There’s a Nina Simone documentary on Netflix that has some amazing footage. A must watch for fans.
All That Jazz ...
- Thread starter Nikhil
- Start date
Monk is my favourite Jazz pianist as well. He was not very critically acclaimed during his living days. One Jazz critic even described his percussive, dissonant and attacking style as 'elephant on piano'. His Columbia records are fantastic - Monk, Solo Monk, Misterioso, Straight no chaser, Monk's blues. But his earlier work on Blue Note with Coltrane, Milt Jackson and Prestige records with Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Max Roach are my favourites. 'Crepuscule with Nellie', one of his fully-composed lesser known pieces, is my go to Monk's track.
It's unfortunate that his bipolar disorder and manic depression was never diagnosed or treated. Otherwise, he would have continued to be productive in his later years.
Listen to this interesting NPR podcast I came across several years back that discusses Monk's life, music and the man in depth.
'Monk': A New Look At An American Original
Robin D.G. Kelley's new book, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, focuses on the career of the eccentric jazz pianist and composer. It reveals new details about Monk's life, music and mental health problems, and provides a glimpse into the New York jazz scene of the...www.npr.org
The jazz critic you’re referring to was none other than Philip Larkin; clearly a man of great taste
Also, Monk was indeed celebrated during his lifetime. He’s only one of five jazz musicians to feature on the cover of Time. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, his final years were really tragic.
While the Columbias are decent, the Blue Note, Prestige and Riverside albums are sublime. Little wonder that you prefer them
I also started listening to Monk via this LP.It’s been 80+ pages and I’m really surprised that I haven’t mentioned my favourite pianist of all time: Thelonius Sphere Monk.
I had heard a lot about the man, but not his music. So, my very first listen was tinged with trepidation as there were quite a few critics of his staccato, angular style. ‘Monk is not for everyone’ was a familiar refrain. Boy, was I glad I listened to the music and not to them!
I was also glad that I started with his first albums as a leader: the appropriately titled ‘Genius of Modern Music’. One can only imagine what an impact these records would have had amongst musicians in 1947.
Below is the BN box set that contains all the material from ‘47 to ‘51. And below that is all the work he did at Prestige, next.
I would urge every jazz neophyte to give Monk a listen. If you’re lucky, like me, his music will move you in ‘Misterioso’ ways
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The jazz critic you’re referring to was none other than Philip Larkin; clearly a man of great taste
Also, Monk was indeed celebrated during his lifetime. He’s only one of five jazz musicians to feature on the cover of Time. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, his final years were really tragic.
While the Columbias are decent, the Blue Note, Prestige and Riverside albums are sublime. Little wonder that you prefer them
I did not know, or forgot, it was Philip Larkin who said this about Monk. Larkin was a poet and loved traditional New Orleans style Jazz. He hated bebop, Avant-garde, post-bop etc. What to do! The man has poor taste!
I believe Monk was celebrated by other musicians and listeners. But he did not get the kind of acclaim from critics and reviewers which the likes of Bill Evans, Art Tatum, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson or Dave Brubeck received during their life time. It is only after he stopped playing actively in the late 60s and 70s, that critics understood and appreciated his influence on jazz piano. Of course, Monk was also perceived as 'eccentric', maybe a result of his mental illness, just like another musical genius Charlie Parker.
Sushant Sharma
Well-Known Member
You can goto Japan, (Tokyo blues) and be inspired to record an album without outright Japanese musical influences showing in the recording. You can maybe discover your American side/self while in Japan. "The Rajah" doesn't need a tabla beat to justify the title (answers my own question I was pondering over on the forum). A fellow member said it's very difficult to say what inspires the artist and I agree.
Great listen ,thanks. Scofield , Holland and Jack de Jhonette add a particularly relaxed but rythmik flavour to the classics.
Diwali and Christmas came early this year, thanks to FM Sydney’s post referencing importcds.com!
The stuff below was shipped on June 8th, and arrived at my doorstep on July 15th. Total including postage was $63, and no customs duty was charged
The stuff below was shipped on June 8th, and arrived at my doorstep on July 15th. Total including postage was $63, and no customs duty was charged
FREE JAZZ!
No, we’re not talking about the avant-garde here; rather, some music that’s actually free.
You‘ll notice in my post above, that Disc 4 in the Horace Parlan box set has two albums: ‘Happy Frame of Mind’ and ‘Blues and Roots’ (the latter by Charles Mingus.
Since I already have these two in my collection, I’d like to give this CD away to someone here. So, if you’d like some free jazz, please see the points below.
I’d like to gift this disc to:
- a Bangalore based FM (I can simply dunzo it to you)
- a regular contributor to this thread
- someone who doesn’t have both albums
Please post here in this thread, rather than send me a pm. That way, we can all see who’s the first to respond. Hope these random rules are ok with all
No, we’re not talking about the avant-garde here; rather, some music that’s actually free.
You‘ll notice in my post above, that Disc 4 in the Horace Parlan box set has two albums: ‘Happy Frame of Mind’ and ‘Blues and Roots’ (the latter by Charles Mingus.
Since I already have these two in my collection, I’d like to give this CD away to someone here. So, if you’d like some free jazz, please see the points below.
I’d like to gift this disc to:
- a Bangalore based FM (I can simply dunzo it to you)
- a regular contributor to this thread
- someone who doesn’t have both albums
Please post here in this thread, rather than send me a pm. That way, we can all see who’s the first to respond. Hope these random rules are ok with all
Jayant_S
Well-Known Member
I'd love to have them!
Based in Bangalore, don't have either and I presume I've spammed this thread often enough
I'd love to have them!
Based in Bangalore, don't have either and I presume I've spammed this thread often enough
Delighted to oblige, Jayant!
And, yes, you’ve certainly ticked point 2 many times over
Please pm your address and I’ll try to send it out tomorrow itself.
One word of caution: don’t expect any fancy album artwork or liner notes! But I’m quite sure you’ll enjoy the music
Jayant_S
Well-Known Member
Much obliged! Very kind of you to share your duplicates. The music matters the most and I'm eager to play both CDs
Sending you a PMAw Shucks! I would qualify too. Maybe there is another CD(s) for which you have duplicates ;-)Delighted to oblige, Jayant!
And, yes, you’ve certainly ticked point 2 many times over
Please pm your address and I’ll try to send it out tomorrow itself.
One word of caution: don’t expect any fancy album artwork or liner notes! But I’m quite sure you’ll enjoy the music
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No sympathy for you, Shyam, as we all know you’re sitting on a treasure trove of 3000+ CDs!
Just be glad I don’t have your address, else you’d be changing locks right now
All kidding aside, I do have the Alice Coltrane and Maisha albums as mp3s burned to disc. They appear as .cda files and play as regular CDs on any player. Naturally, audio quality is not as good as Red Book, but they’re 320 kbps files, so not too shabby. I purchase these mp3s from mp3million.com, and use these discs till I can get my hands on an original cd.
If you’re ok with these, do let me know and I can send across.
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
