Possessor of a distinctive tone and a fluid bop-oriented style,
Charlie Rouse was in
Thelonious Monk's Quartet for over a decade (1959-1970) and, although somewhat taken for granted, was an important ingredient in
Monk's music.
Rouse was always a modern player and he worked with
Billy Eckstine's 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 Ellington's Orchestra (1949-1950),
Count Basie's octet (1950), on sessions with
Clifford Brown in 1953, and with
Oscar Pettiford's 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 Rouse's unique sound began to finally get some recognition during the 1980s. He participated on
Carmen McRae's classic
Carmen Sings Monk album and his last recording was at a
Monk tribute concert. ~ Scott Yanow