THELONIUS MONK—April In Paris (Milestone):: This live two-fer recorded in Paris in April ’61, has the weirdest format...after a solid first side consisting of long and short pieces by quartet and solo piano, each of the three remaining sides features two Monk standards clocking in at circa 10 minutes apiece, all six cuts having the identical solo line up—tenor saxist Charlie Rouse, Monk, and walking bass solo by John Ore, a longish one on the traps by Frankie Dunlop. The monotony produced by this approach makes the album difficult to listen to in one sitting—and why the Parisian audience didn’t riot, or at least mumble ominously (“Mon Dieu, Francois, again he walks the bass!”), is a mystery. Too bad too, because this group, with Rouse’s pragmatic post-bop style and Dunlop’s whimsical accompanying accents, was Monk’s finest (Check out “Monk’s Dream” and “CrissCross,” still available on Columbia...) R.C.W.