Himself

Thelonious Monk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YEF
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,197 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Music CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Jazz Record, An Essential Monk Record, August 27, 2000

By 

MG Nagy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Himself (Audio CD)

Thelonious Monk created some of the most powerful music ever, regardless of genre. That power underscores an observation: I've never met a person who had a luke-warm or ho-hum opinion about his music. They either love it or hate it.

An artist that elicits that kind of a polarized response makes it hard for the curious. What if the newcomer picks up what is genuinely a bad record? Monk fans are rabid, but few. So if you don't have a Monk fan handy, how do you know what makes a good introduction to his music?

Conventional wisdom says to get "Straight, No Chaser" on Columbia. That IS a great place to start, especially with the remastering job Sony did in 1996. They made a perfect record even better.

The problem that I have with the conventional wisdom is that "Straight" only tells half the story. If you are new to jazz in general or Monk's music in particular, you should check this disc out. It is not only one of Monk's best, but it offers essential insight to jazz music as a whole.

While "Monk's Mood" (with John Coltrane and Wilbur Ware) alone is worth the price of admission, "Functional" and "All Alone" are sadly overlooked. The 22 minutes of Monk working out a solo version of "'Round Midnight," followed by the finished take are vital to understanding how Monk functioned as a composer and arranger. What comes through all the odd chords, phrasing, and tempos is some of the most organic (human) music I've ever heard.

To crib from the tray insert (Dom Cerulli, Down Beat): (five stars) Highly recommended.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey into Introspection, November 24, 2000

By 

Rick Nye "toad" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Himself (Audio CD)

I've owned this album for a number of years, yet I've probably only listened to it about 20 times. The music on this album is so powerful that repeated listenings can diminish the effect of the music, relegating it to mere background music. This is by no means background music. This is music to listen to when your soul needs refreshing. I'm very careful about when I choose to listen to this album. By listening to it only when I need it, the music becomes more beautiful, more serene, more replenishing with each listening. Buy it and listen to it as soon as you can, without distractions. Then put it away. Listen to it only when you need to. And you'll know when that is.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a 5-star gem, October 18, 2008

By 

McBurl Ives (Melbourne) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Himself (Audio CD)

monk is like the poetry of rilke - it's so dense and compact with ideas that absorbing it takes time and attention. this is a great album but i'd be careful giving it to kids: it might put their sense of time out, ruin them for the regular world forever...and you wouldn't want that