Criss Cross (album)

Criss Cross
Studio album by Thelonious Monk
Released	1963
Genre	Jazz
Length	35:19
Label	Columbia
Producer	Teo Macero
Thelonious Monk chronology
Monk's Dream (1963) Criss Cross (1963) Monk in Tokyo (1963)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	(favorable)[1]
Allmusic	[2]

Criss Cross is Thelonious Monk's 26th album and his second with Columbia Records.^[3] The album consists of previously released Monk compositions that were re-recorded and re-released under Columbia Records by the Thelonious Monk Quintet.

History

Monk was known for his uniquely playful jazz style that centered around playing notes that did not always correspond to the particular chord or key that being played by the rest of the band. Before entering the studio to record this album, a journalist reportedly asked Monk if he would be recording a new solo rendition of the classic song "Don't Blame Me", to which he replied, "Maybe, it depends on how I feel when I get there."^{[citation needed]} Monk recorded his solo version of "Don't Blame Me" right after arriving at the studio.

Criss Cross is a swing influenced bop album featuring complex melodies and harmonies, Monk's unique style of stride piano, and his unique ideas on pitch qualities for his improvisations. The title track "Criss Cross" is one of his more critically acclaimed compositions. For this recording, Monk cut out two bars from the original music in order to speed up the overall feel of the piece. It also features Monk's highly personal use of rhythmic displacement. "Eronel" is a distinctly bop tune that is fast-paced and showcases Monk's virtuousic stride style piano playing. The track "Crepuscule with Nellie" was a piece Monk had written for his wife.

Criss Cross is an album in Monk's career that represents his slow decline throughout the late 1960s until his death. Rumors of mental illness were common, especially considering his erratic and playful style of improvisation. At this point in his career, Monk released very few new compositions, mostly just re-workings of old tunes for big label release under Columbia Records.^[4]

The track "Pannonica" is available only on CD re-issue and named for Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter.

Track listing

All songs composed by Thelonious Monk unless otherwise noted.

1. "Hackensack" – 4:12
2. "Tea for Two" (Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar) – 3:46
3. "Criss Cross" – 4:52
4. "Eronel" (Monk, Idrees Sulieman, Sadik Hakim) – 4:29
5. "Rhythm-A-Ning" – 3:53
6. "Don't Blame Me" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) – 7:04
7. "Think of One" – 5:17
8. "Crepuscule with Nellie" – 2:45

CD reissue bonus track:

9. "Pannonica" – 6:46

Personnel

• Thelonious Monk — piano
• Charlie Rouse — tenor saxophone
• John Ore — bass
• Frankie Dunlop — drums

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1963	The Billboard 200	127

References

1. ^ All About Jazz review
2. ^ Allmusic review
3. ^ Allmusic entry for Criss-Cross Accessed September 2009.
4. ^ Criss Cross 1st 8 Bars Accessed September 2009.