Representative Albums: "Epistrophy," "Soul Mates," "Les Jazz Modes"
Biography
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, All Music Guide
Born in Washington, DC, his work with Thelonious Monk's quartet, a period which lasted from 1959 to 1970 became highly influential simply due to his proximity to Monk.[1] He was later a founding member of the group Sphere,[2] which began as a tribute to Monk. He also worked with Mal Waldron's quintet. When performing, Rouse moved very little, looked straight ahead, and wore a solemn expression.
The asteroid 10426 Charlierouse was officially named to honor Charlie Rouse in 2007 by its discoverer, the American planetary scientist and astronomer Joe Montani, a Monk and Rouse fan. The asteroid is in the main-belt of asteroids. Asteroid 11091 Thelonious was named earlier by Montani. Each asteroid has an orbital period of about 4 years, and is about 10 kilometers in size.
