Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk

Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk

ASIN: B00000IOPU

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On this recording, Andy Summers, formerly of the pop group the Police, translates the angular and quirky compositions of jazz pioneer Thelonious Sphere Monk into a wide variety of musical settings. Buoyed by drummers Peter Erskine and Bernie Dresel, electric-acoustic bassist Dave Carpenter, and organist Joey de Francescos, Summers's spare, ghostly guitar--a delicious combination of Jim Hall's timbre and Pat Martino's fluency--swings in a straight-ahead take on the title track, the ballad "Ugly Beauty," and "Monk's Dream"--with Summers's sly "Jeepers Creepers" quote. Erskine lays down a danceable New Orleans second-line beat on "Hackensack," tinged by the tenor sax-trumpet frontline of Steve Tavaglione and Walt Fowler, and "Bemsha Swing" moves to an Afro-Caribbean beat. Summers's country twang imbues the strip tease-tempoed "Brilliant Corners" and "Think of One," which rings with de Francesco's churchy organ solo; "Shuffle Boil" is recast in "Bitches Brew" fashion with Fowler's Milesian musings; and "Light Blue" and "Rhythm-A-Ning" melds Summers's Appalachian banjo with Tavaglione's oblique clarinet in an avant-garde landscape. Summers and company stick to the lullaby melody of "Boo Boo's Birthday," and Summers's intro sets up the moody cabaret-style vocal by fellow Policeman Sting on "'Round Midnight." "Ruby My Dear" highlights the guitarist in a folksy, solo spotlight and closes this well-traveled tribute. --Eugene Holley Jr.

From Jazziz
Andy Summers' latest jazz album, Green Chimneys, finds the ex-Police guitarist paying tribute to one of his idols, Thelonious Monk. "I've loved Monk since I was a teenager," Summers says. "When somebody gave me Monk at Town Hall, it really turned me around. Monk transcends any obvious generic descriptions. It's Monk. It's on its own. You can say it's jazz, but the best of Monk is Monk." Green Chimneys features Monk classics such as "Think of One," "Brilliant Corners," and "Evidence." It also finds Summers teaming up with Sting again for a vocal take of "'Round Midnight."

Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk,Andy Summers,RCA,Contemporary Instrumental,Fusion,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Prog-Rock/Art Rock

Average customer rating:

3 1/2 stars for a valiant attempt to stretch

Not quite smooth jazz, rock, or straight-ahead jazz

Straight, uninspired readings of Monk's jazz tunes

A lot better than I thought

Like it more now

Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk
Andy Summers
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000IOPU
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Green Chimneys
Hackensack
Brilliant Corners
Monk's Dream
'Round Midnight
Bemsha Swing
Shuffle Boil
Boo Boo's Birthday
Evidence
Ugly Beauty
Think Of One
Light Blue/Rhythm-A-Ning
Ruby My Dear

Amazon.com

On this recording, Andy Summers, formerly of the pop group the Police, translates the angular and quirky compositions of jazz pioneer Thelonious Sphere Monk into a wide variety of musical settings. Buoyed by drummers Peter Erskine and Bernie Dresel, electric-acoustic bassist Dave Carpenter, and organist Joey de Francescos, Summers's spare, ghostly guitar--a delicious combination of Jim Hall's timbre and Pat Martino's fluency--swings in a straight-ahead take on the title track, the ballad "Ugly Beauty," and "Monk's Dream"--with Summers's sly "Jeepers Creepers" quote. Erskine lays down a danceable New Orleans second-line beat on "Hackensack," tinged by the tenor sax-trumpet frontline of Steve Tavaglione and Walt Fowler, and "Bemsha Swing" moves to an Afro-Caribbean beat. Summers's country twang imbues the strip tease-tempoed "Brilliant Corners" and "Think of One," which rings with de Francesco's churchy organ solo; "Shuffle Boil" is recast in "Bitches Brew" fashion with Fowler's Milesian musings; and "Light Blue" and "Rhythm-A-Ning" melds Summers's Appalachian banjo with Tavaglione's oblique clarinet in an avant-garde landscape. Summers and company stick to the lullaby melody of "Boo Boo's Birthday," and Summers's intro sets up the moody cabaret-style vocal by fellow Policeman Sting on "'Round Midnight." "Ruby My Dear" highlights the guitarist in a folksy, solo spotlight and closes this well-traveled tribute. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

3 1/2 stars for a valiant attempt to stretch.......2007-04-26

Nothing explosively wonderful here, but I found it an interesting album. It starts out a little slow with the title track -- showing that Summers does not really retain one's interest on long solos. Hackensack, with the benefit of organ and trumpet and cello and everyone getting a little solo turn, is "creatively destructive" of the tune -- and it is fun to hear everything just a bit off kilter and very loose, like Monk's tunes themselves. Summers seems to have an odd sense of humor, and in view of that, I'd say he and Monk are a good match.

Summers wisely keeps songs down to a comfortable three to five minute length. Summers has a limited bag of tricks as a guitarist, so best not to push his luck. So many jazz artists sound like they are phoning their performance in, and they know they can fall back on different patterns played with little effort or involvement. To me, it sounds like Andy is working, thinking about what he's playing. Even if it isn't always elegant, I appreciate the efforts of someone who plays something simple, with thought, instead of something complicated and difficult that is thrown off automatically with seemingly no feeling. And Andy Summers knows the value of silence in a line, instead of trying to fill every space with notes.

Sting's appearance on Round Midnight is welcome, and even more Andy's slinky solo on that tune. An entire album of Sting singing jazz might be unbearable, but one song is just the ticket here.

Probably you don't even want to listen this album all in one sitting. It is nearly an hour long. But it is good for repeated listenings, at least I have found it to be so, even if I listen to a few songs here, a few there.

Look, this is far better than Summers' "new age" records -- at least the ones I heard. I don't think he did nearly as well with the next record, where he tackled the Mingus catalog. Undoubtedly Summers' forte is in the power trio setting of the Police. Those who admired that work, which defined a whole new sound in rock music, copied and incorporated into so many other guitarists' styles, should also find this diversion worthwhile.

Not quite smooth jazz, rock, or straight-ahead jazz.......2004-01-31

Not a great jazz album, but a good one. Andy Summers doesn't have the melodic brilliance of a more hardcore jazz guitarist (even though it's all he's done for the last several years). What he DOES have is an ear for pleasing pop production and arrangement. The recording and production quality is far more polished than usual for a jazz album, and the arrangements are creative. From a pure production point, it'd be good smooth jazz. But Monk's tunes are too jagged for smooth jazz, the sometimes aggressive arrangements are too rocking for straight-ahead, and the swing too overtly jazzy for the rock fans. So it's an album that fails to please three different markets.

Still, it's a good effort, with particularly nice performances by some of the sidemen (Peter Erskine on drums). But when it gets down to it, if i want Summers i'll put on a Police record, and if i want Monk i'll put on a Monk record. Nobody but nobody tops the master!

Straight, uninspired readings of Monk's jazz tunes.......2003-02-09

Let's start by admitting that Andy Summers is a fine guitarist. His groundbreaking work with the rock trio the Police shows off his greatest strengths: his unusual rhythm patterns and his playful use of tonal color (i.e., guitar effects). Unfortunately, neither of these are of much help on this album, comprised of straight jazz readings of songs from Thelonious Monk's catalogue. Of course the compositions are great - as a composer Monk was second to none. And Summers certainly has some serious chops, which is why it's so hard to explain why we don't hear more of them. The distortion on "Shuffle Boil" is one of few guitar effects used, and doesn't really mesh well with Walt Fowler's muted trumpet, but it is one of the few numbers on which Summers really seems to cut loose. Most of the other readings seem pretty tentative by comparison.

Another weakness is the arrangements, which really could have used some more variety. One alternative might have been to give more space to his sidemen (most of whom are lucky to get even one solo on the entire album), or, if he felt they weren't quite up to it, obtain sidemen who were (apologies to Joey de Francesco who most definitely is up to it). As it stands, the pieces all start to blur together after a bit. Sting's guest vocal performance on "Round Midnight" is rather a disappointment; his midnight is sleepy and lethargic rather than tormented. This recording is by no means as difficult to listen to as some of Summers' more challenging works, but it doesn't make much of an impact, either. Looking back, it may have been a mistake trying to make a virtuoso jazz guitarist's album, when jazz isn't really Summers' medium. One can understand why a musician wants to honor the past, and one can understand why a musician may want to stretch himself, but Summers won't win any new fans for himself or for Monk with these uninspired performances. Rock guitar fans who have no previous exposure to Monk may find this useful as a learning tool, but jazz aficionados will find nothing new or exciting here, and fans of Summers' alternative experiments may be bitterly disappointed.

A lot better than I thought.......2001-01-17

I loved The Police but I have to admit I was a little skeptical of Andy Summers tackling Monk since he isn't from a true jazz guitar background. But I have to say that overall he did a pretty good job. The sound reminds me of Bill Frisell and although Summers doesn't really knock me out on his soloing his tonal pallette is pleasant and his style is suitable to Monk's music. If you are new to jazz guitar I would check out guys like Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, and Mark Elf for a more mainstream look at jazz guitar; or something a little more rock-edged also there's John Scofield & Mike Stern & Paul Bollenback.

Like it more now.......2000-02-12

I wrote a review on this album just recently and didn't really have much to say about it that I liked. However, since writing it, I have listened to it more and now like it. I do think 'Sing' should avoid sing jazz, though - it requires more voice control than he can offer.

Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk

Average customer rating:

Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk
Andy Summers
Manufacturer: Bmg Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JXF6
Release Date: 1999-06-23

Tracks:

Green Chimneys
Hackensack
Brilliant Corners
Monk's Dream
'Round Midnight
Bemsha Swing
Shuffle Boil
Boo Boo's Birthday
Evidence
Ugly Beauty
Think of One
Light Blue/Rhythm-A-Ning
Ruby, My Dear
Off Minor
Ruby, My Dear [Alternate Version][Alternate Take]

Album Details

Former Police Guitarists Latest 1999 Release Covering Thelonious Monk's Music. Includes Two Japanese Exclusive Tracks 'Ruby My Dear (Acoustic Version)', 'Off Minor'.

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music