Brilliant Corners

Artist: Thelonious Monk
Label: Ojc
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 025218602624
EAN: 0025218602624
ASIN: B000000Y1H

Release Date: 1991-07-01

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Listmania:

Classic Jazz 101 (a short list of essentials)
The Greatest LPs Of All Time (The 1st 40)
Greatest Jazz Albums Ever. Period.
MY FAVORITE JAZZ CD'S
Thelonious: The Monk Runs Deep, His Best in Order (My Picks)
Yet another list of desert island albums
In a Space Outta Sound
welcome to the Soul Ballet
West Coast Coolin'
Lounge Trip and Smooth Jazz music

Tracks:

Brilliant Corners
Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
Pannonica
I Surrender, Dear
Bemsha Swing

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Customer Reviews:

Great Packaging! Great Remastering As Well!.......2006-10-02

This along with "Criss-Cross" have been roundly acknowledged as among the best the Monk has ever done. Considering he had recorded dozens of albums, that's no small praise either. This version of the classic album is a work of art in itself. The mini-lp sleeve replica is very well done and it reproduces very faithfully the cover art on the original lp release. In addition, all the tracks have been very well digitally remastered so that the sound quality is really very, very good. This is by far the best version of this album that is currently out there.

Recommended for all fans of Monk and of great jazz in general.

Rightly praised classic, however at times lacking Monk's signature.......2006-05-15

This is one of those ominous recordings that manages to somehow steal the spotlight away from some of the more in depth work of the artist due to this album's attempt at "getting everything right". Don't ask me to explain what that means, all I know is that there are many albums that achieve legendary status due to their pitch perfect recipe that delivers all of the prescribed ingrediants in the right order. Somehow that formula for sucess yielded many jazz classics, but overshadowed more personal, detailed work. This applies to most artists then, and as a general forwarning into gageing many composer's true strengths when it comes to buying most recommended titles. They are often ideal first purchases when discovering someone, but usually misleading as well.
This album itself is perhaps 1/2 dominated by the man of the hour, giving way to yes..some brilliant corners. There are some amazing musical concepts going on brought on undoubtedly by a total collaboration at times with some pretty free form plotting by all players. As exciting as some of the swingin tunes can be, the problem of overshadowing genius cannot be remedied when tunes like "I surrender Dear" are played, the depth of that writing on display towers over the majority of the disc's mood of playfullness. Nonetheless, this is one of his more popular albums for a reason, each track on this album has stood the test of time and will continue to represent such a special hybrid of piano induced, frenzied yet organized beauty in it's 5 eclectic compositions that go everywhere from avant garde to ballad to bee bop to solo.

brilliant, yes mahn.......2006-03-11

This is a fantastic monk recording, because there is so much soul in the tracks. Monk's unorthodox style is interpreted well by all the other players as is immediately evident on the first track. The tempo shifts continually and the song takes on a completely eccentric life of its own. Rollin's sax solo about 4 minutes into the track has a playful, whimsical, blues feel and roache's drum play is among the best i have ever heard on any jazz track, the way he shifts tempo during his solo is wonderfully energizing. The intros and exits to both the first two tracks will hang in your head for the rest of the day. Henry and rollins simultaneous play during these periods suggests a light-hearted, take-it-as-it-comes approach to life. The bass solos are equally playful, like the one on "Ba-lue..." From head to toe the musicians surrounding monk do a fantastic job assuming his style and create a recording that is the epitome of monk.

As far as monk's play, i am partial to his solo about 4 and 1/2 minutes into track two. It sums up the feel of the entire album: cool, playful and confident. Monk's choice of celeste-play on "pannonica" is another deviation from tradition that hangs a mystical mood around a somewhat earthy track that couldn't be done without it. I am also a big fan of monk's classical style and track four is rich and romantic.

This disc is a wonderful way of looking at the world that has never been done quite the same. It is an optimistic recording that you will leave in a good mood after hearing it...every time. "Brilliant corners" is one of those recordings that makes you thank fate that monk and the all-star cast that joined him created it and you happened to hear it after the session became history.

Pannonica.......2005-08-09

From the wonderful documentary "Straight, No Chaser", we know that the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter was born a Rothschild, flew bombers during WWII in de Gaulle's resistance, then came to New York and became one of the foremost patrons of jazz, close friends with Parker, Thelonious, and countless others. Complex lady. Complex tune as well, and one of Monk's most beautiful.
This record was Monk's third for Riverside, but the first to feature his compositions. The title track "Brilliant Corners" is notorious for its strangeness of melody and its doubling of tempo. But the highlight of the record is the ballad "Pannonica", for two reasons... first, Monk doubling on the celeste. I think it must be the only time he ever played another instrument on record, let alone two instruments at once, but he must've been aiming for an ethereal quality for this recording and achieves it in his intro and in his solo, where he alternates between celeste and piano. And second... Sonny Rollins. This was made during Sonny's high point, around the time of "Saxophone Colossus", and I think it is probably his strongest ballad solo, and the strongest saxophone solo anyone has played behind Monk, past Rouse and Johnny Griffin and even Coltrane. As great as Rouse is, whenever he is playing the tune, you can hear him get caught up in the trickiness of the bridge, and he invariably runs back to the theme for safety. Sonny, during his solo, has truly possessed and internalized Monk's composition, and brings all of his astonshing self to the solo. Doesn't falter once. And listen towards the end when he throws in those five consecutive ascending glissandos. Then listen to Monk affectionately duplicate them when he gets into his solo. Then listen to some of the other recordings of "Pannonica" over the next 15 years and you'll hear Monk working this phrase in again. A small, wonderful exchange between two artists. The rest of the tunes on "Brilliant Corners" are great, but "Pannonica" is one of those rare ones that is itself worth the price of admission. One can only wish that Monk and Rollins had played and recorded more together-- then I think there would be no question of Monk's supremacy in modern jazz or of Sonny's supremacy on the tenor saxophone.

Which Monk Cd should I choose ?.......2004-12-30

That is one of life's more difficult questions because the more you listen to Monk the more you hear. Certainly that is true on this Cd. It ranks as one of my favorites because the music is so unpredictable and the musicians that are on this particular Monk recording do an amazing job interpreting Monk's compositions. Every cut is different and each has something that just blows me away every time I hear it. Pannonica , the 3rd track is one of Monk's more understated and underrated tunes. His piano playing on that number can only be descibed as sweet. The Blues turnarounds on Bal-Lue Bolivar with Monk and Sonny Rollins are knock-outs and Monk's version of I Surrender Dear is especially unique.
I would be remiss not to mention Max Roach's drumming on this entire cd is fantastic but he particularly shines on Bemsha Swing. Then the icing on the cake is a beautiful trumpet solo on that cut by Clark Terry.
This is certainly one of Monk's finest recordings and on certain nights it is my all-time favorite. Don't miss it.

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