"In Walked Bud" was recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe on August 7, 1958, for Thelonious Monk's album Misterioso. Named for pianist Bud Powell, one of Monk's closest musical associates, this 32-bar AABA composition in A-flat features extended solos from all four members of the quartet. Johnny Griffin delivers a staggering eight choruses of tenor saxophone, his playing a torrent of ideas that range from blazing bebop lines to bluesy wails. Monk follows with three piano choruses of characteristic brilliance, his angular melodies and rhythmic displacements transforming the familiar AABA structure into a landscape of constant surprise. Ahmed Abdul-Malik takes two bass choruses, and Roy Haynes closes with two drum choruses of extraordinary musical logic. The piece holds special significance as a tribute from one bebop pioneer to another, Monk's affection for Powell evident in the warmth and swagger of the composition itself. This live recording at the Five Spot captures the quartet at the peak of their powers, the extended solo format allowing each musician to make a substantial improvisational statement in a setting that crackled with creative energy.
