Charlie Rouse was an American tenor saxophonist born in Washington, D.C. in 1924. He is best remembered for his eleven-year tenure in the Thelonious Monk Quartet from 1959 to 1970, the longest partnership of any horn player with Monk. Rouse developed a distinctive, angular tone and rhythmic approach ideally suited to Monk's compositions, and his playing on landmark Monk albums helped define the sound of that repertoire. Before joining Monk, Rouse gained experience in the big bands of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, and recorded with Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro, and Clifford Brown. He co-led the Jazz Modes with French horn player Julius Watkins from 1956 to 1959. As a composer, Rouse wrote pieces rooted in the blues and hard bop traditions, including Lil Rousin', Billy's Blues, and Rouse's Point, all featured on AllSolos. After Monk's retirement, Rouse continued performing and in 1979 co-founded Sphere, a group dedicated to Monk's music. He died in 1988 at the age of sixty-four.
