JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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Let’s admit one thing right away — the finest single CD of solo Monk material is undoubtedly 1964’s Solo Monk, in which Thelonious Monk exhibits miraculous powers of concentration and taste. Every single cut is a gem.
For those who want more, there’s Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings: 1962-1968, which includes the material from Solo Monk, solo performances from disparate albums, as well as a whole bunch of alternate takes.
But be warned, these aren’t the jewels you might expect. There are missteps, mistakes and so on. But for die-hard fans of Monk, these are fascinating in their own right. They expose Monk’s thought process with an even more penetrating light than his masterpieces.
You get all kinds of insights into how and why Monk composed and arranged tunes the way he did. You also begin to understand how Monk turned a liability (the thickness of his fingers) into a signature part of his style. Over and over, Monk will go for a particular note and hit the one next to it as well. On many of these sides, Monk will hesitate long enough for you to realize that the mistake was not intentional and then go on to incorporate it into his performance. Now, that’s improvisation!
Don’t get me wrong. These performances have a lot of charm, but they also reveal Monk to be the very human performer he was.
Who should get Monk Alone? Not casual fans, that’s for sure. A full CD is nothing but alternate takes. Students of Monk, Monk completists, and rabid fans of his solo piano work are the target audience here.
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- Solo Monk - Thelonious Monk
- Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall - Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane
- Monk’s Music - Thelonious Monk
- Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk
- Monk - Thelonious Monk Quintet