{"product_id":"thelonious-monk-palo-alto","title":"Thelonious Monk - Palo Alto","description":"\u003cp\u003eThelonious Monk's Palo Alto captures one of the unlikeliest gigs in jazz history, a 1968 high school concert presented on a single LP in a gatefold jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe story sounds too good to be true. A 16-year-old student, Danny Scher, persuaded the great pianist to play his Palo Alto high school, partly to raise money and partly to bring a divided community together in a tense year. Monk turned up with his working quartet, the school janitor rolled tape on a reel-to-reel machine, and the recording then sat unheard for decades before finally surfacing in 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat it preserves is a band in superb form. Charlie Rouse's tenor saxophone weaves around Monk's angular chords, while Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums keep the floor steady underneath. Ruby, My Dear unfolds with tender patience, Well, You Needn't swings with playful, lopsided authority, and Blue Monk settles into a deep, unhurried groove. Epistrophy bounces along with sly, stop-start wit, every phrase landing exactly where you least expect it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePalo Alto plays like a found photograph from a turbulent year, four master musicians giving their all to a room full of teenagers who had no idea how lucky they were. On vinyl, it makes a lovely companion to Monk's celebrated studio sides.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57269574500657,"sku":"602507112844","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/Thelonious_Monk-Palo_Alto.jpg?v=1793640110","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/thelonious-monk-palo-alto","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}