"Misterioso" is the title track of Thelonious Monk's 1958 live album recorded at the Five Spot Cafe. This iconic Monk composition, built on a 12-bar blues in B-flat with its distinctive ascending and descending sixth intervals, is one of the most recognizable themes in jazz. Johnny Griffin delivers a monumental ten-chorus tenor saxophone solo at a slow blues tempo, his improvisations ranging from whispered, breathy phrases to full-throated declarations, the extended format allowing him to explore the entire emotional range of the blues. Monk follows with three piano choruses of characteristic depth and originality, his use of whole-tone scales, angular melodies, and rhythmic displacement lending the blues an almost cubist quality. The slow tempo demands patience and creativity from both soloists, and each responds with performances of remarkable invention and emotional honesty. Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Roy Haynes provide a deep, swinging groove that supports the soloists without intruding. Misterioso exemplifies Monk's genius for transforming the simplest musical forms into vehicles for profound artistic expression.
