Thelonious Monk: Bright Mississippi

One of the most fun tunes Monk wrote, Bright Mississippi is based on the melody and chord changes of Sweet Georgia Brown. The eight-minute version Monks quartet recorded at San Franciscos Jazz Workshop is an upbeat romp. Charlie Rouse, an underrated saxophonist who lived in Monks shadow, casts out a terrific, weaving solo before Monk gives up his own, smartly using both space and contrast. Larry Gales musters a long bass solo that never grows tiring, and Ben Riley brings it home with a drum solo that plays off Galess plucking. Nightclub jazz at its finest.