Jazz fans, rejoice: The Library of Congress has discovered a treasure-trove of unreleased tapes featuring a 1957 Carnegie Hall performance by legendary saxophonist John Coltrane with pianist Thelonious Monk.
"It's profound. These tapes are a major find," Larry Appelbaum, a recording engineer and jazz specialist at the library, tells us. "They're extraordinary."
He recently discovered the mono-acetate tapes among material to be digitized as part of an audio preservation program. They also captured performances that same evening by Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and the Zoot Sims Quartet with Chet Baker.
The recordings, made by the Voice of America for broadcast overseas, have never been heard in the United States, the library said in its announcement last week. Researchers are welcome to hear the high-resolution digital files, which feature 55 minutes of the Monk Quartet with Coltrane. The set includes "Evidence," "Monk's Mood," "Crepuscule With Nellie," "Nutty" and "Epistrophy."
Appelbaum, who also has a jazz show on WPFW-FM, says "prospects look good" for the music's eventual commercial release. "We are optimistic that a record label will secure all necessary permissions and clearances to issue these performances."
He added: "It's too good to sit on a shelf."
What a great find! 
