Customer Reviews

Solo Monk

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hearing Thelonious Monk as a solo pianist is always a unique experience-- his style, always rather unique in its use of space and rhythm, picks up a delicate stride feel to it when presented without other instruments. After four quartet albums, in late 1964 Columbia record Monk in a solo context, on an album cleverly called "Solo Monk". This reissue augments the original twelve song album with nine bonus tracks, creating a rather extensive set.

The album itself is the usual blend of Monk originals and standards-- Monk's stride (and to a lesser extent ragtime) influences come out clearly through many fo the standards he tackles, with fantastic takes of "Dinah" and "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" being deep in the stride tradition (although there is definitely something very Monkish about them. Comparing these to the very Monkish "I Surrender, Dear" or the extraordinarily fractured "I Should Care" shows the real breadth of Monk's talents as a pianist. The originals include two pieces never before recorded-- "North of the Sunset" and "Monk's Point". Both are similar (Bb blues with stride execution), neither are particularly revalatory. Readings of "Ask Me Now" and "Ruby, My Dear" fare much better. The former has both a deliberate and sensitive feel to it. The latter is one of those pieces I can just never get sick of, it's one of my favorites by Monk and is rendered beautifully.

The bonus tracks are kind of a mixed bag-- seven are alternates of material that was issued on the LP-- some of these are interesting and you wonder why Monk picked the take he did rather than the one on here ("Ruby, My Dear"), some of them clearly find Monk fumbling a bit and trying to work out his ideas ("Dinah", "Sweet and Lovely"). A pair of pieces that weren't included on the original LP are also included here-- Monk original "Introspection" gets a tentative reading, probably left off because Monk never quite finished his thought. "Darn That Dream" is fairly unique in that it gets a pretty straight reading, Monk drives through the theme several times without much of his usual style.

A note-- the remastered sound is superb. Make sure you get the variant of this without the purplish/blue edge (that was the old issue and won't sound nearly as nice).

"Solo Monk" is not the best of Monk's solo performances ("Thelonious Himself" on Riverside gets my vote on that), but its a decent record.

"..Monk's unique piano style was largely perfected during his stint as the house pianist at 'Mintons' in New York City during the early to mid 1940's when he participated in the famous after hours 'cutting competitions' that featured most of the leading jazz soloist of the period.The Minton's scene was crucial in the formulations of the be-bop genre,and brought Monk in close contact with Charlie Parker,Dizzy Gillepie,Kenny Clarke and other greats of the day..."[Excerpts from a profile of Monk on Wikipedia] Minton's was the breeding ground for the devolopment of a new musical language.New harmonic and melodic approaches were developed and perfected. A 'thinking tank' so to speak.
Thelonious Monk was 'smack dab' in the middle of it.So taking that all into consideration on this recording we have the unique oppurtunity of hearing the master by himself,with the added pleasure of a perfectly tuned piano.One of great masters of the improvised line,along with his strikingly original harmonic ideas makes this a real treat.The tune list is a mixture of originals and standards such as 'I Should Care'(Weston/Stordahl),'Everything Happens to Me'(Dennis-Adair),and his own classic 'Ruby My Dear'.This comes highly recommended.
Health and Happiness

If I ever build a memory capsule with my children, for their children, this will be going down in it. I have 2 copies now, one un-opened, and one in heavy rotation in my multi disc carousel. This album far surpasses that of today's standard of music. From tracks 1 through 12, and on to the additional 9 tracks, the album has no flaws.
"Monk's Point" demonstrates his uncanny ability to show us the way and keep us on the path to solemn and effecient music.The many cultural overtones presented on this album are that of a musical visionary, who not only knew how to perform music, but to live music.
At only 24 years old myself, as well being an actor and a singer, this album has shown me, the real pleasures in life; and that is being as he once was. In as many places at the same time, and not leaving the comforts of your own home. This is pure delight.

Monk was a perfectionist not always well-understood by the public or even the musicians of his day. All his other recordings involve other musicians with whom he must interact with varying results. This sometimes makes it difficult to hear Monk as himself rather than as an ensemble player.

But this recording gives us a great window into Monk's musical soul unencumbered with any exogenous distractions. One gets the feeling that Monk is playing for himself with no one else in the room. Production values are nil: just Monk and a piano in a bare studio. It is a privelege to be able to eavesdrop on his private explorations of themes of, presumably, his own choosing. Having bonus tracks with 'duplicate' songs is a genuine positive; it allows you to hear Monk's differing approaches to the same material.

This recording must be considered essential to anyone interested in appreciating the musicianship of Thelonius Monk. There are many other great recordings of Monk out there but this one is indispensible.

This weird Monk's solo outing is absolutely marvelous; entertaining and witty in a way one would expect from a Clark Terry live album, and yet still jagged, surprising, twisted and twisting, messing with harmonies tempos and rhythms in a way only this master could...

The opening song, "Dinah", much more common for the Fats Waller repertoire opens the album for a reason - it gives the listener some guidelines what to expect and how to take it. One of the most intelligent listeners to jazz tradition, Monk here gives brilliant, ironical but not mocking tribute to music (and, particularly, piano styles) of the past, performing few of his great originals as well...

I enjoyed this album immensely. You can buy it with or without bonus tracks; it's still great. You can get it (with bonus tracks) inside this handy box:
Original Album Classics

I knew of Monk's solo work but wasn't familiar with it. I was expecting a lot of flashy pyrotechnics on this CD - one of those that could be technically impressive but could also be a difficult listen. How wrong I was.

Imagine, in 1964, if you had the opportunity to have Thelonious Monk play a private recital at your home. Imagine further if you asked him to just play what he felt like playing for his own enjoyment. That's what this CD feels (and sounds) like.

This takes you by surprise right from the start with "Dinah", a tribute to rag delivered without any hint of irony. If the playing on "I'm Confessin'" doesn't boost your spirits, you might want to check in to a mental health facility. Overall, this is like a brief history of jazz up to that point - delivered effortlessly and affectionately. Essential.

Thelonious Monk was incapable of making a bad recording, and SOLO MONK is one of his best. Twenty years into his recording career, Monk entered the studio and cut his first (and only) solo album for Columbia Records. Originally released in 1964 as a 12-track album, it has been expanded to include nine additional tracks. [Two tracks cut during the SOLO MONK sessions, but left off the original release; and seven alternate takes.] While the opening cut, "Dinah," was popularized by Fats Waller four decades earlier, Monk puts his unique stamp on the song. Personal favorites are his playful rendition of "North of the Sunset" and the haunting beauty of "Ask Me Now," both Monk originals. Truth to tell, if you're going to have only one Thelonious Monk album in your collection, this is an excellent choice. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I thought Monk didn't know how to make a conventional album. And yet, here it is. A solo piano record, half of it standards like "I Surrender Dear", "Sweet and Lovely", "I'm Confessin'", and "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)". The standards aren't terribly revealing, though "These Foolish Things" has a nice minor-key atmosphere to it - they actually show a rarely seen side of Monk, the traditionalist, old-school side, the kind of stuff you'd hear in a keyboard lounge if it weren't for Monk's technique. But they're good, because no matter what, Monk can really play. I find I like Monk's originals better, though. "North of the Sunset", written specially for the project, is an entertaining stride piano oddity that's way too brief; "Ruby My Dear" is one of Monk's most poignant melodies; "Monk's Point" is nicely jumpy; "I Should Care", despite not having a melody of any kind, is still entertaining weirdness; "Ask Me Now" is simply one of my favorite Monk tunes, and I'm a big fan of the dissonant ending, as if to remind you of whose record this really is. I really don't have much to say about the rest of it. "Dinah", "I Hadn't Had Anyone Till You", and "Everything Happens to Me" are three far more obscure covers, and while they're nice and listenable, even if they all sound the same. And despite the fact that it's totally out-of-character for Monk, it's still a good record. I mean, what else is there to say about it? I've got no clue how to review solo piano albums in the first place - this would be only the second I've heard, after Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack (which I think is a great record, by the way). But hey, I like it, even though Monk's full-band classics blow it away.

This is perfection. Monk alone playing classics and favorites. It would be difficult to be in a bad mood while or after listening to this CD. It is pure Monk!

Have you ever noticed that when people describe an album as "rainy day music," the music is always sad? Why are rainy days supposed to be sad? Maybe they're the perfect time for rest & reflection. If you agree, you'll probably like this album. Every record Thelonious Monk released showcased his genius as a jazz pianist. His "Solo Monk" album was one of the few works he released where he performs without any accompaniment. Monk was a pianist who avoided long, machine-gun solos, preferring instead to explore natural melody through a song's chord progression. Instead of showing off, Monk loved to just play chords. Simplicity was his preference. Each tune on this album can sound at times as if Monk is playing the same refrain over and over again. In theory, he is; but what he does with each tune is expand its rhythms and play with the song's structure.

Being an album of nothing but solo piano, this is laid-back jazz -- almost classical in a way. For some this will sound like background music for dinner or cocktails, or maybe bedtime or dishwashing music. Once hearing this though, you wouldn't argue that this is a nice, relaxing album of beautiful jazz piano balladry. His performance is reminiscent of a time when the piano man behind the bar wasn't playing music to entertain you, but was playing to describe how you already felt. Relaxing, easy and still sharp in its rhythms.