Monk – Solo Monk, 1979 CBS/Sony – 20AP 1497 Japan Vinyl LP + Obi

Solo Monk Review by Lindsay Planer

The mystery and haunting angular beauty of Thelonious Monk's unadorned keyboard sides are the focus of Solo Monk. As if holding the history of jazz in his hands, Monk's solo recordings and performances from every phase of his career remain pure. The components of what made Monk such an uncompromising composer, arranger, and especially bandmember are evident in every note he plays. The disc includes both Monk originals as well as several covers of pop music standards. A majority of these sides were cut during a West Coast swing in late October and early November 1964. This highly productive jaunt would likewise yield two live releases: Live at the It Club and Live at the Jazz Workshop; both would feature Monk's quartet. On an emotional level, however, these sides arguably surpass many of the band recordings. "Sweet and Lovely" contains several passages that are played with the command and intensity usually demanded of a classical work. The intense yet sophisticated chord progressions that punctuate "Ruby, My Dear" transform what once were simple pop melodies into unaccompanied rhapsodies. Monk transforms the solitude of "Everything Happens to Me" into a minor bop masterpiece replete with his signature disjointed phrasings and variable pacing. Parties interested in a more complete retrospective of Thelonious Monk's '60s solo recordings should also check out Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Piano Recordings 1962-1968.

ORIGIN : Japan
LABEL :  CBS/Sony – 20AP 1497 
CONDITION OF COVER, OBI & INSERT : EX+
CONDITION OF RECORD : EX+

RECORD GRADING DEFINITIONS

MINT: Never opened, still in original shrink wrap.

NM: Opened, appears unplayed.

EX: A few very light surface hair-line marks with no major deterioration to the sound quality.

VG: A few light scratches and/or scuffs creating audible background noise. There is no skipping or jumping on this record unless indicated in the condition description.

A plus or minus (+ or -) denotes slightly better or slightly less than a grade, eg. VG+.

Each record has been cleaned and played to ensure the accuracy of the following grading