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5.0 out of 5 stars
"Anthology 1952-1956 ... Thelonious Monk ... Cabu/Koch", May 4, 2008
This review is from: Anthology 1952 & 1956 (Audio CD)
CABU Music and Koch presents "THELONIOUS MONK - ANTHOLOGY 1952-1956" --- Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917-February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer --- Widely considered one of the most important musicians in jazz, Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire (including his classic works "'Round Midnight" and "Blue Monk") --- He is often regarded as a founder of bebop, although his playing style evolved away from that form --- His compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists, and are impossible to separate from Monk's unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations.
After his cycle of intermittent recording sessions for Blue Note during 1947-1952, he was under contract to Prestige Records for the following two years --- With Prestige he cut several under-recognized, but highly significant albums, including collaborations with saxophonist Sonny Rollins and drummer Art Blakey --- In 1954, Monk participated in the famed Christmas Eve sessions which produced the albums, Bags' Groove and Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants by Miles Davis --- Davis found Monk's idiosyncratic accompaniment style difficult to improvise over and asked him to lay out (not accompany), which almost brought them to blows --- However, in Miles Davis' autobiography Miles, Davis claims that the anger and tension between Monk and himself never took place and that the claims of blows being exchanged were "rumors" and a "misunderstanding." --- In 1954, Monk paid his first visit to Europe, performing and recording in Paris --- It was here that he first met Baroness Pannonica "Nica" de Koenigswarter, a member of the Rothschild banking family of England and a patroness of several New York City jazz musicians --- She would be a close friend for the rest of Monk's life
Monk died of a stroke on February 17, 1982 and was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York --- Since his death, his music has been rediscovered by a wider audience and he is now counted alongside the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and others as a major figure in the history of jazz --- In 1993, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2006, Monk was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation --- Monk's music is arguably the most recorded of any jazz composer--- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Anthology, 1952-1956 (Track Listings)
DISC ONE (1)
1 Skippy / Thelonious Monk Sextet 3:03
2 Hornin' In / Thelonious Monk Sextet 3:16
3 Carolina Moon / Thelonious Monk Sextet 3:30
4 Let's Cool One / Thelonious Monk Sextet 3:50
5 Little Rootie Tootie / Thelonious Monk Trio 3:07
6 Sweet and Lovely / Thelonious Monk Trio 3:36
7 Monk's Dream / Thelonious Monk Trio 3:07
8 Bemsha Swing / Thelonious Monk Trio 3:12
9 Trinkle, Tinkle / Thelonious Monk Trio 2:51
10 These Foolish Things / Thelonious Monk Trio 2:48
11 Let's Call This / Thelonious Monk Quintet 5:09
12 We See / Thelonious Monk Quintet 5:17
13 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes / Thelonious Monk Quintet 4:32
14 Hackensack / Thelonious Monk Quintet 5:12
15 Well You Needn't 3:30
16 Round About Midnight 5:20
17 Eronel 2:36
18 Just a Gigolo 3:02
19 Work / Thelonious Monk Trio 5:18
DISC TWO (2)
1 Blue Monk / Thelonious Monk Trio 7:40
2 The Man I Love / Miles Davis All-Stars 8:09
3 I Let a Song Go out of My Heart / Thelonious Monk Trio 5:43
4 Sophisticated Lady / Thelonious Monk Trio 4:31
5 Caravan / Thelonious Monk Trio 6:01
6 Shuffle Boil / Gigi Gryce Quartet 5:08
7 Liza / Thelonious Monk Trio 3:14
8 You Are Too Beautiful / Thelonious Monk Trio 4:59
9 Tea for Two / Thelonious Monk Trio 5:55
10 Honeysuckle Rose / Thelonious Monk Trio 5:34
11 Pannonica / Thelonious Monk Quintet 8:51
12 Brilliant Corners / Thelonious Monk Quintet 7:43
Hats off to Cabu Music and Koch --- strongly recommend this CD to music lovers and all others who need to hear some great Jazz music --- Thelonious Monk please stand up and take a bow for this well deserved rare gem you've given us --- this is a keeper!
Total Time: 143 mins on 31 Tracks ~ CABU Music 536 ~ (4/01/2008)
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