reissue label, rebranding the company’s growing catalog division to better serve its vast collection of historically significant and musically diverse master recordings and compositions. Drawing from a rich and storied repertoire that includes both legendary artists and labels, Craft Recordings offers a tightly curated selection of deluxe CD and vinyl box sets, hi-resolution digital albums, as well as stand-alone LPs. Using the original analog masters whenever possible, the company creates thoughtfully produced, detailed packaging with a commitment to preservation and a meticulous devotion to quality. Further, Craft Recordings continues to partner with artists and estates to preserve and enhance the musical heritage of these landmark recordings and compositions.

In recent years, Concord Bicycle Music has continued to expand its catalog holdings and is now home to a remarkable collection of titles that includes the music of seminal alt-rock band R.E.M., super group The Traveling Wilburys (George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison), celebrated folk and jazz label Vanguard, country powerhouse Sugar Hill Records, and more. These additions join a celebrated family of historic imprints, including Fantasy, Rounder, Stax, Milestone, Prestige, Nitro, Riverside, Specialty, Telarc and Vee-Jay Records, all now under the Craft Recordings label.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu1VjPKLylY