Jazz Articles about Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk: Monk 'Round the World

by John Kelman
August 4, 2004

What can you say about pianist Thelonious Monk? By the time these tracks were recorded, between '61 and '64, he had already amassed a body of work containing many tunes that had already become classics, and he would continue to influence composers and players through to this day. At this time in his career, though, rather than continuing to develop new material, he seemed content, for the most part, to reinterpret his own significant oeuvre. Backed by a fluctuating band ...

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington

by David Rickert
April 2, 2004

Alfred Lion was so captivated by Monk that once he got him in the studio, he recorded everything he had. However, most of the jazz listening public wasn’t quite open to such a maverick approach, and Monk struggled to find an audience early on. Once Monk hopped to Riverside after a brief stint at Prestige, producer Orrin Keepnews decided his first record needed to be a collection of Ellington songs. Ellington was an established artist with a wide selection of ...

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington

by C. Michael Bailey
March 20, 2004

I listen to a great deal of music. Categorically, I can say there are really only two types'good and better. As with the appreciation of anything, time must pass before the inherent value can be appropriately realized. That is why it is such great pleasure to review re-released recordings. More often than not, older recordings that are reissued are those deemed worthy by the powers-that-be to undergo sonic face-lifts or new audio presentation.

The 1955 Riverside recording Thelonious ...

Thelonious Monk: Monk in Paris: Live at the Olympia

by Germein Linares
March 11, 2004

Monk In Paris: Live At the Olympia, recorded on March 7, 1965, is the second release for Thelonious Records. Formed by Monk's son, drummer T.S. Monk, Dr. Peter Grain and Hyena Records' Joel Dorn, the label made its debut with T.S. Monk's 2003 record, Higher Ground. The new label will be a vehicle for his own recordings as well as for private recordings by his father.

The first of these private gems finds Monk in Paris with ...

Thelonious, the Onliest

by R.J. DeLuke
March 8, 2004

The Thelonious Monk ReaderRob Van Der BliekOxford Univ PressISBN: 019512166X The “Reader" series on great jazz artists is a great idea, and the continuation of the project in the subject of Thelonious Sphere Monk is particularly welcome.“The Thelonious Monk Reader," (Oxford University Press, 286 pages) compiled and edited by Rob van der Bliek brings us a collection of written works about one of the people most responsible for the ...

Thelonious, the Onliest

by R.J. DeLuke
March 4, 2004

The Thelonious Monk ReaderRob van der BliekOxford Univ PressISBN: 019512166X The “Reader” series on great jazz artists is a great idea, and the continuation of the project in the subject of Thelonious Sphere Monk is particularly welcome.“The Thelonious Monk Reader,” (Oxford University Press, 286 pages) compiled and edited by Rob van der Bliek brings us a collection of written works about one of the people most responsible for the ...

Columbia Monk

by David Rickert
October 27, 2003

Monk’s Columbia recordings have never been as highly regarded as the Riverside sessions, some critics claiming that Monk was merely rehashing material he had previously recorded in inferior versions. However, Monk was always going to offer something new with each session, and in newly remastered versions with extended running time, Monk’s last sessions deserve another look.

Criss Cross 2003Monk’s first record for Columbia could be accused of being a safe bet since it features ...