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Review 1
Thelonious Sphere Monk was a genius. The jazz pianist rambled, marched and leaped across the keys with uncompromising vision and relentless creativity, stamping his melodic, harmonic and rhythmic signature on every tune he wrote or covered. During his early days as a bandleader, he was ordained the High Priest of Bebop-- a dubious moniker, as Monk's radical playing was more driven by stride, blues and swing influences than by bop. Instead of piquing the curiosity of jazzophiles, the esoteric title actually scared more people away from his admittedly difficult and odd-sounding music. In much the same vein, Monk encountered as many setbacks in his career as he enjoyed successes. While he garnered recognition from his musical peers and eventually the record-buying public, Monk was often misunderstood and unfairly castigated as a neurotic for his idiosyncratic behavior and newfangled tunes. |
Players
Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Frankie Dunlop, Ben Riley, Max Roach, Art Taylor, Shadow Wilson |
Tracks
1. Straight, No Chaser
2. Round Midnight
3. Nice Work If You Can Get It
4. Criss Cross
Plus 10 others... |
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