The Sony box presents a dramatic contrast to their superior Mingus collection. The six albums covered have a very consistent quartet personnel, which may be all right for all those fans of Charlie Rouse but otherwise detracts from often very fine work by the pianist and leader. There was much recycling of old material during the 1960s, despite the inclusion of some great new tunes, from ‘Bright Mississippi’ on the 1962 Monk's Dream to the closing Underground which included ‘Ugly Beauty’ and ‘Green Chimneys’ (the latter attempted but not issued a year earlier). The other disadvantage is that, though edited by Teo Macero for LP release, the versions used here are the remastered CDs produced by Orrin Keepnews, which not only include alternate takes but restores the overlong solos and bass interludes that Teo deleted. If the proposed separate box of live Columbia material ever surfaces, it would have similar problems – but at least the studio album with Oliver Nelson (Monk's Blues) is likely to fall by the wayside.

Much more enjoyable is the Phoenix version of Riverside's albums from the Five Spot, Thelonious In Action and Misterioso. (Just like the Miles Davis reviewed in Jazzwise 166, this expanded reissue is virtually identical in content and presentation to an earlier double-CD on the LoneHill Jazz label.) Though some at the time complained that Griffin was not Coltrane – and didn't try to be – the contrast between his effervescent contributions and the later Charlie Rouse is like day and night. In addition, on all except two bonus tracks, there's the enormous plus of Roy Haynes at the drums. As well as old Monk favourites, the repertoire here also has three then-new tunes in ‘Light Blue’, ‘Coming On The Hudson’ and two versions of ‘Blues Five Spot’. I know which of these reissues keeps me coming back for more.