3.0 out of 5 stars
Three Sides of Monk, May 20, 2011
There are a lot of compilations of Monk's "Best" work available, but what makes this one unique is that you get to hear Monk playing in three different settings: By himself, with a quartet, and with a big band. This CD is a mixture of mostly studio tracks and some live concert recordings. The studio tracks, however, are the best material here, especially with Monk playing solo. Contained here is the absolutely gorgeous "'Round Midnight", one of his signature tunes. "Nice Work if You Can Get It" is a real up-tempo number that has almost a Ragtime feel to it. Then there's Monk's interpretation of the classic standard "Tea for Two". The closing track, "Five Spot Blues", which features Monk with his quartet, really swings and has a catchy piano riff that you just might find yourself whistling later.
I thought the live cuts, "Epistrophy" and "Brilliant Corners", were a disappointment for two reasons: First, these are the tracks where Monk is backed up by a big band. Monk's piano seems to take a back seat on these particular tracks and is overpowered by all the horns ( I find that I prefer to hear Monk play with smaller ensembles or solo.) Second, the recording quality is not the best on these live tracks. There seems to be too much echo.
This is a budget-priced CD, and that's especially evident by that fact that it contains no booklet or liner notes whatsoever. It's a small thing to overlook, though. For only a couple of bucks, you're getting a good sampling of some fine jazz piano music by one of The Greats.
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