Misterioso is a 1958 live album by American jazz ensemble the Thelonious Monk
Quartet. By the time of its recording, pianist and
composer Thelonious Monk had overcome an extended period of career difficulties,
including the loss of his cabaret card. After a six-month residency at the New York City's Five Spot Café in 1957, he returned the following year for a second stint with his
quartet, featuring drummer Roy Haynes, bassist Ahmed
Abdul-Malik, and tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin. Along with Thelonious in
Action (1958), Misterioso
captured portions of the ensemble's August 7 show at the venue.
The title of Misterioso referred to Monk's
reputation as an enigmatic, challenging musician. The album's cover art, which
appropriated Giorgio de
Chirico's 1915 painting The Seer, was part of
Riverside's attempt to capitalize on Monk's popularity with listeners such as
the intellectual and bohemian audiences at the Five Spot Café. The record
features four of his earlier compositions, which Monk reworked live. It was one
of the first successful live recordings of his music and was produced by Orrin Keepnews, who said that Monk played more distinctly than on his studio albums in
response to the audience's enthusiasm.
Misterioso was released in 1958 by Riverside
Records to a mixed critical reaction; reviewers
complimented Monk's performance but were critical of Griffin, whose playing
they felt was out of place with the quartet. The album was remastered and
reissued in 1989 and 2012 by Original Jazz
Classics, and has since received
retrospective acclaim from critics, some of whom viewed Griffin's playing as
the record's highlight.
