Customer Reviews

The Complete Riverside Recordings

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sure, this is expensive, and I really resent the manner in which so many boxed-sets are marketed to exploit "a new angle" of a musician, but this particular example is a goldmine. Save up your ducats (stop smoking, cut out your afternoon candy bar, or start bicycling to work) and buy this box for yourself. Once the box is in your possession, do not rush yourself or over-indulge. If administered properly, this music will reveal its genius to you, and you will create a permanent spot in your life for it in return. Monk made a lot music both before and after the sessions included in this box, but this is the essential stuff.

Unlike much 20th century music, Stravinsky's music embraces the deconstructive chaos of "modern" music, and yet somehow retains the balanced building blocks of the classical era. This also holds true for Monk. You cannot call his music "out" or "free", but he clearly throws a hand-grenade into the bunker of convention. He swallowed the sounds & constructs of conventional swing & bop, and spit them out as angular, fragmented ideas that still retained an organic "listenability". His modern approach is not cold or alienating, but adds depth and sophistication to the modes of jazz that preceded him.

This music could be a lifelong friend. Is $200 too much to pay for a lifelong friend? Buy it, open it up, and take it along for your journey...

I've got this set, & the music on it is unquestionably among the greatest of Monk's achievements. That said, this was released back in 1986 (when it won a pair of Grammys)...and that's the remastering used on the CD set. The sound quality is acceptable but, even without my making a direct comparison to recent generations of remasterings (& this particular catalogue has lately been in the process of a facelift) it's obvious enough in listening to it that the remastering quality is far from state of the art. Live recordings such as the Five Spot sessions with Johnny Griffin sound particularly in need of a careful dusting. Anyway, I certainly don't wish to dissuade Monk fans from this set--clearly, it's the best way to get a hold of this crucial body of work in one lump, & there are a number of tracks here which aren't available elsewhere now. But it's high time that this set be given a repolishing according to current remastering standards. Calling Mosaic Records......

Every Monk fan has a favorite period in the jazz titan's career. Mine is Monk's years on the Riverside label thru most of the 50s. His Blue Note sides are hampered by the time and quality limitations of 40s recording, and his Columbias in the 60s have been criticized for a certain sameyness, but I've never heard a bad word about the Riversides. Monk & Co. were finally able to stretch out at length and be heard in excellent sonic quality. Monk wrote many enduring pieces in the Riverside years ["Brilliant Corners", "Pannonica", "Played Twice", etc. etc.], he was joined by fellow titans on most sessions [Rollins, Coltrane, Blakey, Roach, Haynes, Mulligan, etc.], and Monk himself soloed and comped with an energy and inventiveness that he never surpassed before or after. Quite simply, Monk's Riverside sessions are uniformly wonderful.

I think I almost cried when I got this set... It is truly a magnificent and beautiful boxed-set indeed. If you can afford it... A must. It is a staggering fifteen discs, which I have now had the pleasure of completely hearing. I was still just as amazed now as I was when I first listened to Monk in high school. This music never ages (and there is some jazz that does, I am sorry) and this set is a masterclass in itself of jazz composition and style... My favourite is, and will forever be, the slick twists of "Off Minor" and I am duly rewarded on this set with multiple excellent versions of this oft over-looked, but once found never forgotten, Monk standard... Check it out. You will be rewarded a thousand times over. I love him. I totally agree with "the obsessive reviewer"'s opinion on it needing a remaster for today's standards... Can't bear to give it any less than five... Sorry man, you are correct though!

This set is indeed great, but I should add that through Naxos Jazz online you can listen to it without buying the now out of print CD set.

Just wanted to throw one more 5-star review at this. Looks like this collection is out of print based on the crazy price they are asking (over 400). I think I paid around 200 or a little less for it a number of years ago. I have recordings from Monk's complete career and these have always been my favorites, not as mellow as the Columbias, more focused than the Blue Notes or Prestiges. And lots of great musicians and combinations. This is music to have on your shelf for the rest of your life so you can pull down some magic to listen to anytime you want. My favs would have to be the Blackhawk group, the Johnny Griffin stuff, then the Rollins stuff and trios and Trane. The best of Charlie Rouse too. Thank God for the joy that Monk brings!

Any serious Monk fan should have this set if its within your budget. The multiple versions on Round Midnight are worth the price of admission alone and there are so many wonderful collaborations. I mean does it get any better than John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk? Although I must admit the packaging is a little bland, but that is likely due to the fact that it was released a few years back. However, the substance can definitely be found in the music and Thelonious Monk will forever be an icon.

Guy Lombardo enthusiasts will probably consider the bucks to be expended on this set a dreadful waste of cash but if you are partial to bop-oriented jazz it will give you years of boundless pleasure. At the very least it is a splendid coffee-table item but the music is the thing. On every track Monk shows his inventiveness, versatility and his hipness; truly a giant of modern jazz. An excellent booklet (LP size) with extensive (Grammy winning) notes accompanies this set. Highest recommendation