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Solo Monk

by

Thelonious Monk

 
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Solo Monk
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Avg: 4.5 (46 ratings)

  • Date Released: October 31, 1964
  • Genre: Jazz
  • Label: Columbia/Legacy
  • Copyright: (P) 2003 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Unique solo album from one of jazz’s most idiosyncratic voices

  • We Say...

    Review by Ed Ward

    By the time Thelonious Monk signed with Columbia in the mid '60s, he had stopped writing new material and was in the process of developing what might be called his canon, the pool from which he would pick material for subsequent recordings and performances. He was also paying more conscious attention to his technique, although some people argue that his seemingly clumsy attack on earlier recordings was actually intentional, part of the search. It’s notable, too, that this canon was not just comprised of his own material, and only a few of the tunes included here are Monk originals. His inclusion of standards like “I Surrender, Dear,” “Dinah” and “These Foolish Things” underline the fact that, for all of his being associated with the bebop revolution and the subsequent revolution in jazz, he was just as arguably the last of the New York stride pianists, in a direct line with Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. The more radical side of his own composing is also put aside for more approachable numbers as “Ruby, My Dear,” “Ask Me Now” and “Monk’s Point.” But solo playing lets us listen much closer to his thinking, and although he’s fairly calm throughout this recital, that only makes it an easy place to start listening to one of jazz’s most idiosyncratic voices.

  • They Say...

    Review by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

    Thelonious Monk made a total of six solo piano recordings in his lifetime. The first three were between 1954-1959 for the Riverside label and its affiliates, two were for Alfred Lion's Black Lion label very late in his career, and Solo Monk was in 1964 and 1965 recorded mainly out West while on tour. As with Legacy's other reissues, Solo Monk is a deluxe package for a fair price. Here are the original 12 tunes comprised of four originals and eight standards as well as nine really alternate takes. In addition, there is a recording here of his little-known or -played composition "North of the Sunset." Monk's solo recordings always stood in stark contrast to his ensemble works; the voice here is less strident and dissonant in that he plays against a less-varied set of tonalities, and the solo pianist has the opportunity to sing through the instrument because it is not accountable to any other player. The beauty of his "Sweet 'n' Lovely," or the old standard "I Should Care," are nearly unbearable. His read of "These Foolish Things" is fraught with some perilously large chord voicings that stray into other key signatures, and his two takes of "Ruby My Dear" included here are finer than any he recorded previously. This is perhaps the solo piano record to have by Monk.

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