Charlie Rouse

by Scott Yanow
Possessor of a distinctive tone and a fluid bop-oriented style, Charlie Rouse was in Thelonious Monks Quartet for over a decade (1959-1970) and, although somewhat taken for granted, was an important ingredient in Monks music. Rouse was always a modern player and he worked with Billy Eckstines orchestra (1944) and the first Dizzy Gillespie big band (1945), making his recording debut with Tadd Dameron in 1947. Rouse popped up in a lot of important groups including Duke Ellingtons Orchestra (1949-1950), Count Basies octet (1950), on sessions with Clifford Brown in 1953, and with Oscar Pettifords sextet (1955). He co-led the Jazz Modes with Julius Watkins (1956-1959), and then joined Monk for a decade of extensive touring and recordings. In the 1970s he recorded a few albums as a leader, and in 1979 he became a member of Sphere. Charlie Rouses unique sound began to finally get some recognition during the 1980s. He participated on Carmen McRaes classic Carmen Sings Monk album and his last recording was at a Monk tribute concert.