| 1. We See |
| 2. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes |
| 3. Locomotive |
| 4. Hackensack |
| 5. Let's Call This |
| 6. Think of One [Take 2] [2 Takes] |
| 7. Think of One [Take 1] |
Monk,Thelonious Monk,Ojc,Bop,Hard Bop,Jazz,Pop
Average customer rating:
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Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Manufacturer: Manhattan Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000PC1QKQ Release Date: 2007-06-05 |
Tracks:
- Overture
- Wide Open Spaces
- What Kind Of Man?
- Thinking Of Him
- The Woman's Dead
- Show People
- Coffee Shop Nights
- In the Same Boat
- I Miss the Music
- Thataway!
- The Man Is Dead
- He Did It
- In the Same Boat
- It's a Business
- Kansasland
- Medley: Thinking Of Him/I Miss the Music
- A Tough Act To Follow
- In the Same Boat
- In the Same Boat
- Show People
- Wide Open Spaces
- A Tough Act To Follow
Amazon.com
Sadly, Curtains is the final entry in the long and fruitful partnership of lyricist Fred Ebb (who died in September 2004) and composer John Kander. While the show doesn't reach the heights of the team's previous masterpieces, such as Cabaret and Chicago, it's certainly a lot better than, say, their middling 1997 offering Steel Pier. Deliberately old-fashioned (it even features a real overture, something that's fast becoming a rarity), Curtains is a whodunit rolled into a musical--or vice versa. Set in 1959 Boston, it takes place backstage at a singing-and-dancing Western corker titled Robbin Hood. Someone gets killed, and a show tunes-crazy homicide detective (David Hyde Pierce) is called in. The plot is just a pretext for a series of very entertaining, characteristically brass-heavy songs that may not have the bite of old Kander and Ebb but are still very catchy. Above all, Curtains is (both thematically and stylistically) a love letter to old-school showbiz, and it's delivered on a silver platter by a cast of pros that includes the aforementioned Hyde Pierce, Kander and Ebb habituée Karen Ziemba, endearing Jason Danieley and, a notch above the rest, Debra Monk. Unsurprisingly, she chews the scenery and spits it right back in a pair of rowdy numbers: "Show People" and "It's a Business." --Elisabeth VincentelliAlbum Description
Curtains is an entertaining play within a play, as well as a "whodunit" new musical comedy featuring one of the last scores by legendary, Tony Award-winning songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York). Starring David Hyde Pierce (Spamalot, "Frasier") and Debra Monk, the Curtains original Broadway cast album is produced by nine-time Grammy Award-winner Jay David Saks.Customer Reviews:
David Hyde Pierce does Sherlock Holmes in a musical........2007-07-19
A Tough Act To Follow.......2007-07-18
Isn't it great to have an other show by Kander and Ebb who have giver us such
pleasure in the past. The cast are perfect not one dud in the whole pack.
I can thoroughly recommend this show to everyone with a love of musical theatre
JUST WHAT A BROADWAY MUSICAL SHOULD BE!!.......2007-07-17
CURTAINS is likable but not special........2007-07-15
The Last Kander and Ebb.......2007-07-13
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Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
Thelonious Monk , and John Coltrane Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000AV2GCE Release Date: 2005-09-27 |
Tracks:
- Monk's Mood
- Evidence
- Crepescule With Nellie
- Nutty
- Epistrophy (Live)
- Bye-Ya
- Sweet And Lovely
- Blue Monk
- Epistrophy
Amazon.com
Every year sees a crop of newly found jazz gems, but rarely are listeners treated to anything as special as this 1957 concert recording of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, which was accidentally discovered in an unmarked box by a Library of Congress engineer early in 2005. Until now, fans could only dream of hearing these two immortals play together beyond the three studio tracks they left behind. But here they are, hitting their stride at an all-star benefit concert, basking in the chemistry they had developed in Monk's quartet during the preceding weeks at New York's Five Spot. Coltrane's playing is a revelation. He's both an inspired accompanist and a galvanizing soloist, taking the music to new heights with his bold, brilliantly challenging, and sometimes jaw-dropping phrases, note clusters, and blasts of power. Sharing with Coltrane a newfound sense of freedom following the personal and professional troubles that had plagued them both, Monk is clearly tickled to be in the tenorist's presence, injecting humorous commentaries and otherwise asserting his eccentric genius as a pianist. The material, which was very well recorded by the Voice of America, includes Monk classics like "Epistrophy," "Monk's Moods," and "Evidence," as well as a striking rendition of the standard "Sweet and Lovely." This is music that not only bears repeated listenings, but also demands them--the ultimate definition of a classic. --Lloyd SachsCustomer Reviews:
essential to your jazz collection, period.......2007-05-30
Thelonious Monk Quarted with John colgrane at Carnegie Hall.......2007-05-29
Very Nice.......2007-05-25
Pure.......2007-05-20
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall.......2007-05-17
He is exceited and overjoyed to have gotten the disc.
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Angel Voices
Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000IHY9QG Release Date: 2006-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Far Away
- Sanctus
- Ave Maria
- Going Home
- Be Still My Soul
- Salva Me
- I Vow To Thee, My Country
- Voca Me
- Always With You
- We Are The Lost
- I Am The Day
- Recordare
- Abide With Me
- Silent Night
- Going Home
Amazon.com
There's very little to say about this recording of ethereally beautifully singing by the 24 young English lads who make up the group Libera. Enormously popular in Asia, the group is part of a parish choir in South London that has been around for many years, with of course, changes in personnel as voices change. There are a couple of pieces here by well-known composers--Pachelbel, Sibelius, Holst, Dvorak--but to their music have been added words and, of course, it's all been "arranged." Texts, translations from Latin, and arrangements as well as original music are by Robert Prizeman, the choir's director, and some of the numbers are accompanied by quiet synthesizers, organ, and/or drums. There is something new-age about this project and some might find the effect syrupy, while others might long for the "real" thing, that is, boys with this talent singing some Renaissance or later music that is not designed simply as balm for the ears. But for what it is--a perfectly pitched choir with some outstanding solo work as well, singing easy-to-listen to short numbers--this is just lovely. --Robert LevineCustomer Reviews:
No choral collection can be considered complete if this CD isn't there...!!.......2007-07-20
Absolutely Pleased!.......2007-07-10
It takes me away .......2007-06-28
Censoring of Be Still My Soul.......2007-05-21
Be still, my soul:
when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened
in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know
His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe
thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul:
thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness
all He takes away.
And made it a combination of the third and second verse:
Be still, my soul:
when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened
in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know
His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe
thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul,
the waves and winds
still know His voice
Who ruled them
while He dwelt below.
In other words, they have taken the name of Jesus out of the original lyrics. The verse doesn't even make sense now. I feel it is awful that the one who can soothe all our sorrow and thy fears, Jesus, was censored from this beautiful work.
A good choice for first time buyers of Libera.......2007-05-17
Personally, this album was our first exposure to the group. We enjoy its mellowness, and the soaring vocals and harmonies. I am not sure that we would buy many of their other albums since this one has a nice mix of songs that are included on the other CDs.
We have given this CD as a gift as well as having it ourselves and everyone we have shared it with has loved it.
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The Big Lebowski: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Manufacturer: Island / Mercury ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000001EYO Release Date: 1998-02-24 |
Tracks:
- The Man In Me - Bob Dylan
- Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles - Captain Beefheart
- My Mood Swings - Elvis Costello
- Ataypura - Yma Sumac
- Traffic Boom - Piero Piccioni
- I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good - Nina Simone
- Stamping Ground - Moondog With Orchestra
- Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition
- Walking Song - Meredith Monk
- Die Tote Standt - Gluck Das Mir Verblieb
- Lujon - Henry Mancini
- Hotel California - Gipsy Kings
- Technopop - Carter Burwell
- Dead Flowers - Townes Van Zandt
Amazon.com
One of the most inspired cobbled-together-from-a-stack-of-records soundtrack albums since Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski matches the goofily ramshackle spirit of the Dude, the hero of its celluloid companion. While offering Bob Dylan's luv-addled "Man in Me" together with the Gipsy Kings' redefinitive "Hotel California" and the psychedelic-era Kenny Rogers nugget "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," Lebowski also gives longer play to some cuts barely sampled in the film, including Elvis Costello's "My Mood Swings." Whether taken as a Coen brothers mix tape, a one-album CD carousel, or an apropos souvenir of one wiggy flick, this is a smart, eclectic buy. --Rickey WrightCustomer Reviews:
terrific!!.......2007-06-30
Not bad... but missing something........2007-04-17
8-miles high track... better in movie........2007-03-19
what the f*ck?!.......2007-03-06
camd908.......2007-01-05
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Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane Manufacturer: Ojc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000000Y2F Release Date: 1991-07-01 |
Tracks:
- Ruby, My Dear
- Trinkle, Tinkle
- Off Minor [Stereo] - John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Thelonious Monk
- Nutty
- Epistrophy [Stereo]
- Functional
Amazon.com essential recording
Among Thelonious Monk's long stays at New York's legendary Five Spot was a six-month period in 1957 with possibly his most brilliant band, with John Coltrane finding fuel in Monk's music for his harmonic explorations. The quartet only recorded three studio tracks: a sublime reading of Monk's ballad "Ruby, My Dear"; a loping version of "Nutty"; and a stunning version of "Trinkle Tinkle" on which Trane's tenor mirrors Monk's piano part. The CD is completed with outtakes from an octet session that joined Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins and an extended solo version of "Functional." --Stuart BroomerCustomer Reviews:
music from the Five Spot...........2007-06-22
great concert.......2007-06-02
great concert.......2007-06-02
great concert.......2007-06-02
Pleasing .......2006-08-25
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Monk's Dream
Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00006GO99 Release Date: 2002-09-03 |
Tracks:
- Monk's Dream (Take 8)
- Body And Soul (Re-Take 2)
- Bright Mississippi (Take 1)
- Blues Five Spot
- Blue Bolivar Blues (Take 2)
- Just A Gigolo
- Bye-Ya
- Sweet And Lovely
- Monk's Dream (Take 3)
- Body And Soul (Take 1)
- Bright Mississippi (Take 3)
- Blue Bolivar Blues (Take 1)
Amazon.com essential recording
Thelonious Sphere Monk was 45 when he began work in 1962 on Monk's Dream, his first recording for a big mainstream label. Thus, the 8 tracks here, a mixture of Monk originals and standards, present the bop pianist at a career peak, documenting music that is both challenging and immediately accessible. Playing with his touring quartet, Monk makes each song his own, finding a typically quirky melody line within the romance of "Body and Soul" or the swing of "Bright Mississippi." Tenor saxman Charles Rouse adds some soothing horn soloing, but it's Monk's bright, intuitive playing that makes this a late bop milestone. Timeless. --Steve ApplefordAmazon.com
Originally released in early 1963, Monk's Dream was the first Thelonious Monk album for Columbia. At the time this was recorded (fist sessions on Halloween, 1962), he had become one of the preeminent figures in contemporary jazz. His move to Columbia put him in the company of a couple of the era's other major talents and commercial successes, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck, and his quartet was stabilized for a couple years with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse (with him since 1958), bassist John Ore, and drummer Frankie Dunlop. This album set the format for his succeeding works for the label over the next half-dozen years: a few standards mixed with originals, most of which had been recorded earlier in his career (the only new composition is "Bright Mississippi," itself a variation on the chordal structure of "Sweet Georgia Brown"). However, these performances find Monk in exuberant good cheer. His playing sparkles with invention and the relaxation and calm of a career in well-deserved ascension. Critically under-celebrated in its day, Monk's Dream is rich with the confidence of a band at its peak. --David GreenbergerCustomer Reviews:
Monk in top form.......2007-02-14
The Thelonious Monk Quartet.......2005-10-17
Most Monk albums have a few of his classic tunes, and a few standards, and this album is no different. It sounds like Monk and the rest of the musicians were very on top with this recording. It's very well arranged, and everyone plays great.
I think one of Monk's best drummers was Frankie Dunlop, and he appears on this album. He had the perfect style for Monk's creative playing, more than Art Blakey and Roy Haynes had for him.
Bye Ya, and Monk's Dream are too tunes that standout, and Bolivar Blues is another Monk classic. I dig them! This whole album is great.
Another thing I realized while listening to this album is just how good a solo pianist Monk is. Sure, everybody knows he had a couple of solo albums out, but not many think of him as a great solo pianist.
Certainly not the most ideal accompianist for a horn man, Monk is exciting and ingenious all the way. This is a classic recording!
Monk's major label debut........2005-10-04
Perhaps the most telling is the title track and opener, "Monk's Dream"-- it's energetic, upbeat and exciting, with Monk's playing fractured and explosive and Rouse matching. This pretty much sticks through the entire record, including the solo piano feature "Body and Soul", a stunning take on "Blue Bolivar Blues" (with a superb solo by Rouse) and "Bye-Ya", where Dunlop gets to show just what he's got in him. Throughout, the playing is superb, the group interaction is near-psychic, and the mood is exciting and upbeat-- check out closer "Sweet and Lovely"-- Monk freely associates on the theme under Rouse's solo, responding to the soloist and gently urging him on while Ore and Dunlop lock with the leader. The only exception to the mood of the record is the take of "Just a Gigolo", performed on solo piano, the only really moody piece on the record. Nonetheless, the performance is breathtaking as Monk deconstructs the piece totally.
This reissue is remastered and adds four alternate takes (nearly 30 minutes of unreleased music) to the recording, and features a new liner notes essay as well as reprinting the original notes.
I'm of the opinion (and I seem to be in the minority) that Monk has done better than this one, but it's an awfully good album. Recommended.
Very Accurate Title.......2005-04-24
Dream On Monk...........2004-07-03
However, this album is an exception. The essence of these works is not lost during the expanses of soloing and the melodies live beyond the confines of the jewel case. This is the kind of music that you just can't get out of your head and will actually enjoy humming when the CD ain't around. Also noteworthy, sound quality is vastly improved over early recordings of Monk.
If you don't own The Best of the Blue Note Years, it is highly recommended that you purchase both albums. For glimpses of the mad genius, try the video Straight, No Chaser.
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Thelonious Monk 3 CD Set (LP edition packaging)
Manufacturer: Black Cat Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000FUF974 Release Date: 2004-11-18 |
Tracks:
- Humph
- Round Midnight
- Straight No Chaser
- Ruby My Dear
- Reflections
- Epistrophy
- Thelonious
- Criss Cross
- Carolina Moon
- Well You Neednt
- Crepuscule With Nellie (Live)
- April In Paris
Tracks:
- All The Things You Are
- Monks Mood
- Nice Work If You Can Get It
- Lets Cool One
- Skippy
- Four In One
- Off Minor
- In Walked Bud
- Evidence
- Evonce
- Suburban Eyes
- Introspection
Tracks:
- Who Knows?
- Monks Mood
- I Mean You
- Eronel
- Ask Me Now
- Willow Weep For Me
- HorninIn
- Sixteen (First Take)
- Ill Follow You
- Misterioso
- Trinkle Tinkle (Live)
- Dont Get Around Much Anymore (with Milt Jackson)
Album Description
This is a Limited Collector's Edition LP 3 CD Album!Customer Reviews:
Hapazard Packaging.......2007-06-29
Mixed.......2007-05-27
The recordings are mixed in quality. Some extremely good, some not so good. Some the vibraphone player or sax player seems more of the featured artists, and there are some recordings with vocalists that seem out of place. However, the good is very good, and the bad is still interesting.
The major disappointment is that there is no information on the date of the recordings and the other musicians, so its difficult to place any of this in historical context. So in the end this seems like an import collection.
I'm happy with the purchase, as I'm exploring Monk know and how he ties to other musicians. But, the Carnegie Hall recording with Coltrane I picked up last year is more exciting package.
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World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English!
Manufacturer: Children's Group ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000C5ROP Release Date: 2003-09-23 |
Tracks:
- The Barber Of Seville: Largo Al Factotum - Gregory Dahl
- Carmen: Habanera - Jean Stilwell
- The Marriage Of Figaro: Non Piu Andrai - Allan Monk
- The Magic Flute: Papageno's Song - Daniel Lichti
- Carmen: The Toreadors Song - Brian Banion
- La Boheme: Donde Lieta Usci - Addio Di Mimi - Laura Whalen
- The Magic Flute: Der Hoole Rache (The Queen Of The Night's Aria) - Aline Kutan
- Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Michael Schade
- Tales Of Hoffman: The Doll Song - Tracy Dahl
- Die Walkure: Ride Of the Valkyries - Laura Whalen
- The Marriage Of Figaro: Voi, Che Sapete - Erin Thrall
- Madame Butterfly: Un Bel Di Verdremo - Natalie Choquette
- Xerxes: Ombra Mai Fu - Daniel Taylor
- Rigoletto: Caro Nome - Lambroula Maria Pappas
- Habanera - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
- Non Piu Andrai - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
- Papageno's Song - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
- La Donna E Mobile - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
- Voi, Che Sapete - The Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Resource - We LOVE This CD!.......2007-07-16
All the tunes are ones you will probably recognize - but hearing the words that go with the music and hearing them in *English* is so helpful! It has been really fun to find out what these songs are really about.
My kids and I often catch ourselves singing opera through the day now, which is really neat. It has helped build their understanding of music in many different ways, and has improved my oldest daughter's voice ability as she strives to keep up with the professional singers on the CD.
The music is beautiful, the words are lovely and give meaning, and this whole CD is just exceptionally good entertainment!
Great Intro to Operas.......2006-10-16
A Sampler of Greatest Hits and Karaoke, Too.......2006-04-05
Second CD benefit. The time you spend listening to this will be the equivalent of an afternoon at the beach or a walk in the mountains. The calming factor is amazing.
World's Very Best Opera for Kids... in English.......2006-01-30
Great for adults too!.......2005-08-15
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Praise to the Lord - Hymns From St. Paul's Cathedral
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00002EIUG Release Date: 1999-10-12 |
Customer Reviews:
a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-02-09
The founder of English hymnody is Isaac Watts (1674-1748), whose work in reforming congregational song texts culminated in the publication of his 'Hymns and Spiritual Songs' in 1707. Watts' collection was as complete and comprehensive a set of hymns as had ever been proposed for English worship and it raised the profile of the hymn sufficiently to overcome the prevailing psalmody. The great flowering period of English hymnody began with the work of the Methodist hymn-writers John Wesley (1703-1791) and his brother Charles (1707-1788). The Wesleys gave great prominence to hymns within their Methodist worship and published many books.
The modern hymn book is a collection of hymns drawn from various times and places. This most accomplished recording by St. Paul's Cathedral Choir presents 16 well-loved hymns from 'The New English Hymnal'. A great number of the hymns, which originate from many different eras and traditions, are given an extra musical dimension by John Scott's original descants and thrilling brass arrangements.
Over the years, I have found myself purchasing mostly the recordings of English choirs. They seem to have incredible vocal skills, perfectly executed phrases, flawless diction and some unidentifiable ingredient that makes them very appealing to hear. Of course, I personally enjoy the all male choirs sound; boy sopranos and male altos make the difference. This is a very appealing group of hymns!!!!!
Hymns for every one.......2002-12-01
Super Praise!.......2000-06-10
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk Manufacturer: Ojc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000000Y1H Release Date: 1991-07-01 |
Tracks:
- Brilliant Corners
- Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
- Pannonica
- I Surrender, Dear
- Bemsha Swing
Amazon.com essential recording
Few composers or improvisers can match the originality of pianist Thelonious Monk. Quirky yet rigorously logical, Monk's playful but always purposeful choice of skewed melodies and interrupted rhythm patterns gave the bebop movement, and jazz in total, a new sound that was totally modern. Although he created a surprisingly limited body of compositions, his impact on the vocabulary and canon of jazz is second to none, including such prolific giants as Duke Ellington. Brilliant Corners is a triumph of both performance and conception: the two small-group sessions, anchored by Monk, drummer Max Roach, and the bass work of either Oscar Pettiford or Paul Chambers, feature superb front-line performances by saxophonists Sonny Rollins and the tragically under-recorded Ernie Henry, as well as trumpeter Clark Terry. The title track, which centers the collection, is one of Monk's most unconventional pieces, skirting whole-tone, chromatic and Lydian scales; a version of "Pannonica" finds Monk doubling on celeste, while the band stretches out on "Bemsha Swing" and the blues "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are." --Fred GoodmanAlbum Description
Digitally remastered using K2 bit technology, this is a Japanese reissue of the great pianist's 1956 album for the Prestige label in a miniaturized LP sleeve limited to the initial pressing only. Five tracks. The All-Music Guide gave the album four & a haAlbum Details
Japanese Version featuring 20bit K2 Mastering and Limited Edition LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing Only.Customer Reviews:
Great Packaging! Great Remastering As Well!.......2006-10-02
Recommended for all fans of Monk and of great jazz in general.
Rightly praised classic, however at times lacking Monk's signature.......2006-05-15
This album itself is perhaps 1/2 dominated by the man of the hour, giving way to yes..some brilliant corners. There are some amazing musical concepts going on brought on undoubtedly by a total collaboration at times with some pretty free form plotting by all players. As exciting as some of the swingin tunes can be, the problem of overshadowing genius cannot be remedied when tunes like "I surrender Dear" are played, the depth of that writing on display towers over the majority of the disc's mood of playfullness. Nonetheless, this is one of his more popular albums for a reason, each track on this album has stood the test of time and will continue to represent such a special hybrid of piano induced, frenzied yet organized beauty in it's 5 eclectic compositions that go everywhere from avant garde to ballad to bee bop to solo.
brilliant, yes mahn.......2006-03-11
As far as monk's play, i am partial to his solo about 4 and 1/2 minutes into track two. It sums up the feel of the entire album: cool, playful and confident. Monk's choice of celeste-play on "pannonica" is another deviation from tradition that hangs a mystical mood around a somewhat earthy track that couldn't be done without it. I am also a big fan of monk's classical style and track four is rich and romantic.
This disc is a wonderful way of looking at the world that has never been done quite the same. It is an optimistic recording that you will leave in a good mood after hearing it...every time. "Brilliant corners" is one of those recordings that makes you thank fate that monk and the all-star cast that joined him created it and you happened to hear it after the session became history.
Pannonica.......2005-08-09
This record was Monk's third for Riverside, but the first to feature his compositions. The title track "Brilliant Corners" is notorious for its strangeness of melody and its doubling of tempo. But the highlight of the record is the ballad "Pannonica", for two reasons... first, Monk doubling on the celeste. I think it must be the only time he ever played another instrument on record, let alone two instruments at once, but he must've been aiming for an ethereal quality for this recording and achieves it in his intro and in his solo, where he alternates between celeste and piano. And second... Sonny Rollins. This was made during Sonny's high point, around the time of "Saxophone Colossus", and I think it is probably his strongest ballad solo, and the strongest saxophone solo anyone has played behind Monk, past Rouse and Johnny Griffin and even Coltrane. As great as Rouse is, whenever he is playing the tune, you can hear him get caught up in the trickiness of the bridge, and he invariably runs back to the theme for safety. Sonny, during his solo, has truly possessed and internalized Monk's composition, and brings all of his astonshing self to the solo. Doesn't falter once. And listen towards the end when he throws in those five consecutive ascending glissandos. Then listen to Monk affectionately duplicate them when he gets into his solo. Then listen to some of the other recordings of "Pannonica" over the next 15 years and you'll hear Monk working this phrase in again. A small, wonderful exchange between two artists. The rest of the tunes on "Brilliant Corners" are great, but "Pannonica" is one of those rare ones that is itself worth the price of admission. One can only wish that Monk and Rollins had played and recorded more together-- then I think there would be no question of Monk's supremacy in modern jazz or of Sonny's supremacy on the tenor saxophone.
Which Monk Cd should I choose ?.......2004-12-30
I would be remiss not to mention Max Roach's drumming on this entire cd is fantastic but he particularly shines on Bemsha Swing. Then the icing on the cake is a beautiful trumpet solo on that cut by Clark Terry.
This is certainly one of Monk's finest recordings and on certain nights it is my all-time favorite. Don't miss it.
Jazz Music: