The familiar "formula" that Monk utilized throughout most of his '60s tenure at Columbia was firmly in place on this, his fourth album for the label. But that recipe--originals sprinkled with covers, played by a quartet of familiar sidemen (veteran tenor sax accomplice Charlie Rouse, newer compatriots Ben Riley on drums, and bassist Larry Gales)--proves deceptively facile on the expanded reissue of this 1965 album. While Gershwin's elegant "Liza" and the standard "April in Paris" are perfect fodder for the pianist's harmonic and rhythmic tweaking, his playful take on the children's song "That Old Man" ably demonstrates how the musician could recast even the most foursquare composition in his own likeness. Even more revealing is Monk's solo exploration of the hoary "I Love You (Sweetheart of My Dreams)," a performance where his left hand seems to mine the stride foundations of his beloved J.P. Johnson, while his right flits restlessly in a different half-century. Rouse takes rewarding turns in the spotlight on "Just You, Just Me" and "Pannonica" (the latter normally a Monk solo excursion), a track that's also featured in a previously unreleased bonus outtake, along with the first take of "April in Paris," cuts that ably attest to Monk's mercurial range within a single session. The bonus, a largely improvised medley of "Just You, Just Me/Liza," also stands as testament to the intuitive bond between Monk and Rouse.
