This alternate take of "Epistrophy," the famous composition co-written by Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke, comes from the 1957 sessions for the album Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. The tune's distinctive ABCB form in D-flat, built on chromatically ascending and descending half-step motion, is one of the most recognizable themes in jazz, having served as Monk's closing number at countless performances. Coltrane takes a single chorus of tenor saxophone, navigating the composition's chromatic architecture with the intense focus that characterized his playing during his transformative period with Monk. His solo demonstrates how working with Monk forced him to think differently about harmony and melodic construction, pushing beyond the running eighth-note lines that had defined his earlier style. Ray Copeland follows with a trumpet chorus that handles the tune's demanding intervallic content with professionalism and poise. This alternate take offers a different perspective from the issued version, capturing the spontaneity and experimentation that defined these historic sessions. The Monk-Coltrane partnership, though it lasted only about six months, produced music of lasting significance, and these recordings document the creative ferment of their collaboration.
