Plays Thelonious Monk

1. San Francisco Holiday

2. Brilliant Corners

3. Think of One

4. Crepuscule With Nellie

5. Misterioso

6. Criss-Cross

7. Gallop's Gallop

8. Ugly Beauty

9. Who Knows?

Plays Thelonious Monk,Mel Martin,Capitol,Bop,Hard Bop,Jazz,Post-Bop

Jazz

Music

jazz

music

Average customer rating: Simply amazing Conservative Monk A Landmark Testimony Of Jazz.

Plays Duke Ellington Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Riverside ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Full House Power to the People Jazz Contrasts Clubhouse Thelonious Monk ASIN: B000NDEXQG Release Date: 2007-03-27

Tracks:

1. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
4. Black and Tan Fantasy
5. Mood Indigo
6. I Let a Song Go out of My Heart
7. Solitude
8. Caravan

Customer Reviews:

Simply amazing.......2007-07-14

While this record is by far more conservative and 'mass appeal' jazz than most of Thelonious' work, his incredible playing does more than do justice to Duke Ellington's work. My favorite by far is Caravan, the last song.

Conservative Monk.......2007-05-25

This is a clear effort at making Monk more palatable to a wider audience at the time. The pairing of Monk and Ellington's tunes is certainly a natural, but these are conservative, occasionally even boring (Don't Mean A Thing...zzzz) renditions that sound like the the "Monk" knob in the recording studio was turned down very, very low.

Most of the playing is charming and enjoyable, and fans of Monk and Ellington both will certainly enjoy this. Just don't expect to be "Wowed" by it.

A Landmark Testimony Of Jazz........2007-03-29

(Adapted from an older article, copyright 1984, 2007 Michael F. Hopkins)

Listen. This album is a masterpiece of charm and daring, ringing
tonal joy and hard-dancing rhythmic flight. It has withstood the test
of time for over 50 years, and continues to call fresh audiences to
witness. It was the debut of one of the most versatile record labels
in all of Jazz, Riverside Records' resounding gauntlet to the world
on the power, precision, and passion of this African American-rooted
world forum. Most of all, it stands as a showcase of aesthetic nobility,
the compositional finese of Duke Ellington paid conceptual homage by
one of the few pianists who understood the impact of the Duke's many
efforts, matching it with a fierce originality all his own.
THELONIOUS MONK PLAYS DUKE ELLINGTON is a delightful portrait
of swing and intrigue, Monk crossing the tonal and atonal to deftly
weave chromatic splendor which tickles and tugs on the ear and the
mind, fingers pouring an uncanny balladry to win the soul. An
impeccable trio recording displaying the kindred wares of bassist
Oscar Pettiford and drummer Kenny Clarke, Monk spins enchanting
harmonic tapestries which beckon each listener's attention.

You will never hear "It Don't Mean A Swing (If It Ain't
Got That Swing)" played with such an ironically delicious sense of
freedom and groove as the High Priest delivers in the sure-rolling
scenic cruise holding court here. "Solitude", in a captivating solo
performance, conveys the significance of both loneliness and fortitude
from one who defines the meaning of marching to the beat of a different
drum.In each of the album's eight performances, we are treated to
sterlingeloquence,earthy testimony, and a winning humility which caps
theregal heart of this epic portrait.
Given a long-overdue 24-bit remastering by Joe Tartantino, THELONIOUS
MONK PLAYS DUKE ELLINGTON has never sounded clearer,
or more intimate, than it does in this current release. The classic
1955 session kicks off the Orrin Keepenews collection; an ongoing
monument to the producer who has contributed so much to this Music.
No better place to begin than with the Beginning, where a fledging
entrepreneur stretched a hand to aid one of the most misunderstood
geniuses in the annals of Music.

With this recording, the overdue appreciation -and lasting
triumph- of Thelonious Monk began.

A half-century later, there's no end in sight.

Average customer rating: Not Your Average Monk Cover Band

Reflections: Steve Lacy Plays Thelonious Monk Steve Lacy Manufacturer: Ojc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Soprano Sax The Holy la Plays Monk Hot House The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy ASIN: B000000Y3X Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

1. Four In One
2. Reflections
3. Hornin' In
4. Bye-Ya
5. Let's Call This
6. Ask Me How
7. Skippy

Amazon.com essential recording

By the time this album was recorded in 1958, Lacy was already making his mark playing soprano saxophone exclusively and working with some of the most forward-looking musicians in jazz, like pianist Cecil Taylor and arranger Gil Evans. The group here consists of some of New York's most probing, younger players--pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Buell Neidlinger an associate from the Taylor group), and Elvin Jones, already a forceful presence on drums. The startling thing about this early venture into Monk's music, the first album by other musicians devoted to Monk, is that Lacy was already foregoing the better known tunes, concentrating on Monk repertoire that was seldom played outside the pianist's own groups. Lacy's spare, structurally conscious improvisation gets to the essence of Monk's music. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Not Your Average Monk Cover Band.......2000-07-10

Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy is one of the great interpreters of Thelonious Monk's music. In some ways it seems strange that one would want to buy an album of Monk songs that did not feature Monk. His music is some of the most distinctive in all jazz, if not all music. But Steve Lacy injects his own style into Monk while maintaining the music's original intent and unique sound. Of course, it doesn't hurt having Mal Waldron on piano, who has a playing style very reminiscent of Monk's, and two figures well known for their own advancements in jazz, Bud Neidlinger and Elvin Jones, on bass and drums respectively. The best aspect of this album though is Lacy's playing of lesser-known Monk works. While umpteen jazz musicians have recorded "'Round Midnight," Lacy concentrates instead on "Hornin' In," "Bye-Ya" and "Skippy." This is essential music for anyone who loves Monk, Lacy or good jazz.

Average customer rating:

Bebop and Beyond Plays Thelonious Monk Mel Martin , and Bebop and Beyond Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B000008ABH Release Date: 1990-08-07

Tracks:

1. San Francisco Holiday
2. Brilliant Corners
3. Think of One
4. Crepuscule With Nellie
5. Misterioso
6. Criss-Cross
7. Gallop's Gallop
8. Ugly Beauty
9. Who Knows?

Average customer rating: Hirsch gets Monk. Excellent tribute Mo Better Monk

Thelonious: Fred Hersch Plays Monk Fred Hersch Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Passion Flower In Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis Live at the Village Vanguard Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 31 Let Yourself Go: Fred Hersch at Jordan Hall ASIN: B000005J4R Release Date: 1998-01-13

Tracks:

1. 'Round Midnight
2. In Walked Bud
3. Crepuscule With Nellie/Reflections
4. Think Of One
5. Ask Me Now
6. Evidence
7. Five Views Of Misterioso
8. Let's Cool One
9. Bemsha Swing
10. Light Blue/Pannonica
11. I Mean You
12. 'Round Midnight (Reprise)

Customer Reviews:

Hirsch gets Monk........2007-03-19

Hirsch really GETS Monk! Beautiful, simple interpretations that I think Monk would have approved and then some. I loved Hirsch best when he went to the heart of a piece...without the tricky embellishments of some of his later work. He was able to touch essences.

Excellent tribute.......2006-02-04

I heard Fred hersch back in 1997 in New England Conservatory when I was music student at Berklee College, he is an incredible piano player at his best in the piano solo format, his harmonic thinking is beyond the scope, also the way he makes the music flows is incredible. If you like more introspective type of playing this CD is for you. Listen also his CD Live at Maybeck

Mo Better Monk.......2000-02-03

If I told you these interpretations sounded like a great concert pianist playing Debussy, would you please also remember that I think Monk would have loved every second? There's very little of the dance on this disc, but there is plenty of the rhythmic dialogue between sound and silence that Monk mined so richly. Hersch's touch creates breathtaking sounds, and his re-thinking of open spaces (never has Misterioso sounded so enigmatic) owes its debt to the master while touching new territory as well. This, along with Steve Lacy's, Bill Holman's, and Bud Powell's tributes, makes my list of essential Monk cover discs.

Average customer rating: Fiesta in Black and Tan Jump right in! The Jazz is fine. monk minus monk The Monk plays the Duke. stunning

Plays Duke Ellington Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Ojc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: New Orleans Suite John Coltrane: Crescent Lady in Satin Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall A Night at Birdland, Vol. 2 ASIN: B000000Y1B Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

1. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
4. Black And Tan Fantasy
5. Mood Indigo
6. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
7. Solitude
8. Caravan

Amazon.com

Like Money Jungle, the later collaboration between Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach, this collection of Ellingtonia showed how much a modernist the Duke really was. Without a doubt, Ellington is more clearly recalled as an architect of the Swing Era, but in Monk's hands, Ellington's tunes sound as pregnant with post-swing potential as anything in the bebop canal. Monk recorded these tunes at the request of Riverside Records founder Orrin Keepnews, who knew how idiosyncratic the pianist was, and rather than produce literal transcriptions, Monk went all over the map. Stride shades drop in amid the off-center melody statements. And shot throughout all the tunes is Monk's persistently interstitial approach, whereby he spots seams and creases in every phrase and then fills, comments on, and dances around them. As the first chapter, if you will, in the Complete Riverside box set, this makes a great platform for viewing Monk's ascent into unbridled genius. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Fiesta in Black and Tan.......2006-09-20

Monk's "Plays Duke Ellington" album is a well known beginning of a fruitfull attachment to Riverside label; the producer thought it would be wise to present his quirky star in a less strange setting, playing the music of another great artist; both pianist and composer.
Frankly, I agree with people who say this is not true and complete Thelonious experience but, although I love and respect true and complete Thelonious, this is still great jazz.
For, Ellington was a great composer and these performances are nice, modernist and moderately monkish readings of some of his greatest tunes.
Highly recomendable both to Ellington fans and to modern jazz fans, althoug not all of the Monk fans will be thrilled.

Jump right in! The Jazz is fine........2004-06-29

So you're hearing all the jazzers in the peripherals of your life raving on and on about these seemingly inaccessible figures (Miles, Trane, Monk).

So you want to dip a tentative toe into the vast Ocean of Jazz.

So start right here.

"Plays Ellington'' is a great way to get acquainted with Monk. Listen for a bit and you'll find that there's nothing scary or "difficult' about his music.

Quite simply, Monk is fun.

Trust me, friend.

Jump right in! The Jazz is fine.


Kaz 6.29.04

monk minus monk.......2004-04-07

There has probably never been a musician as uncompromising as Thelonious Monk. He did it his way to an extent that Frank Sinatra could never have dreamed of. However, after some personal problems and a stint with the less than supportive Prestige records, Monk's career was at a low ebb, so when Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews suggested that he do a couple albums of other people's tunes as a kind of icebreaker, Monk agreed.

Ellington was one of the most obvious of Monk's influences- ("Sounds like he's stealing some of my stuff" Ellington is supposed to have said on first hearing a Monk record)- and a set of Ellington' greatest hits would seem like a natural way to let Monk be Monk while playing a set of jazz standards.

Unfortunately, whether out of respect for the material, some degree of tentativeness with a new producer and record label, or from a conscious effort to smooth off some of Monk's more controversial characteristics, the playing on this first Riverside LP seems a little like Smooth Monk. You can tell it's Monk, but kind of generi-sized, as if to convince Erroll Garner fans that Thelonious was their friend, and really wouldn't hurt them. The result is a nice average kind of album: has its moments ("Solitude"), but a little dull in spots ("It Don't Mean A Thing...").

On the next Riverside LP, a collection of standards called "The Unique Thelonious Monk", the arrangements and playing are much more angular and Monk-like, and by the third LP, "Brilliant Corners" no holds are barred, no compromises made. The rest of the Monk Riverside catalog is Monk his way: "Monk's Music", "Thelonious Himself", "Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall", "5xMonkx5"- all examples of one of the most sharply etched, self-aware musical visions ever.

As phase one of a marketing strategy, "Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington" was fine, but as a Monk album it's just okay.

The Monk plays the Duke........2003-08-22

With this recording, Monk began his tenure at Riverside Records, which was very fruitful and lasted till around the early sixties when Columbia stole him away. The idea was that Monk was gaining popularity, but he was still a tough act to get used to for a lot of people because of the idiosyncratic compositions and piano style. So they suggested an album of someone else's material, to let those less familiar with Monk get used to his playing before confronting the genius of his writing. And who better than Duke to supply the material--Duke, whose playing, along with James P. Johnson and some of the other stride players, influenced Monk a great deal. The result is--surprise, surprise--an absolutely brilliant record. Ellington is reinvented, as is anyone lucky enough to be filtered through Monk's genius. The most wonderful thing is that there is no conflict of musical personalities, no struggle between the old and the new. There is more than enough room for both, and these recordings turn out to be at once purely Ellington and purely Monk. And Thelonious is helped in no small part by drummer Kenny Clarke and bassist Oscar Pettiford, two of the best players of their time. The highlights are every song.

stunning.......2002-07-02

Quite different versions of some classic Duke Ellington songs, quieter, but with a stunning effect. In My Solitude is nothing short of a miracle! Don't Mean A Thing is full of surprises, and as Don Cherry once said, Jazz is the sound of surprise.

Average customer rating: High Class, Inventive Playing

Monk Suite: Kronos Quartet Plays Music of Thelonious Monk with Special Guest Artist Ron Carter Kronos Quartet , and Ron Carter ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Piazzolla: Five Tango Sensations Pieces of Africa ASIN: B000009K9C Release Date: 1994-10-17

Tracks:

1. Well, You Needn't
2. Rhythm-A-Ning
3. Crepuscule With Nellie
4. Off Minor/ Epistrophy
5. 'Round Midnight
6. Misterioso
7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
8. Black And Tan Fantasy
9. Brilliant Corners

Customer Reviews:

High Class, Inventive Playing.......2003-10-23

Kronos Quartet rearranges and reinvents the music of Thelonious Monk in a stunning fashion. If you've heard their disc of Bill Evans interpretations, you'll know what I mean. The Playing is top notch, and the swing is there. Both these disc came out as a set at one point, but I don't see it available. Get it anyway you can.

Average customer rating:

Plays Duke Ellington Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Riverside ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000FIHBIQ Release Date: 2006-07-03

Tracks:

1. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
4. Black and Tan Fantasy
5. Mood Indigo
6. I Let a Song Go out of My Heart
7. Solitude
8. Caravan

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Average customer rating: One genius reflecting another.

Plays Duke Ellington (20 Bit Master) Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Riverside ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: New Orleans Suite John Coltrane: Crescent Lady in Satin Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall Monk's Music (20 Bit Mastering) ASIN: B0001I2C52 Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

1. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
4. Black And Tan Fantasy
5. Mood Indigo
6. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
7. Solitude
8. Caravan

Customer Reviews:

One genius reflecting another........2005-11-01

In 1955, Thelonious Monk began his long association with Riverside Records-- he'd go on to record fifteen albums with the label over the next six years. The first album, on the insistence of the label, found Monk, the most important composer of his generation, exploring the music of the previous generation's most important composer, Duke Ellington. Eight Ellington standards, seven with a trio including bassist Oscar Peterson and drummer Kenny Clarke and one solo piano piece, are given readings.

The result is somewhat unexpected for those familiar with Monk's work-- by and large, many of the "Monkisms" are noticably absent on here-- the stride influence in his sound is subdued, the staggered start-stop lines tend not to surface, and the linear piano runs he was fond of do not make appearances. In their place, Monk performs in a positively inside manner, owing more to Ellington and his contemporaries than anything else. On occasion ("Mood Indigo"), his peculiarities as a pianist come forth, but by and large, its a pretty subdued effort.

Mind you, it's not a bad one, the performance is fantastic-- particularly from Pettiford who is all over and solos brilliantly on several tunes ("It Don't Mean a Thing", "I Let a Song Go out of My Heart"), and Monk manages to both capture the original mood of pieces (a lyrical take on "Sophisticated Lady") and capture something new (his oddly optimistic yet melancholy reading of "Black and Tan Fantasy"). And of course, Monk's solo piano reading of "Solitude" is nothing short of staggering.

Enhancing the experience is the 20-bit remastering-- really when digesting Monk's Riverside catalog, where available the new remasters (in cardboard slipcases) should be the reference point-- the sound on these is nothing short of revalatory-- crisp, clean, well balanced, with each instrument distinct and well worth the extra cost for the sonic upgrade. Included are the original liner notes, in this case an essay by producer Orrin Keepnews.

It's not a typical album for Monk, he definitely moves out of his own idiom, but "Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington" is nonetheless a fine recording. Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Monk Plays Thelonious Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Universal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00007M9KR Release Date: 2003-02-03

Tracks:

1. Little Rootie Tootie
2. Bemsha Swing
3. Misterioso
4. Epistrophy
5. I Mean You
6. Evidence
7. Bye Ya
8. Monks Dream
9. Skippy
10. Hornin In
11. Lets Cool One
12. Monks Mood
13. Round Midnight
14. Well You Neednt
15. Introspection
16. Off Minor
17. Ruby My Dear
18. Criss Cross
19. Four In One
20. Straight No Chaser
21. Eronel
22. Ask Me Now
23. Reflections
24. Trinkle Tinkle

Album Description

French exclusive 2003 compilation contains 74 minutes of quality music & is presented in a well designed digipak with a booklet including full information about each track (musicians, date & place of recording). Saga Jazz.

Album Details

Includes Approximately 70 Minutes of Quality Music and is Presented in a Well-designed Digipack with a Booklet Full of Information About Each Track.

Average customer rating:

Plays Duke Ellington ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000NO294S Release Date: 2007-04-17

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