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And then there is Criss-Cross, one of Monk’s many Columbia recordings made between 1962 and 1968. Columbia promoted Monk much better than Riverside had, resulting in better sales. Monk composed little during his Columbia years, and Criss-Cross, his second Columbia release, includes only material he had previously recorded with other sidemen for Riverside and Prestige. On this 1963 outing, his quartet, composed of Charlie Rouse on tenor, John Ore on bass and Frankie Dunlop on drums, had been together for four years, a more stable group than was normal for him, and resulting in an album that featured as tight an ensemble as Monk ever fronted. - The Audio Beat.com