Thelonious Monk once famously said "the piano ain't got no wrong notes", and this mantra is evident in his playing: full of angular, challenging harmonies combined with a harsh and percussive technique. Though his style of playing was unorthodox, he could also play runs and arpeggios with great speed and accuracy. All in all Monk would prove to be a long-lasting influence on jazz piano.

All this is highlighted on 1967's Straight, No Chaser, Monk's sixth album for Columbia. On it, you'll find the album's namesake "Straight, No Chaser", a composition by Thelonious himself that became one of the most important blues-based standards in the jazz repertoire.

Furthermore, the album features "Japanese Folk Song", a two-century old tune that Ryan Gosling's character is practicing in the movie La La Land. Charlie Rouse plays the tenor saxophone and the liner notes are written by jazz writer and producer Orrin Keepnews.

Straight, No Chaser is available as a limited edition of 2500 individually numbered copies on transparent vinyl and comes in a deluxe, heavy duty sleeve.[info sheet from distr.]