THELONIOUS MONK BEST SONG FULL HORN SECTION

Best of all, Monks idiosyncratic piano style, which never changed over. The collection contains many of his best-known songs, including. Although Greatest Hits samplers of jazz artists, particularly hard bop musicians, usually don't work particularly well, Columbia's attempt at compiling a Thelonious Monk Greatest Hits album actually succeeds in offering a good sampling of his some of his most familiar material.

Thelonious MonkвЂ™s incredible career saw him pioneer a uniquely percussive approach to the piano and write several jazz standards. Best Thelonious Monk Pieces: 20 Jazz Classics. What about something where, yes, the music is fantastic but the cover art is also awesome? Oh shit has Monk ever got you covered.Thelonious Sphere Monk (Rocky Mount, North Carolina 10th October 1917 - Hartsdale, New York 17th February 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer.Widely considered as one of the most important musicians in jazz he is one of only five jazz musicians to be featured on the cover of Time Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. How about a record where he gets kind of out there and practices minimal restraint? No problem. Want something relatively easy to digest and straightforward? HeвЂ™s got you.

No matter what is happening around him, the music always has a specifically unique Monk-ness to it.AM: I may contradict this point a bit in covering the next album on this list, but, honestly, there are few better ways to get into MonkвЂ™s work than these two volumes of Genius Of Modern Music. Though often imitated, no one has ever come close to matching what he was pulling off 70 years ago! Throughout his recorded career, he can be heard playing solo piano, with small combos and with big bands and orchestras. His compositions and playing style are uniquely his and his alone.

TheyвЂ™re all far shorter and less experimental, making for a far more digestible introduction to the man with the perfect hat collection.RK: It is mind blowing that these are MonkвЂ™s first recordings as a leader. And while youвЂ™ll definitely hear these tunes on later records, you wonвЂ™t hear them like this. From вЂњRound About MidnightвЂќ to вЂњRuby, My Dear,вЂќ itвЂ™s all here and itвЂ™s all fantastic.

Just as was intended when first released, this recording is a perfect introduction to the master that is Monk.AM: IвЂ™m a bit biased here because Thelonious Monk Trio was my first Monk record, so bear with me here: Goddamn, this is about as perfect as it gets. With the amount of material covered, these albums almost feel like a вЂњgreatest hits,вЂќ which is insane for a first recording. Milt Jackson is featured on a number of tracks on Volume Two, creating a counterpoint to the piano with his vibraphone. Many great musicians grace these pressings, lending their talents to various-sized groupings and arranged material. To have such an original writing and playing style so early in a career is very rare.

Instead, itвЂ™s all about listening to the way that Monk leads his trio through his classics, including the almighty вЂњBemsha SwingвЂќ and вЂњLittle Rootie Tootie.вЂќ ItвЂ™s like sitting in on a jam session that actually goes somewhere (no shots).RK: There is a point during MonkвЂ™s solo in вЂњLittle Rootie Tootie,вЂќ around 2:10 seconds in, that highlights the brilliance showcased throughout the album. WhatвЂ™s particularly rad about this album is that itвЂ™s pieced together from several different recording sessions, meaning you get to hear Monk play with cats like Max Roach and Art Blakey, but you donвЂ™t really notice. And then throw the damn thing onto your turntable and, ah, instant musical delight.

Speaking of perfect, can we once again talk about MonkвЂ™s choices for artwork? I donвЂ™t give a damn if you like jazz or not, because youвЂ™re a monster if you donвЂ™t love seeing this man hunched over in a little red wagon, holding a xylophone. This record is not just one of the best Monk albums to own, but one of the best piano trio albums of all time.AM: As a massive John Coltrane fan, there are few things flat-out cooler than hearing Monk shout вЂњColtrane! Coltrane!вЂќ before the sax-man takes his solo on the MonkвЂ™s Music gem вЂњWell, You NeednвЂ™t.вЂќ The way the track swells into and out of itself is fascinating in its own right, but thereвЂ™s something about that vocal interaction being caught on record that just feelsвЂ¦ perfect. How does one even begin to write a tune like вЂњTrinkle, TinkleвЂќвЂ”let alone have a group play it with conviction and mastery. The trio swings with such ease through the compositions that it would be easy with a cursory listen to disregard the complexity.

Soloing over some of these changes can be complicated, many times the chords move in half steps (вЂњWell You NeednвЂ™tвЂќ and вЂњEpistrophyвЂќ), but the septet here seems to have no trouble. Coltrane is featured prominently as well, applying his distinctive sound to MonkвЂ™s tunes. During the first head, he pushes and pulls at the beat with the hi-hat all while having the presence of mind to know when to kick back into the groove. Either way, itвЂ™s awesome.RK: Art Blakey is one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time and tunes like вЂњEpistrophyвЂќ showcase why.

Much has been documented about the complexity of the title track, but through listening, it is clear that it wasnвЂ™t written just to be complicated. ThereвЂ™s just so much to love about this album, which will no doubt grab you as soon as the opening track, вЂњBrilliant Corners,вЂќ stumbles with a swagger out of your speakers.RK: In the liner notes for Brilliant Corners, Monk is quoted as saying, вЂњIвЂ™ve never been satisfied with one of my recordings yet.вЂќ It must have been this unease that drove him to push and experiment, which resulted in a near-perfect album. вЂњBemsha SwingвЂќ may just be one of my favorite compositions of all timeвЂ”funny enough, it makes several appearances throughout this listвЂ”while вЂњPannonicaвЂќ is a stirring, dreamy revelation. For one, it features some truly killer album art that inspires feelings of pure joy anytime you glance at itвЂ”look how happy he is! And then there are the tunesвЂ¦ my god, the tunes. Brilliant Corners is pretty much the Monk record for anyone interested in diving into his rather-massive catalogue.

This recordвЂ™s live rendition of вЂњIn Walked BudвЂќ is simply astounding, and it for real left me in a daze during my first listen. I could go on about the other tracks on here, but IвЂ™d like to be more succinct (if I may). Then you realize that the rhythm section is Max Roach and Oscar Pettiford, and it all makes sense.AM: Named specifically for Monk and his left-field antics, Misterioso captures him and his Quartet tearing through more than a handful of tunes at the Five Spot Cafe in New York. It is hard to imagine the kind of musicianship that could bring these tunes to life in 1956.

His use of bop language applied to MonkвЂ™s madness yields some great results. It is interesting to hear Johnny GriffinвЂ™s take on the tunes. The extended time of their residency translates into relaxed and comfortable playing.

Thelonious Monk Best Song Full Horn Section

Hal Overton took MonkвЂ™s tunes and expanded them with gorgeous arrangements for a full horn section. WhatвЂ™d you see is a man possessed by his music, particularly when delivering what has to be the quintessential performance of вЂњLittle Rootie Tootie.вЂќ The preceding cut, вЂњMonkвЂ™s Mood,вЂќ is equally effective as Monk steers the ship amidst varying solos from his players (which included a then-rising Donald Byrd on trumpet!).RK: If you couldnвЂ™t get enough of that piano solo on вЂњLittle Rootie TootieвЂќ from the trio record and wanted to hear it arranged for a large ensemble, this is the recording for you. It was recorded at the Town Hall in New York City in 1959, and if you allow yourself to enter the right mind state, it can feel like youвЂ™re sitting front row and watching it all unfold.

Through all the layers of sound, this recording still sounds like an extension of one man. The reason MonkвЂ™s music endures to this day is that his writing is so unique and thoroughly enjoyable.