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Jazz Articles about Thelonious Monk
Worth the Wait!
by Troy Hoffman
Many historical, live jazz performances have graced the past and thankfully were caught on recording; being released shortly after. For example, Art Blakey Quintet's A Night at Birdland, which is regarded as one of the best live jazz shows ever recorded. The performance is from the winter of 1954, and it was soon released on record that coming fall. That seemed to be the average turnaround time for a live jazz record in those transformative years. Certain live recordings, however, ...
Continue ReadingThelonious Monk: Celebrating 75 Years Of His First Recordings Revisited
by Stefano Merighi
Affrontare oggi queste pagine monkiane significa non solo riconsiderare l'importanza cruciale di un repertorio senza tempo, ma provare proprio un'ebbrezza dell'ascolto difficilmente eguagliabile. Thelonious Monk marchia a fuoco con la sua personalità tutta un'epoca del jazz che è quella rivoluzionaria del bebop--nonché quella “riformista" dell'hard bop--e stabilisce molte delle coordinate che ispirano la migliore musica africana-americana di oggi, sia di orientamento free che di stampo armonico progressive. In questo caso, la collana ezz-thetics realizza un'operazione davvero interessante, assemblando ...
Continue ReadingThelonious Monk: With John Coltrane 1957 Revisited
by Chris May
Once again, the ezz-thetics label has taken some of the finest artefacts of mid-twentieth-century US jazz and sonically restored them, bringing an unprecedented level of clarity, precision and presence. It is no exaggeration to say that the Swiss-based label's work can be compared with the restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel during the 1980s, both in terms of the quality of the original material and the artistry with which the renovation has been executed. The ...
Continue ReadingThelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners
by Richard J Salvucci
Writing about being “lost for words" is not the ideal way of starting a review, but it may be the plain truth. Perhaps Thelonious Monk is an acquired taste. Perhaps not. Whatever the case, this particular release of Brilliant Corners is just that--brilliant.The whole package is superb and really defines Craft Recordings “Small Batch" vinyl series. The technical literature accompanying the recording says “Each edition is cut from its original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed on ...
Continue ReadingMonk Impressions: Frank Kimbrough to Miho Hazama + some Brötzmann
by David Brown
It's time for the Jazz Continuum here on G-Town Radio. This week, some father and son work from the O'Farrill family, a remembrance of German Free Improv saxophonist Peter Brötzmann who recently passed, and a whole lotta Monk as interpreted by a variety of artists from Frank Kimbrough to Miho Hazama. And of course, new releases, recent acquisitions and gems from the archives. Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 00:30 Vince Ector ...
Continue ReadingApril Songs -Soulful Singles - Lesser known '50s players!
by David Brown
This week on the Jazz Continuum, a set of April themed tunes from Sarah Vaughn to Anthony Braxton, soulful singles from Sugar Pie DeSanto to Irma Thomas, plus a swinging' set of lesser-known jazz men from the '50s and more. Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 01:00 Charlie Parker With Strings “April In Paris" from Charlie Parker With Stings (Bluebird/Legacy) 01:30 Thad Jones “I Remember Paris" from Thad Jones (Debut) 05:23 Eric ...
Continue ReadingConcert Promoter Danny Scher
by Lawrence Peryer
In this episode...Spotlight On host Lawrence Peryer chats with long time concert promoter, Danny Scher. Danny had an illustrious career working with legendary concert promoter, Bill Graham but as a younger man, at the start of his career, booked Duke Ellington and Vince Guaraldi. As a high school student in Palo Alto, CA, Danny Scher came up with the idea to book Thelonious Monk to play his school's auditorium. A recording of that special concert finally saw the light of ...
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