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Epistrophy
Live album by Charlie Rouse
Released	1989
Recorded	October 10, 1988
Venue	Bimbo´s 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
Genre	Jazz
Length	63:49
Label	Landmark LLP/LCD 1521
Producer	Orrin Keepnews
Charlie Rouse chronology
Soul Mates (1993) Epistrophy (1989)

Epistrophy, sub-titled The Last Concert, is a live album by saxophonist Charlie Rouse which was recorded in 1988 in San Francisco and released on Orrin Keepnews' Landmark label the following year.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
MusicHound Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "This historic event... finds Rouse in prime form despite the fact that he had just seven weeks to live... The date was special from the start, with producer Orrin Keepnews getting Rouse to say a few words to the audience about his time with Monk... A historic occasion that resulted in near-classic music; highly recommended".

Duck Baker of Jazz Times wrote: "The sentimental interest of this last date... is matched by music of considerable value. Rouse knew his time was short, and some of his playing... is very emotional. Kudos to George Cables and Jessica Williams... for very fine and appropriately monastic piano work."

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings noted that Rouse "runs through the songbook... with magisterial calm," and commented: "Rouse invests each of the numbers with the kind of rhythmic slant that is inalienably bound up with Monk's legacy."

Track listing

All compositions by Thelonious Monk except where noted.

1. Some Words About Monk – 3:11
2. "Nutty" – 6:55
3. "Ruby, My Dear" – 7:46
4. "Blue Monk" – 9:11
5. "In Walked Bud" – 9:27
6. "´Round Midnight" – 16:16
7. "Epistrophy" (Monk, Kenny Clarke) – 11:03

Personnel

• Charlie Rouse - tenor saxophone (tracks 2-4, 6 & 7)
• Don Cherry – trumpet (tracks 6 & 7)
• Buddy Montgomery – vibraphone (tracks 5-7)
• George Cables (tracks 2, 3 & 5-7), Jessica Williams (track 4) – piano
• Jeff Chambers – bass (tracks 2-7)
• Ralph Penland – drums (tracks 2-7)

References

1. Fitzgerald, M., Landmark Records listing accessed May 4, 2018
2. Charlie Rouse discography accessed May 4, 2018
3. Don Cherry discography Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine accessed May 4, 2018
4. Jazzlists: Landmark 1500 series discography, accessed February 4, 2019
5. ^ Yanow, Scott. Charlie Rouse: Epistrophy – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
6. Holtje, Steve; Lee, Nancy Ann (1998). MusicHound: The Essential Album Guide. Schirmer. p. 978.
7. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1994). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette. Penguin Books. p. 1120.
8. Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 584.
9. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 913.
10. Baker, Duck (December 1, 1997). "Charlie Rouse: Epistrophy". Jazz Times. Retrieved November 30, 2022.

• Landmark Records live albums
• Charlie Rouse live albums
• 1989 live albums
• Albums produced by Orrin Keepnews