The Story
Charlie Rouse, Sr.
Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years.
Biography
Charlie Rouse was born in Washington, D.C., United States. He initially studied the clarinet before transitioning to the tenor saxophone, the instrument with which he would become most closely identified.
Rouse began his professional career in 1944 with the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. He subsequently performed with many of the most significant ensembles in jazz history, including the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band in 1945, the Duke Ellington Orchestra from 1949 to 1950, the Count Basie Octet in 1950, Bull Moose Jackson and His Buffalo Bearcats in 1953, and the Oscar Pettiford Sextet in 1955. He made his recording debut with Tadd Dameron in 1947 and, in 1957, recorded a notable album with Paul Quinichette.
From 1959 to 1970, Rouse was a core member of Thelonious Monk’s quartet, a collaboration that would define a significant chapter of his career and cement his place in jazz history. In the 1980s, he became a founding member of the group Sphere, which was formed as a tribute to Monk’s music and legacy.
Charlie Rouse died of lung cancer on November 30, 1988, at University Hospital in Seattle. He was 64 years old.
Honors
In recognition of his lasting contributions to jazz, the asteroid 10426 Charlierouse was officially named in his honor by American astronomer Joe Montani of Spacewatch, who discovered it in 1999. Earlier, in 1994, Montani had also discovered and named the asteroid 11091 Thelonious, further commemorating Rouse’s close artistic association with Thelonious Monk.
Discography
As leader
• 1956: Jazzville Vol. 1 (Dawn) – shared LP with Gene Quill-Dick Sherman Quintet
• 1956: Les Jazz Modes (Dawn)
• 1957: The Chase Is On (Bethlehem) with Paul Quinichette
• 1957: Mood in Scarlet (Dawn)
• 1958: Just Wailin’ (New Jazz) with Herbie Mann, Kenny Burrell and Mal Waldron
• 1958: The Most Happy Fella (Atlantic)
• 1959: The Jazz Modes (Atlantic)
• 1960: Takin’ Care of Business (Jazzland)
• 1960: Yeah! (Epic) – reissued as Unsung Hero in 1990 with tracks from We Paid Our Dues
• 1961: We Paid Our Dues (Epic) – shared LP with Seldon Powell
• 1962: Bossa Nova Bacchanal (Blue Note)
• 1973: Two Is One (Strata-East)
• 1977: Cinnamon Flower (Casablanca) – also released as Brazil (Douglas Records)
• 1977: Moment’s Notice (Storyville)
• 1981: The Upper Manhattan Jazz Society (Enja) - released 1985
• 1984: Social Call (Uptown) with Red Rodney
• 1988: Soul Mates (Uptown) with Sahib Shihab – released 1993
• 1988: Epistrophy (Landmark)
With Julius Watkins as Les Jazz Modes/The Jazz Modes
• 1956: Jazzville Vol. 1 (Dawn) – shared LP with Gene Quill-Dick Sherman Quintet
• 1956: Les Jazz Modes (Dawn)
• 1957: Mood in Scarlet (Dawn)
• 1958: The Most Happy Fella (Atlantic)
• 1959: The Jazz Modes (Atlantic)
With Sphere
• 1982: Four in One (Elektra/Musician)
• 1983: Flight Path (Elektra/Musician)
• 1985: Sphere On Tour (Red)
• 1986: Pumpkin’s Delight (Red, 1986 [released 1993])
• 1987: Four for All (Verve)
• 1988: Bird Songs (Verve)
As sideman
With Billy Eckstine’s Orchestra
• The Great Mr. Billy Eckstine and his All-Star Band (1944)
With Dizzy Gillespie
• Big Band (1945)
With Tadd Dameron
• Sextet (1947)
With Fats Navarro
• Quintette (1947)
With Duke Ellington’s Orchestra
• A Salute to Ellington (1949)
With Count Basie Sextet
• (1950)
With Bull Moose Jackson and his Buffalos
• Bearcats (1953)
With Clifford Brown
• Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1953)
With Art Farmer
• The Art Farmer Septet (Prestige, 1953–54)
With Joe Gordon
• Introducing Joe Gordon (EmArcy, 1954)
With Oscar Pettiford
• Oscar Pettiford (Bethlehem, 1954)
With Bennie Green
• Bennie Green Blows His Horn (Prestige, 1955)
• Back on the Scene (Blue Note, 1958)
With Billy Taylor
• Meeting the Jazz Giants (1956)
With Art Taylor
• Taylor’s Wailers (Prestige, 1957)
• Taylor’s Tenors (Prestige New Jazz, 1959)
With Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson
• Clean Head’s Back in Town (Bethlehem, 1957)
With Louis Smith
• Smithville (Blue Note, 1958)
With Donald Byrd
• Byrd in Hand (Blue Note, 1959)
With Thelonious Monk
• At Town Hall (Riverside, 1959)
• Liaisons Dangereuses (Soundtrack 1959)
• 5 by Monk by 5 (1959)
• Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk (Riverside, 1960)
• Monk in France (Riverside, 1961)
• Thelonious Monk in Italy (Riverside, 1961 [released 1963])
• Monk in Copenhagen (1961)
• Monk Live in Amsterdam (1961)
• Criss Cross (Columbia, 1962)
• Monk’s Dream (Columbia, 1963)
• Thelonious Monk in Japan (1963)
• Thenlonious Monk in Sankel Hall (Tokyo, 1963)
• At Newport 1963 and 1965 (1963, 1965)
• Monterey Jazz Festival ‘63 (1963)
• Big Band and Quartet in Concert (Columbia, 1963)
• It’s Monk’s Time (Columbia, 1964)
• Monk (Columbia, 1964)
• Live at the It Club (Columbia, 1964)
• Live at the Jazz Workshop (Columbia, 1964)
• Monk In Paris (1965)
• Olympia, 6 Mars 1965 (1965)
• Olympia, 7 Mars 1965 (1965)
• Paris At Midnight (1965)
• Straight, No Chaser (Columbia, 1966)
• Thelonious Monk Live in Norway/Denmark (Jazz Icons, 1966)
• The Nonet – Live! (1967)
• Thelonious Monk in Rotterdam (1967)
• Underground (Columbia, 1968)
• Palo Alto (recorded 1968, released on Impulse! Records 2020)
• Monk’s Blues (Columbia, 1969)
• Thelonious Monk Live in Paris (1970)
With Dave Bailey
• Gettin’ Into Somethin’ (Epic, 1961)
With Bill Henderson
• Senior Blues (Vol. 1 & 2, 1958/1961)
With Benny Carter
• Further Definitions (Impulse, 1961)
With Sonny Clark
• Leapin’ and Lopin’ (Blue Note, 1961)
With Duke Jordan
• Les Liaisons Dangereuses (quintet) (Charlie Parker Records, 1962)
• Duke’s Delight (SteepleChase, 1975)
With Howard McGhee
• Jazz Brothers (1977)
With Hank Jones
• Groovin’ High (Muse, 1978)
With Mal Waldron
• The Git Go – Live at the Village Vanguard (Soul Note, 1986)
• The Seagulls of Kristiansund (Soul Note, 1986)
With The Steve Tracey Quartet
• Playing in the Yard (1987)
​
With Marcus Roberts
• The Truth Is Spoken Here (1988)
