Brilliant corners

Thelonius Monk as an artist has few parallels in jazz. The nearest might be Charlie Mingus. Both men wholly individual in their approach, producing music that frequently challenged the listener but always rewarded those who where willing to make the effort to understand the respective artists intentions. Remembering of course, that both artists were often considered' difficult' and that they had to wait for their 'time' to come as like many a true genius, the public and the critical fraternity frequently took their time to realise what they have before them. Monk is all about life, but life on his terms,where inspired creation goes in union with an ability to draw the very best from his players and himself.'Brilliant Corners' from 1956 marks the arrival of Monk on the scene. His group on this recording consisted of established players-Sonny Rollins, Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach etc who were sufficiently capable and adventurous to understand what the errant genius had in mind in his often very complex music. 'Brilliant Corners' is a wonderful introduction to Monk. Jazz fans have always revered this album because it manages to combine outstanding playing with some inspiring but often eccentric tunes. Take 'Pannonica', a lovely ballad that plays host to a beautiful solo from saxophonist Rollins that precedes the delicate tinkling of Monk on the Celeste, altogether captivating. Topping that perhaps, might be the classic piano solo 'I, Surrender Dear', a piece that somehow combines romantic melody with jaw dropping technique and a general playfulness without ever descending into being a convoluted technical exercise.This is a cornerstone recording for any jazz collection, big or small. Invest now. You'll not be sorry!

I have several Thelonious Monk CDs which obviously I like, but this one, it sounds ponderous and the ensemble mundane. The title is the best bit

A genius at work

It's a shame there's only 5 stars available; it deserves many more.

Excellent! Very good listening.

Am I the only one irritated by these enticingly priced, deceptively packaged (to look like the original) re-issues that contain no liner notes whatsoever? You expect it with the '4-8 Original Albums Classics' compilations of various deceased legends which give a very good overview of the artist's work at a bargain basement price; but with an individual classic like this it really smacks of greed and a total lack of interest on the part of the issuer. So to hall with hellmark and their business model. Join the cause and boycott this shoddy affair!

Yet another great 2LP 180g vinyl re-issue! So good to see classic jazz albums like these available in quality pressings - the sound is superb & and you would not believe the original recordings are over 50 years old. Big thank you to Not Now Music (and Dodax-online for great service and even better prices - a top seller!) As for the music - well, Monk is not everyone's cup of tea but if he floats your boat this is a must have package.

Excellent.

I won't review the artistic merits of the music, which I think is incredible. Other people can do that better than I can. I just want to provide a report on the quality of the pressing. At $22 Cdn, this lp is a steal. It is easily as good quality as MoFi vinyl. I'm not kidding about that! I own quite a few MoFis, and I love them, but in terms of surface noise, this beats MOST of them. The OJC releases are excellent. BTW, I'm not saying there isn't ANY surface noise. I am just saying that this is a very high quality pressing. Big last point: OJC uses good sources for their releases unlike WAXTIME! Honestly, if you have the choice between a Waxtime release and an OJC, there is absolutely NO comparison. The OJCs destroy the Waxtimes. I know because I have compared a few titles.

La registrazione é pessima: manca la dinamica, suono piatto di una qualità pari a quella di un mp3. Sporadici scoppiettii nel disco, stampa della copertina di un’immagine presa dal web (sgranata ovviamente). Non giustifica il prezzo di 26,80€. Chiesto il reso per l’acquisto di un’altra copia di Brilliant Corner con foto di copertina originale, rilasciato da un’altra casa discografica.

Cet album est un chef d'œuvre. Pas seulement parce qu'il comporte l'une des compositions les plus complexes de Monk: "Brillant Corners". Dans les précieuses notes du livret disponible sur ce CD, le producteur Orrin Keepnews explique que les musiciens, malgré leur haut calibre, n'ont jamais réussi à enregistrer ce morceau en entier en une seule prise : les changements de tempo inhabituels rendaient l'entrée des solistes difficile. La version qu'on entend sur l'album est un habile montage à partir de différentes prises. C'est ce qui explique qu'il se finisse un peu brutalement : la reprise finale est en fait une ouverture tirée d'une autre prise, où il restait un petit silence entre le dernier coup de cymbale de Max Roach et le solo de Sonny Rollins.Non, ce ne sont pas uniquement les compositions qui font de "Brilliant Corners" un disque unique, mais aussi sa structure : les morceaux semblent avoir été conçus pour se suivre les uns les autres (l'intro de Ba-lue bidule suit naturellement les harmonies de "Brilliant Corners", le coup de tonnerre de "Bemsha Swing" contraste parfaitement avec l'interlude solo de "I Surrender, Dear").Et bien sûr, ses musiciens. Ernie Henry est un saxophoniste extraordinaire, une pêche qui rappelle Charlie Parker. Dommage qu'il soit mort si jeune. Le jeu intelligent de Sonny Rollins, toujours à l'écoute, est en parfaite osmose avec le doigté imprévisible de Monk. Et le jeu inventif de Max Roach m'a toujours plus convaincu que celui, plus sage, d'Art Blakey.L'album est aussi remarquable pour sa version de "Pannonica" (morceau qu'on retrouvera plus tard sur l'album "Criss-Cross"), où Monk joue occasionnellement du célesta de la main droite tout en continuant sur le piano avec la main gauche. Comme on pouvait s'y attendre, rien ne l'arrête : ce nouvel instrument au son délicat n'échappe pas aux fausses notes. Effet cocasse garanti !

24 bit mastered, nice cover, fillers with Rollins from other albums....but what's with crackle on track 2? Mastered from an LP? Having said that the sound is ok, perhaps a bit compressed. But that crackle....

Thelonious Monk uno degli album che mancava alla mia collezione di questo artista fondamentale per chi vuole avere una conoscenza completa del movimento jazz e dell'artista nellospecifico