Thelonious Monk

[godfather]

What is your favorite Thelonius Monk song or album?

[Enforcer]

Brilliant Corners is my favorite. On Bemsha Swing, Clark Terry takes one of my favorite trumpet solos. Darryl (mistakenly) prefers the Miles version, but I'm telling you, it's Terry who owns this thing.

[Chris D]

My favorite album is probably "Monk's Music": that septet with Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins was magical on that record.

There are so many of his tunes that have been incorporated into the soundtrack of my life, and I don't think I'm alone there. If forced to pick one, I'd go with "Well, You Needn't," which I find myself humming a lot.

What do you like, godfather? (Welcome!)

[Sergio Zamora]

"Monk's Music", but I'll take any Riverside album or the Blue Note sides.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Nagel has it wrong. The Miles solo on Bemsha Swing is the most sublime solo in the history of recorded jazz. Clark Terry only wishes he could top it.

Ummm, what was the question? Oh yeah, "Brilliant Corners".

[Steve Reynolds]

Monk's Music or Jazz Messengers with Monk (on atlantic)

tune - probably Bemsha Swing - although there are so many great Monk tunes - the version of the above with Miles is sublime - havn't heard it in years...maybe one of my favorite sessions that I no longer own

[Surfer]

I love Bensha Swing. But I love Cecil's version on Jazz Advance more.

If there's one track to play for your friends to show the linkage between Cecil and the rest of the somewhat "rational" universe (aka bop), that's the track.

[Scott Yanow]

Two recordings come to mind. Monk's remarkable solo on "Bags' Groove" (the issued take) from 1954 with Miles Davis and Milt Jackson. Such a simple yet eventually very complex solo. And from the 1963 small big band concert on Columbia, "Four and More," both for the remarkable harmonized Monk solo transcribed by Hall Overton and played by the ensemble, and for Thelonious' new solo.

[crawjo]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but for some reason I've always liked Solo Monk. To my ears it is just an incredibly joyful record, all the performances are warm and quirky.

[de Selby]

Album: Monk's Music (it seems to be the one I listen to most often).
Tune: I seem to have Crepuscule with Nellie stuck in my head at the moment...

[Tom K]

Album: Maybe the recordings with Johnny Griffin and Roy Haynes.

Songs: "Work" is an old favourite, and the breathtakingly beautiful "Crepuscule with Nellie".

[Nate Dorward]

....What DOES "Bemsha" mean anyway?......

[Surfer]

And what is "Bo-Li-Var Ba-Lues-Es-R-Or-What-Ever-The-Hell-The-Name-Of-That-Song-Is"

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Nate, I'm surprised at you. Bemsha is Ahsmeb spelled backwards. You, of all people, should have caught that a long time ago.....

[Stephen Stralka]

Don't know about Bemsha or Ba-lue etc., but my dictionary defines epistrophe as "repitition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses esp. for rhetorical or poetic effect (as Lincoln's 'of the people, by the people, for the people')."

Does it still mean that if you spell it epistrophy? Does it matter? Does the definition have any application to the tune? (It would be interesting if it did. Somewhere I read or heard that Monk actually had words for most of his songs. Anyone know anything about that?)

I also just did a Google search for "epistrophy" and found there's a German punk/hardcore record label with that name. Weird.

Oh yes, and I think my favorite Monk album might be Misterioso.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Oh, I forgot to answer the question. I don't have a favorite Thelonius Monk song or album. IMO, Monk can do no wrong. What was the question?............

[Nate Dorward]

Re: "Epistrophy"--I think the title is quite appropriate to the tune itself. According to Robin Kelley it was originally called "Iambic Pentameter" (another rhetorical/poetic title). I wonder if Monk found the word himself somewhere or some learned friend volunteered the title. (The word "crepuscule" was apparently suggested by the Baroness Nica, for instance.)

"Bemsha" is probably destined to remain a mystery.

[Nate Dorward]

Re the "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are"--it's just a distortion of "Bolivar Blues" (Monk also recorded it under that title). Kelley: "The title refers to the Hotel Bolivar in Manhattan, then the home of the Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter."

Incidentally I find it interesting Monk never recorded "52nd St Theme" himself--perhaps the best instance of a composer of a notable theme never actually recording it himself, with the exception of "Nardis"?

[Nate Dorward]

Incidentally if anyone has a copy of the Monk + Jazz Messengers album handy maybe they could answer a question--on "Rhythm-a-ning" how long is the B section? I was surprised to note that when he recorded it with Gerry Mulligan shortly afterwards the B section is doubled in length, which I haven't heard Monk do on any other recording of it. Mulligan has trouble with it on a few of the takes for this reason!

[JHMurray]

My favorite tune is one few people seem to know...Boo Boo's Birthday.
Pannonnica is fun to play.
Crepescule is a work of genius.

I thought Epistrophy is something you win in a pissing contest.







OK, I won't quit my day job.

Favorite album: Brilliant Corners


Favorite tune:

tie

Coming On The Hudson

and

Functional

[clinthopson]

Monks Music and Brilliant Corners are my two favorite Monk albums. It's impossible to name a favorite Monk song, there are too many.

I like Live at the It Club a lot, too.

[John L]

Choosing one is just too hard!

Maybe I would have to go with Brilliant Corners. Maybe again it would be the Blue Note stuff with Milt Jackson. Or I might just go for the 1961 Stockholm concert. But I couldn't live without the trio session on Prestige. And the Bag's Groove session goes without saying (although Miles was the leader)...

...sorry, I'm just getting started.

[Root Doctor]

If forced to choose a single disc, Brilliant Corners.

Favorite tune: Ruby, My Dear

[Al in NYC]

I've always enjoyed the trios with Blakey and Roach that were released on Prestige in the early '50's. The sound (and the piano) isn't great, but these are beautiful little stripped down and jewel-like performances of some of his greatest tunes, and brings an intriguing comparison between the 2 great drummers who are both given a lot of space. The 7 minute Monk's Mood is brilliant and can literally bring tears to my eyes. This would be my single disc choice.

I have also always adored the Blue Note session with Milt Jackson & Shadow Wilson (the Evidence and Misterioso session), well, except for the unfortunate vocals.

Of the albums with horns my favorite is Brilliant Corners, as I've always thought that Rollins was really Monk's most consistently interesting sax accompanist.

But as people have said here, there is really very little (any?) bad or uninteresting Monk, particularly from before the Columbia years (when he began to repeat himself just a bit). Some of the less well-known albums contain great performaces too that haven't been cited here yet. Some of my favorites are the stunning and rather strange Friday the 13th on the Prestige Monk/Rollins CD, a very playful take on Just You, Just Me from the Unique Thelonious Monk, the sweet and somber Monk's Mood with Coltrane at the end of the otherwise solo Thelonious Himself, and a storming Straight, No Chaser with the great Thad Jones from 5 by Monk by 5.

[A. Kingstone]

If I had to choose between the Blue Note Box and The Riverside Box I'd have to pick....................................................




I just can't.

[hans]

My favourite is "Alone in San Francisco". In my opinion it is in the solo work that his very personal approach is most direct.

[Monte Smith]

Another vote here for Monk's Music. Just hearing it open with "Abide with Me" is like a religious experience for me.

Monte, your kind are not welcome here. Get back over to the Alley where you belong.

[groover]

If you like solo Monk, this is the set to get:

Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings: 1962-1968