Monk was the master of the single note, perfectly selected, timed, and struck so that it would have a symphonic amplitude. The asymptote of his music is a punctuated silence, which is why he was especially sensitive to his drummers and dependent on them to organize the music’s forward motion.
The New Yorker reviews the 15 CD set, The Best of Thelonious Monk, which sounds like a lovely set of music to spend a weekend with.
Sounds like a great collection. The first Monk album I ever purchased was 1963 in Japan. I think I got the CD for $5 at a grocery store. It was an excellent introduction. Blue Monk has always been one of my favorite tunes. Thanks for sharing Matt.
Praying for Texas, Matt… Thanks so much for sharing this! I’ve been listening to a lot of eight-beat loops lately and attempting to to transcribe licks on-the-fly. Just “pick and grab.” The alternate/multiple takes of the tunes in this collection make it a definite purchase in my book. Cheers, from Chicago!