Monk's Columbia stuff

[mikeweil]

I highly recommend a video of the quartet that was done in a Tokyo television studio in May '63.  Best visuals of Monk I've ever seen plus the music is terrific with excellent Dunlop.  The version of "Evidence" alone is worth the price of admission.

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Martyjazz - What video is this ? Is it readily available. Where can I get it ?

I'm salivating.

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Same here!!!

[Soul Stream]

The first Monk I ever heard was an old UK '45' with 'Hackensack' on side A and 'Bye-ya' on side B. That was an ear-opening experience, have loved these Columbia sessions ever since. Time to open up the 3CD 'Retrospective' again.

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Now that's when "pop" music was king. Monk was sittin' on freakin' Jukeboxes.

[vibes]

Seeing this thread reminded me that I had purchased the SACD of "Straight, No Chaser" several months ago and never opened it, so I opened it a couple hours ago and am now on my second listen. This is the first I've ever heard of Monk's Columbia recordings, but I'm really enjoying it. The SACD sounds fantastic, especially the drums. Very realistic.

[Guest]

That is an excellent disc! Great sound on one of Monk's best. I still have a few more Monk cds to pick up, hopefully after Xmas.

[AllenLowe]

I'm partial to the Monk solo /Columbia; in addition to the great music, it has terrific notes by Dick Katz.

The most fascinating thing to me, on that solo record, is that Monk, on Dinah, plays essentially the sheet music changes, instead of adding more typical jazz substiute changes, espeically in the a-section - and what he does, by talking this conservative approach, is to convert the song into almost a Monk composition, in what amounts to a radical transformation of the material. That is Monk in a nutshell - a kind of conservative radicalism. And that's not the only time I've heard him use more old-fashioned, sheet-music changes (he does same on More than You Know, with Sonny Rollins, 1954, I think) -

[Evonce]

I love Columbia Monk (and BN, and Prestige, and Riverside...). I'd say Monk's Dream is the best place to start, and then Underground. The simply-titled Monk is short on original compositions but full of excellent piano playing - it's worth it for "Liza" alone. From the live stuff, I'm partial to Monk in Tokyo.

But you can't go wrong with Monk's Dream. It's one of his most joyous albums.

[porcy62]

i am glad somebody brought these up.

is there any reason to buy the new "solo monk" if i already own "the complete columbia solo studio recordings?"

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I am asking myself the same question.

[porcy62]

Since I am a vinyl freak, will I loose a lot of great music if I get the original LP instead of reissues?

Edited October 7, 2005 by porcy62

[Guy Berger]

After a few years of eyeing it, I finally picked up Live at the It Club. Though I probably won't get around to listening until the New Year.

Guy

[jazzbo]

The original vinyls will sound pretty damned good. BUT the new cds have quite a bit of extra material added AND portions of songs restored from edits. . . . You will miss worthwhile music going the vinyl only route.

[porcy62]

The original vinyls will sound pretty damned good.  BUT the new cds have quite a bit of extra material added AND portions of songs restored from edits. . . . You will miss worthwhile music going the vinyl only route.

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Hard choice

[mikeweil]

I'm partial to the Monk solo /Columbia; in addition to the great music, it has terrific notes by Dick Katz.

The most fascinating thing to me, on that solo record, is that Monk, on Dinah, plays essentially the sheet music changes, instead of adding more typical jazz substiute changes, espeically in the a-section - and what he does, by talking this conservative approach, is to convert the song into almost a Monk composition, in what amounts to a radical transformation of the material. That is Monk in a nutshell - a kind of conservative radicalism. And that's not the only time I've heard him use more old-fashioned, sheet-music changes (he does same on More than You Know, with Sonny Rollins, 1954, I think) -

Very interesting observation, especially if one remembers that one of Monk's reactions during playback of one of the Columbia solo tracks was "I sound just like James P. Johnson!" ....

At heart, Monk was not a real modernist like Bird, Bud & Diz - that's why he went along so well with Pee Wee Russell when the latter sat in at Newport. His jazz was about the sound and the rhythm, not the changes.

[JSngry]

His jazz was about the sound and the rhythm, not the changes.

Don't know if I'd go along with that...his tunes are pretty hardcore in their changes, not a lot of room for "interpretation" there, and if you do, it usually ends up sounding/being just flat out wrong...but I would agree that Monk was all about fusing sound, rhythm, and changes into a singular mindset. Playing Monk Music means dealing with all of it, not just parts of it.

[jazzbo]

That's the way I hear it to. It's like Monk spent hours and hours with a jeweler's loop examining it all and distilling it down to just exactly what he wanted, nothing more, nothing less. And then he would now and then fuck with it all night long.

[felser]

I agree with the part about interpretations sounding "wrong". I tend to dread hearing Monk played by anyone but Monk. Even the "experts" at it, Lacy, Waldron, etc., have left me cold.

[JSngry]

That's the way I hear it to. It's like Monk spent hours and hours with a jeweler's loop examining it all and distilling it down to just exactly what he wanted, nothing more, nothing less. And then he would now and then fuck with it all night long.

And what was so badass about that was that he would always fuck with it yet keep it intact & whole, like squaring the circle and then back again, all in one longass fell swoop, like it was always the same thing even when it wasn't. Monk was a master, not just of music but of...whatever "it" is...being, I guess. He got where "there" was, it was everywhere, but each everywhere was its own place.

Like the man said - think about that. You think about that.