ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Here’s a five hour treat of Charlie Rouse.
Best known for his long association with Thelonious Monk in the 1960's, tenor saxophonist Rouse also had an extensive and varied career in modern jazz. He expressed a tone of warmth and lyrical sensitivity on his horn, which lent a suave element to the rhythmic and harmonic creativity of his performance.
Rouse was born in 1924 and raised in Washington, DC. He came of age as bebop began to flower, and made important early records with Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro and others. Mentored and influenced by Ben Webster, Rouse also played in Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, was a member of Duke Ellington’s organization in the late 1940's, and Count Basie’s Octet.
In the 1950's, after engaging in gigs ranging from Clifford Brown to rhythm and blues bands to trombonist Bennie Green, Rouse partnered with the French horn player Julius Watkins to form an adventurous chamber jazz group “Les Jazz Modes”.
Rouse joined Monk in 1959 and was in the regular working combo until 1970. Rouse’s style complemented Monk’s ingenuity, and they forged an intuitive collaboration that incisively presented the Thelonious sound.
After some time away, Rouse became a significant player on the jazz scene, especially with the cooperative quartet “Sphere” with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, and Ben Riley in the 1980's. However, stricken with cancer, Rouse died in 1988 at the age of 64.
originally broadcast October 16, 2016
