Thelonious Monk was 34 years old when he crossed the Atlantic for the first time. In that year of 1954, the American pianist, already considered a great trend-setter, was the guest of the Jazz Festival that takes place at the Salle Pleyel where he performed with drummer Jean-Louis Viale and bass player Jean-Marie Ingrand. This album released in 2017, Monk’s centennial year, offers the recording of five titles from this performance, but its true value lies elsewhere: Thelonious Monk solo on piano, that producer André Francis was wise enough to record. Even wiser since the musician had never been recorded solo before. And it’s like fireworks! Listening to such music blending chaos and passion, humor and intelligence is like watching a tightrope walker on the edge but of course never falling. And let’s not forget the genius of the compositions! All of Monk's art is already there, in this Parisian walk of 1954 that still sounds as modern as it did many decades ago… © MZ/Qobuz