Thelonious Monk Trio

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Thelonious Monk Trio (20 Bit Mastering)
Thelonious Monk could really shine in the trio setting, where his unflagging creativity and memorable tunes could occupy the spotlight. These ten selections from '52 to '54 showcase that side of Monk wonderfully; and almost all of them are brief (less than 4 minutes), providing bite-sized intros to a nice chunk of his material. As a bonus, the drummers (Art Blakey or Max Roach) understand Monk's conception perfectly. Three of the tunes feature Monk's idiosyncratic playing on standards ("Sweet and Lovely", "These Foolish Songs", and the solo feature "Just a Gigolo"). The other seven are recording debuts of songs that would become jazz standards -- "Monk's Dream", "Little Rootie Tootie", "Trinkle Tinkle", etc. And the definite highlight is "Blue Monk", Monk's unforgettable blues (duh), where he gets to stretch out over 8 minutes with Blakey egging him on. Monk is often described as a "difficult" pianist due to his angular playing, but listeners often identify with his quirky-yet-catchy tunes and wry sense of humor. This (along with Volumes 1 and 2 of the Genius of Modern Music series on Blue Note) is the perfect introduction to the man and his music, as well as to jazz piano in general.

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