Reviews (page 3 of 13)
Haven't listened to anything by Thelonious Monk before as far as I know, but I love this! Will definitely be listening to more of his stuff.
Great album that has moved up into my list of essential jazz albums
Legendary.
Thelonious Monk has always been an artist I knew about but never listened to and I was so happy to finally have a chance. The quality of the musicianship on this is just so good and despite its complexity, extremely easy to listen to. It prompted me to keep listening to jazz for hours after.
Just heard the inspiration for Roger Radcliffe's "Cruella de Vil" song in 101 Dalmatians in "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues Are," and my mind was pretty blown.
Thoroughly enjoyed this album. Aware that Thelonious Monk was a giant artist of jazz but didn't prefer his style of playing. Appreciate it more now, loved the group. Favourite song is Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are.
Holy Shit! Three of the best at their instrument during their prime. Thelonious Monk (piano), Sonny Rollins (sax) and Max Roach (drums) (+ a few others) in 1957- Jazz doesn't get much better than this. Brilliant Corners, Ba-Lu Bolivar and Bemsha Swing are three of my all-time favorite jazz compositions. Enjoyed this with a glass of bourbon and some mood lighting. I had this on repeat all day.
Dang good jazz. That's really all there is to it. Really, really skilled musicians, great solos, fun group dynamic. If you like jazz, this is for you. Fav tracks: Brilliant Corners, Bemsha Swing, Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
Yes! A classic Monk album with Sonny Rollins
Amazing music. Love Thelonious
Not an expert of jazz, don’t know much about it at all, but this is basically what I imagine when you say jazz.
What a find!
50’s music is just so delightful. Done to please the listener and that quite ok with me. Loved this one.
5/10
Jazz on its best
Really enjoyed!
Listened to this all day and never got tired of it. A perfect album.
Had nt heard this one before. I like but don't love Monk as sometimes I find the melodies a bit dissonant. But I really enoyed every minute of this album. Brilliant Corners is brilliant. 5 stars
brilliant!!!!!!! Love It!
Great album. I loved that.
Beshma Swing is one of my favorite compositions. Every note of this album is perfection. Monk was one of the all time jazz masters and this album reflects his genius. No brainer: 5 stars.
Highlights - Brilliant Corners is an incredible composition. And as with yesterday's jazz adventure (Hot Rats - Frank Zappa) I really just enjoy being swept away by the music. Didn't like - Nothing, loved it. Overall - With jazz I just love to switch my brain off and vibe. I don't necessarily understand what's happening musically but it's obvious that there's an incredible amount of talent on display. And this came out in 1957! Absolutely pioneering. I will go back to this for sure.
If you love old jazz with piano, you'll like this. To be fair, I haven't listened to much Monk that I don't like.
Favorite songs: Brilliant Colors, Pannonica 1st listen: Harsh dissonant chords were surprising and abrupt. Whole album felt like 1 song. 2nd listen: I was waiting for those harsh chords, enjoyed the chaos. I began to hear the subtle differences between songs 3rd listen: Whole album feels like a movie with different acts. Easy to listen to on repeat. Sounds best when played in order.
Brilliant
Appropriate title for a brilliantly beautiful album
magnificent
I live jazz, but sometimes it doesn't get me, but this totally gets me. Loved it
This made my heart sing.
A masterpiece
Jazzy!
Yep. Great. I recognized all of the tunes. This must have been one of the albums featured in my jazz history class at UCLA.
Fresh jazz, I'm digging it. 5
Literally one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time, not a single sleeper album
Every single time I listen to a Monk album I get the feeling that "this is my favorite Monk album". Right now, this is my favorite Monk album.
Cool. Jazzy. Relaxing. A little on the slow side.
Hits very well. It feels like true movement
Well this is more like it. Something completely unknown that makes you sit up and listen from the off. Is it the bastard child of Gershwin or the Neanderthal missing link to King Crimson’s perfectly formed Prog debut of 1969? It feels irreverent, almost burlesque. But I’m sure the gentler parts in the middle will mature into beauty over repeated listens. The bookends though? Everything sordid the jazz underground was apparently meant to be. Bring it on. I’m off to buy it.
Perfection
This is an amazing album!
From the disonnant hook of the title track to the vibraphones-enhanced lush textures of the sensual "Pannonica", this album is indeed brilliant. Dimery's list missed many jazz masterpieces. I'm glad it didn't miss this one. Number of albums left to review: 390 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 278 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 145 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 193
Very lovely jazz. :)
Weird contrast between discordant piano and the rest of the band. I've never been able to really love Jazz- I enjoy moments but that's all. I can put it on in the background. Having said that I recognise this is one of the biggies and it has class emanating from every note.
Not super approachable, as I don't listen to Jazz that often, but it is clearly an amazing piece of music, mind blowing actually.
Pretty awesome jazz record. Lots of great breakout performances. A must for a jazz head fo sho
Just a super enjoyable listen. I've been a fan of Thelonious Monk since high school and it's evident this style helped form my taste in jazz. The way this albums moves between tempos, handing ideas back and forth between the players is just plain fun.
I like the sound (4 stars), and obviously Monk has stood the test of time (70+ years), but I don't really know what the state of jazz was at the time, so it's a little hard for me to truly rate this. I have to go with the sound and then lean on others for the history. To quote from a couple of reviews: In his five-star review of the album, Allmusic's Lindsay Planer wrote that it "may well be considered the alpha and omega of post-World War II American jazz. No serious jazz collection should be without it." Awarding a maximum rating, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings included the album in its suggested “core collection” of essential recordings. 5 stars.
Thelonious is a genius! I had heard a few songs from this album before, but the whole thing was incredible. A superb jazz album.
Superb!
Fantastic album - I wish it was longer. Loved the sound and could listen to this every day.
Brilliant. There’s no other word to describe this album.
Wow!! So jazzy and upbeat. Such a good album for doing monotonous work. Funkayyy
mon dieu, sois ue pogne ben trop de bo album dans la derniere strech (je suis a 960) ou bien je suis lousse sur mes notes. Mais bon, les albums de jazz son rare et les bon albums encore plus. Celui-ci se démarque vraiment . J'adore et c'est le genre de jazz que je réécoute. 5
This one’s a masterpiece. Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, and Oscar Pettiford … I mean come on! The liner notes are a Mount Rushmore of bebop. Fun fact: even with all that talent, it took them four hours, TWENTY FIVE takes, and at least two fights to record the title track due to complexity. Monk is a genius.
Oh yeah!
Great album from one of the all time best, It's really all about the title track, an amazing piece of music. I rarely have rated based on a single song but in that case I'm bumping to 5 stars, the rest of the album is good, there's much more consistent albums of his out there, hopefully we get at least one more.
Solidly executed jazz album that I can see myself throwing on randomly for ambiance.
I very much enjoyed Thelonious Monk & often listen to him when I'm in a jazzy mood. 4.5 stars
Nice jazz
This is my favorite Thelonious Monk album. It has his characteristic style of being elegant and beautiful while bringing weird tension when he chooses to. I love the exuberance of Bemsha Swing 5/5
Jazz that I like!
I appreciate this as a musician. it seems like a master class in tone and instrumentation. I hear stories in the notes.
These are the legends.
Monk is always five stars for me. Always has been, always will be. The music is always on point but more than that? The covers are ALWAYS on point.
This is Thelonious Monk, therefore it gets five stars.
"Brilliant Corners" is a studio album by American jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk and his third for Riverside Records, the first with his own compositions. It was recorded in three sessions and two different quintets. The music is categorized as hard bop which is a subgenre of jazz and an extension of bebop with influences of R&B, gospel and blues. Critics described this as Monk's peak along with "Misrerioso" and "the alpha and omega of post-WWII American jazz." In 2003, it was added to National Recording Registry and also to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The self-titled "Brilliant Corners" begins the album. It famously took 26 takes to complete due to its unconventional song structure and complex rhythm. Yes, this goes slow then speeds up and back again. Piano starts it off. Ernie Henry on alto sax and Sonny Rollins in tenor sax join in. It is brilliant. "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" refers to the Bolivar Hotel where Monk met British jazz patron Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter. Described as riff-based blues. Max Roach with killer drums. We get a bass and a drum solo near the end. Monk plays a distinctive celeste piano in "Pannonica" sounding high-pitched and like a xylophone. The piano is appropriately named as it does sound like a twinkling star. Another dedicated to Baroness Pannonica. "I Surrender" was a song written by Harris Barris and performed by Bing Crosby in 1931. This version is all Monk on piano. "Bemsha Swing" closes the album and is dedicated to Monk's parents who were born in Barbados. Clark Terry on trumpet gives this song a nice change of pace. This is an outstanding album with some musicians being one of the best if not the best musicians in jazz and music history. It is a joy to listen to. Even with its complexities it's smooth. An album every jazz and music fan needs to listen to.
Some great jazz. Nothing more to say.
It’s monk
I mean, this is amazing. Duh! The opening track, Brilliant Corners, is jaw dropping. The rest is perfect for weekend afternoon mellow chilling out vibes.
If at first the music seems too discordant and harsh, don’t be deceived. There’s a method to Monk’s madness, and soon the beauty and complexity of each track unfolds in a dazzling display.
love it!!!!!!! fijne studeermuziek maar ook leuk om aandachtig naar te luisteren
Brilliant.
Excellent. I love Thelonious Monk but this was my first time for this album. Monk’s playing is fantastic and the whole band is in sync with his off-kilter, stop-and-start style. Really fun to hear them play around the melody. I love in a live jazz performance when you hear the applause after a solo. This is a studio recording but some of these solos are so good, it feels wrong not to hear clapping after them. I found myself quietly applauding a bunch while listening on headphones.
An interesting album especially as it features Sonnly Rollins alongside Thelonius Monk. Monk's style is experimental and makes good use of accidentals while still holding to a recognizable jazz format. A great hard bop album with very interesting changes. I see why a mentorship under Monk was a bit like being stuck in a crucible. The result is undeniable though
Some great Be-Bop on this album, great Sunday Morning music in my opinion. I love "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" "Brilliant Cornbers" (which is a complex masterpiece in my opinion) and "Pannonica" which is a tribute to the "Jazz Baroness" Kathleen Annie Pannonica De Koenigswarter. In fact I love all the tracks on this album. some great Bass riffs from Oscar Pettiford and also great drumwork from Max Roach. Love it and rightfully on this list.
Fascinating, remarkable, unique...I could go on and on. So much has been written about Thelonious Monk that writing about this artist is just like writing about anyone who reached the incredibly rare heights of their craft: it just all feels kind of cheap when compared to the real thing. This album is incredible. I'm going to listen to it again and again. What an artist.
200th album ;) Not 1st listen, put it on while frying eggs & mushrooms for breakfast. My favourite track is still “Pannonica”, and I appreciate the title track a lot more since doing a Thelonious Monk presentation in high school. October 19th 2022
jazzists
this is extremely my shit
It's Monk.
Monk really is a king of harmonies and “good-sounding” dissonances. A masterclass album. Plus, Sonny Rollins is on fire ! Love the whole album especially the wonderful blues Ba Lue Bolivar Ba Lues Are.
First listen.
This guy's corners are brilliant.
Loved it.
Unreal! The best guitarless jazz i've ever heard (as a guitarist nothing can top Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass for me).
So warm and inviting, and then it just twists your ear around, what a genius, what a pioneer. I'll take more where that came from.
An all-time favorite.
It’s Monk! 5 stars! Not my personal favourite Thelonious Monk album, but still a bebop classic.
jazzao muito agradável
I mean, if you need a jazz album in reserve to play and look cool at that kind of dinner party, this is it.
piano based jazz
prata fina
1957! It is really surprising how this sounds as if it were recorded yesterday. Absolute keeper.
Brilliant Corners is one of the odd ball tunes. Its so spikey and angular, especially in 1957. I love this album just like I love all of Monk's music.
Great TM album in every aspect.
Brilliant Corners = brilliant music. 5 🌟
Smooooooth. Drums are impeccable.
Mmmmm... tasty.
Awesome jazz. Some great solos, very relqxing
Enjoyed listening to this, but was gloss painting so did not give my full attention, but definitely worth another listen.
Great jazz album! Easy listening!
Great drumming
Extraordinary
Off course it's great..he's one of the greats...
Really great example of a great jazz album. Bad jazz is probably the worst music there is but great jazz is the best, and this is undeniably great.
6 stars
Jazz essentials! Feels like I’m in von maur
Excellent, a jazz classic and wonderful!
Can't listen to this without bringing back memories of my grandad.
damn, man...why do the awesome ones have to be so short? i'm not sure i've ever heard a monk album i didn't come to love. this one didn't take long - the guy was gone, but holy crap could he play.
I could listen to this album all day. Best in class.
9/10 great jazz, no complaints other than that I would like some more upbeat tracks. but these slow jams are nice too
Хорош, захотел его на пластинке
Love this album
Awesome jazz album! Very cool that it is from '57.
(Listened to Before) A formative record for me and maybe one of the best hard bop jazz records in existence. Favorite Tracks: All of em Least Favorite Tracks: Nonexistent
1957....Magic, baby. I will never oooh and aahhhh with my semantics or musical terms, but this is beautiful.
Puro jazz, seco y sobrio. Grande.
Jazz is Monk
Can’t not give this 5 stars.
I love Theloniois Monk.
My favorite jazz album of all time
Left you wanting more!
Go listen to Pannonica right now.
Love some Jazz!
Great classic Jazz album. Some songs recognized as samples
4/5. Listened to this in the morning and that was honestly the right call, this is a nice and chill jazz record with some great playing. But the relaxed vibe of it doesn’t do service to how complex these compositions actually are. The story goes that the title track alone took over a dozen takes to get right. There’s a lot of weird little deviations from typical song structure here yet it all flows very well. And though this is a Monk album, Sonny Rollins has some great sax playing all over this record as well.
Very nice, but i feel that the lack of lyrics is holding back the ability of this album to absolutely rock.
Really good for that genre of jazz. Solo Flight is better - just Monk on the piano.
This sits among my favorite jazz albums ever. It has that rare quality where every listen still feels alive and a little surprising. Monk’s writing and playing are full of sharp angles and strange beauty, and the band sounds completely locked into his logic without smoothing it out. The title track alone is a masterclass in controlled tension. The melodies lean sideways, the rhythms push and pull, and yet everything lands with a clear internal sense. Sonny Rollins, Max Roach and the rest of the group give Monk the perfect balance of support and friction. Nothing feels polite or predictable. The recording is clear and present in the way good 1950s Riverside sessions often are. You can hear the room and the touch of each instrument. The sound has body and enough air to let the music breathe. Brilliant Corners is a record I keep returning to. It is demanding in the best way and deeply satisfying every time.
I like it. I don't understand it, but I like it.
Didn't grab me all the way through, but definitely had moments where I was absolutely in the jam. I was a little disappointed that it was listed as "piano jazz" but I thought the piano was one of the weaker elements, though it wasn't _bad_ by any means. Overall, an enjoyable listen. Definitely no John Coltrane, the person falling over on the piano in this album didn't do it right. Still a 4.
Ah, so this is hard bop. The music swings, but Monk’s angular melodies and unexpected pauses keep catching me off guard. There’s something playful about the way the pieces refuse to go quite where I expect them to. The playing is impressive, but I enjoy the little surprises more than the technical display. 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮 is my favourite, particularly for Monk’s celesta playing. His tribute to jazz patron Pannonica de Koenigswarter has a tenderness that really appeals to me, and those bell-like notes give it a lovely, unusual colour. It’s a gentler sort of surprise than the twists elsewhere on the album, but just as effective. I came for the hard bop and left wanting more celesta.
Wow! That was surprising. A little bit too complicated for me but perfect jazz music.
I really like Monk. I can dig the weird, jolty, anxious energy he's got, but he knows how to groove too. This one's good, it's solid, Sonny is goated.
I really enjoyed this. I’ve listened to a lot of live jazz where performers don’t know when to use a “wrong” note and it really soured me on the concept, but Monk being a master knows how to make it sound good.
I am enjoying some of the stuff this list offers. It's a lot of fun discovering music I never would have sought out myself. Monk makes some good music.
Viihdyttävä ja miellyttävä varsin hyvä opiskelun taustalle
It’s a groove! Nice to hear Sonny Rollins on this one, too.
I fear jazz , but this is great Serious jazz. Loved by the likes of Louis Balfour and Howard Moon. Not sure I’m smart enough to talk about this other than .. Nice. “I fear the lack of rules. Skiddly biddly dee wop ba-wow. “…Jazz
Pavement jazz
Thelonious the GOAT fr. His middle name is Sphere.
Rainy day here in the midwest. Not all of the lights on in the office. I listened to this when it was my daily initially, but knew that there'd be a day sometime soon that felt more adequate. Today was the day. Made me want to look out the window. Swanky and impolished. Felt like a fly on the wall in a recording studio after hours. Each song was very uniquely its own. No discerning favorite. Rating: 8.2/10
I used to love Gaz but recently it is not my go to music. Thelonious Monk was always a favorite. His piano playing is brilliant
Interesting background for the recording--25 takes and none of them were satisfactory so they were edited into one album. Definitely have a bias for some nice jazz, liked "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-Are" a lot.
2 jazz GOATs. Gotta love it
jazzy jazz
Pre Listen: Thelonious Monk sounds like the name of a DnD character who COULD be an ally, or could be a conniving, traitorous antagonist. All seriousness, this another one I feel like I've heard the name of, but I don't know where. Guessing ultra-classic rock based on release date? Notable Tracks: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are - First highlight, awesome track right here. I know the music's amazing when 13 minutes feels like 4, and I'm left wanting more. Pannonica - Favorite track. It has this warm, almost Christmas like feel to it. I think it's the low-register notes on the brass and piano, paired with a slower tempo, and high-register Glockenspiel (or what I think is a glockenspiel?) Bemsha Swing - Love that drum solo! Just love it! Post Listen: Absolute best album I've heard on this project to date, what an absolute treat. I might be adding every single track to my playlist. Just good old classic Jazz, no if's and's or but's. Every single instrument is played so damn well, but the standout to me was the Piano. What a rich, full sound it carries, and for a '57 recording, it sounds so full-bodied. But seriously, can't overstate how talented every single musician feels on this album. I can tell each song has been rehearsed several times over, they're all so clean. Fuck you Miles Davis, take a lesson from the Monk. 5/5 EDIT - After revisiting this album and my favorite songs a few times over, a couple of pretty glaring cracks made themselves known to me. Specifically some songs go on for much too long than needed, and have some wacky solo's here and there. Still a great album, but not as good as I felt it was upon initial listen. 4/5
Composições intrincadas com resoluções melódicas maravilhosas. Ótimo disco!
Trivelig jazz.
All this great jazz coming from the 1950's is really skewing my data on this site in a weird way.
This was good.
Loved it, could I tell you if it was good or not, absolutely not, it was deeply confusing to me. All's I know is i loved it 4/5
Very enjoyable
Great players.
Freedom to explore without a strong melody. Nice
self-explanatory title.
Thelonious is great! The energy is subtle but I like putting him on when I’m doing something to make the activity more enjoyable. This album feels like a fun jam session among friends!
Pretty dam ok
No se como existe esto y aun asi hay gente que elige poner Latin Mafia
Thelonious Monk. Best name in the game. This was a really good record that I don’t believe I’d heard before. Would love to find it on vinyl (best way to consume jazz imo). I didn’t love Pannonica, but otherwise this was a very enjoyable listen.
Loved this
Fun! Classic jazzy, a little sexy. Ba-lue reminds me of cruella de ville.
einer der grossen Jazzer
Ya like jazz? Because I sure do
Was (pleasantly) surprised to see this one pop up. The biggest problem in listening to it is that I have to try to overcome a childhood of hearing jazz (including Monk) in the background, and mostly tending to just tune it out (lol). Rick, I think you ended up with most of Mom's Monk albums? No, wait: actually, I just checked, and I have 6 of Mom's Monk albums (but not this one) - so maybe it was Miles (not Monk) that Rick got, and I got the Monk (?). (If so, then clearly I should be listening more often to the Monk albums that I have!) Anyway, sorry for the tangents. I recognize the names of all of the musicians on this album, except for Ernie Henry. And I think our parents met Clark Terry - we should ask (Grand)Dad for details. The cuts that I'm familiar with, from this album (though probably not these versions), are "Pannonica" and "Bemsha Swing." Even for jazz, Monk was more than just a little "out there," at least in terms of jazz from say around 1945 to 1965. And still today, this music is (or, anyway, sounds to me) kind of out there. And, too, I (still) have the problem of my mind tending to wander, when jazz (in general) and Monk (in particular) is playing. Also, there's definitely an apples and oranges challenge, in trying to rate this, when it's so different from pretty much everything else that we've listened to. I think I have to just give it 4 stars, and be done with it. Mom would probably have given in 5 stars, based on a deeper appreciation for the music (and she probably got more out of this than I do). When you're a musical omnivore (as I am), it comes at the price of have a diminished capacity for diving deep into a particular genre. Listening to this album today does, though, inspire me to go back to Mom's old Monk albums that I have. I recently estimated, however, that I have (roughly) 800 albums and 1200 CDs, so it's hard for me to devote careful, deep listening to any particular artist. Not to mention these darned albums every day. (I love it!)
I like the last three songs more than the first two. The first two are awkward, complicated, typical of Monk. The last three went perfectly with soup and buttered toast on this cloudy weekend morning. It feels a little unfair to not give 5 stars when this is far ahead of most rock and pop, especially considering how long ago this was released. But I can't honestly say I loved the whole record. I will say that Monk was brilliant
I don't like jazz. Let us be clear about that. Miles Davis - both albums - missed me by a mile. Coltrane? No thanks. And then this upstart comes along and tries to play In The Mood by Glenn Miller on the piano and turns it into a cool swing riff for Bemsha Swing and I just have to applaud it. The whole thing is just weirdly compelling.
Very nice and fairly smooth and melodic but for the title track. I added “Bemsha” to my playlist.
starts out with some wonky notes super interesting, I love the different instrumentals!!!!! each part of the song really feels like a new turn in a story. ive always loved jazz, grew up with it sincee its my moms fav kind of music and we grew up going to the jazz festival in Toronto, this feels nostalgic and smooth, I love the storytelling of jazz. I think brilliant corners is my favourite piece. my mom would love this! I will def be playing it for her.
Pretty freaking good. Maybe not exactly my cup of tea, but I can tell it’s technically impressive despite my deficiency in any sort of technique similar.
Jazz
4/5
jazz normal, muito bem executado, mas nenhuma inovação
My kind of jazz. Melodic enough and not too frantic. Was probably the first jazz album I listened to properly so extra points.
Classic jazz innit
great playing on all instruments, with a good mix of smoother and rougher jazz. overall an enjoyable listen, it kept my attention better than most other records similar to this.
that's jazz!
I'm not sure I'll ever really understand Jazz which is a shame. But I did quite enjoy this even if I probably dont fully appreciate what makes it so good. 3.75* Rounded up to 4*
momk
4 - great album
I'm not a big fan of jazz, but this album is smooth and satisfying. I especially like the drum flourishes and solos.
i love jazz :)
muito bom
This was an especially hard album to review. You could feel the labor that went into it, and not always in a good way. It often felt like it was being painfully pushed into existence, but all in the name of a vision you could tell was absolutely worth seeing through. And my GOD Max Roach is the GOAT. Anyway definitely an album worth being challenged by and returning to so you can find little gems you missed the first time
Really enjoyed it, jazz is growing on me!
Love whatever the monk does
This was a good jazz album.
Feels like I should be sitting in a smoky dim lit lounge somewhere in Harlem with my Fedora pulled low, drinking an Old Fashion and snapping my fingers inside of clapping.
Great!
It was a fine jazz album, but I've heard better.
some good jazz
Listened Before? N Really good experimental Jazz. Haters gonna hate. This was great. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
Decent album. Ive only had rock/alt rock so far so its nice to have something different.
Coolio
I liked it, but I'm not smart enough to say why.
This is gorgeous. Thank you for introducing me to it.
At first I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy this album since Monk is a bit more avant garde in his style, but I was proven wrong. The album is full of complex sounds that shouldn’t work but come together to create a very unique listening experience
Pleasant, without the shrill of trumpet that tends to stress me out!
Solid jazz.
Went on a real trip with this, bits are totally disjointed, and then come back together and have some incredible parts and incredible riffs. I started listening to this at work and found the discordant slightly frantic piano at the starting track just too much to take and concentrate at the same time, despite jazz being thought of sometimes as background music.. this is not! It's weird to even think of this with one name on the cover too as it's clearly a team effort with some incredible players, Max Roach's druming is probably my absolute favourite part of this. Giving this a solid 7.5, probably will be an 8 on next listen. It went down half a point because of the absolutely annoying af habit of streaming services to add all the bonus tracks into one album, adding all of those tracks to one is just too much.
I'm not a big fan of jazz, but the piano is top notch.. Also, my baby really seemed to enjoy this so I'll bump the rating for her.
great hard bop sessions. I like the story how the title track was too difficult to play and needed to be assembled from a variety of recording sessions.
Great album, Monk rules. I listened to this while driving and it didn't quite curb my road rage, and I know that's a me problem, but since I'm American, I'm blaming someone else and one point off. Highly recommended.
My friend could probably tell you more about the nuances of this jazz album, but I thought this was delightful. It was complex, yet inviting and fun. The piano went hard (obviously, he’s a pianist), but the drums were what really made it fun for me. This was up there with Miles Davis for me, a solid 4/5
Really liked. Fan of bop music and this album has great musicians. I would give it a 3.5 if possible but will go with a 4 as I really think it’s about a 3.7. Perhaps, because this is only my 4th album on this app I am being less discerning and swaying towards the positive.
8 / 10
Thelonious Monk is always good and Sonny Rollins on sax is a nice bonus.
can’t go wrong!
weird and great!
dooobry jazzzik nikuś lubi
Brilliant Corners couldn't be more chill. Perfect for a relaxing listen.
Beautiful jazz
(Light 8/10) Thelonius Monk, one of the world's greatest jazz composers and pianists, with his third album Brilliant Corners. Brilliant Corners is one part mindblowing masterpiece, and one part improvisational Hard Bop goodness. The opening title track took about 12 takes to get right. The composition was so intricate and complex, the feat of recording such a track is one to be celebrated. The song itself is impeccable. For a music nerd and or a musician, this song is amazing to behold. The time signature changes, the intricate layering and melding of each respective musician, it's absolutely wonderful. The hard work absolutely paid off in spades for this recording. The rest of the album is pretty good too, though nothing as insane or ambitious as the first track. "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" is the longest song here, clocking in at over 13 minutes. It certainly feels like your good old jazz jam. With each musician having their time in the spotlight across this track's runtime, it's definitely a great song to get lost in. Side B contains a few more tracks, the lovely "Pannonica", the beautiful solo piano ballad "I Surrender, Dear" and the rousing "Bemsha Swing" which contains some of the best drumwork on this album. Now, while these tunes are rather good, the overall quality in comparison to the first track is night and day in my opinion. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing mind you, it just leaves me wanting more from this record. I feel in some of the later tracks, the ideas could have been explored just a bit more, or expanded on even. I totally understand that by the time this record was done being recorded, these musicians probably didn't want to touch their respective instruments for a long time. I hear the recording sessions were very arduous. So all that being said, I think this is a solid offering from the Jazz Great. Is it the most exciting or revolutionary jazz album in the grand scheme of things? Outside of the title track I would argue no, but it absolutely deserves to be in one's collection if not just for "Brilliant Corners" and hearing some of the jazz world's master musicians come together to make an entertaining jazz record.
It's jazz
Monk killing it as always
This was not maybe my “kind of jazz”, but I don’t have the vocabulary to articulate the differences well enough. Still clearly brilliantly played and arranged.
Beautiful
Så mycket bra instrumentalister. Men för mig är det lite för svårt. Det svänger inte riktigt. En fyra
Brilliant 🎹
Excellent.
I saw a review that said "I don't know enough about jazz to know why this is great, but I do know I enjoyed it"........ so yeah, that! 4/5
making me feel like im in a new york pub
NIce and jazzy all around. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
Like me some jazz though I don’t think this hits the top of what I’ve heard.
While i probably wont go back to it on the daily, the musicianship here is incredible.
Wow, that was great. Cool, relaxing and charming yet engaging and unpredictable. changes its tempo like twice, sometimes played solo, sometimes unison, and even passed through different instruments in sliced up phrases and then that abstract drum solo. All that happened in the title track, which remains the highlight of this album. Undeniable classic.
So. Learning a lot about Monk today. I like the abrasive nature of this album. It’s hard not being able to attach a meaning or story or point to this album, just good music. My favorite this about this album is that it allowed weirdness to be mainstream. Riverside released it (mainstream jazz label), critics praised it, and the splicing of the title track was generally just accepted. Sounds like this opened the door to almost all the music I love most today. Also learning about Monks career arc with this album as the peak is so interesting. Need to have a movie made about it. He just grinded and struggled through everything for the love of jazz and made it out on top. His mental health situation on top of everything, he’s like a mid century Kanye or MF DOOM.
I’m only an occasional jazz-listener but if you told me that for the rest of my life I could only listen to one jazz artist I would choose Thelonius Monk. His music seems to make sense of the whole genre for me.
Swinging, casual, yet clinical in its craft. A very good album from a master jazz mind.
interesting listen, i feel as tho this isn’t monks best work however. not totally in love with some of the work here
es como jazz de noche en una ciudad, lindo sonido. pannonica parece una cancion de cuna
Very interesting listen and my introduction to Thelonious Monk. Really enjoyed listening to this with the chaotic and scattered tunes, it oozes jazz.
Good to hear early Sonny Rollins
I mean.. it's jazz. Good jazz. 3.75
beautifuk bg
Efectivamente, es jazz
Good jazz, wish I was hearing live instead… would’ve given it more of a vibe
Jazz is better, like so many other things, when they start with the end in mind. I’m not asserting none of this album is improvisational, midflight, but I am asserting none of it *feels* like it. Despite Jazz featuring some of the most talented musicians across all genres, it does not escape this basic fact. Flopping your gigantic, classically trained dick on the table does not make a disorganized mess sound more pleasing to the ear. This album threads the needle on giving the musicians space to play, within a defined skeleton that keeps it tight. Best Jazz album yet.
Now THAT’S what I call cooking music.
Favourite Songs: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are Bemsha Swing
Love a bit of TM
Solid stuff.
Super interesting work.
Nice background music for hanging out at home.
Apparently there is a big Thelonious Monk sized hole in my musical education. Really enjoyed this.
Brilliant Corners was a really different experience compared to most of the albums I’ve been listening to lately. The album has such a marked and recognizable style that it instantly stands out, feeling progressive and super ambitious for its time. Thelonious Monk’s compositions feel unpredictable and complex, but still full of personality and intention. As someone who really loves jazz, I can say I genuinely liked the album and appreciated everything it was trying to do, especially how unique and ahead of its time it sounds. At the same time, I was left missing some of those more emotional and intimate jazz moments that usually make me fully sink into a record emotionally. I respected it a lot more than I emotionally connected with it, but I still think it’s an amazing album, it genuinely felt like listening to them live, like everyone was reacting to each other in real time. The spontaneous cadence throughout the album gives it such a natural and consistent feeling, almost more like a live experience than a studio record. Thelonious Monk’s style is unpredictable and full of personality, but never loses its sense of groove or identity. The whole album transported me to another era, like sitting in a smoky bar or an old casino while the band plays in the background. More than anything, it reminded me of the simplest and most human parts of jazz.
i’m feeling sophisticated
strong 3.5. Acredito ser um álbum difícil de digerir com uma ouvida só, mas é definitivamente uma experiência interessante de improv jazz
Called artistic peak
First time listening This is a very happy jazzy album. I dont often listen to jazz, but this album was definitely worth a listen for me. I would give it a 7/10 enjoyment ranking
Definitely a classic jazz album. Sounds like Peanuts. It's definitely underrated and underappreciated. It's a great album, with great musicianship. Definitely worth a listen.
7/10
Yeah man This is giving me heavy Mario Kart vibes Are monks even allowed to play jazz? I know for a fact they're not allowed to do heroin...
Listened to this wrong (running errands) it definitely needed to be heard while smoking a leisurely cigarette and wearing sunglasses. Will listen again !!
Quite good. Enjoyable for sure.
Alright, here's my first impressions of Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk. It was a pretty good album. Admittedly, going from John Coltrane Love Supreme to this was a very noticeable shift, being a lot more chill and something i'd love to listen to while dancing with someone. I say that knowing that it's titular song "Briliant Corner's" Goes very hard, as an example, i'd like to point out Max Roach's work on the drums (and also the tipani) of this song, 5:00 in to it, some very solid percussion's. i'd give a 4/5, while it didnt went as crazy as i thought, it was very fun listen. I have a soft spot for some good piano, and some blue's piano certainly does hit the spot. My favorites, on top of the self tittled song, were Pannonica, I Surrender Dear and Bemsha swing
Fun album, great piano and sax jazz.
The better of the jazz albums I have thus far listened to. Love that this was piano forward. So pleasant, wasn't annoyed at how long the songs were. That's a win! Could've listened twice, I think :).
Diese Musik ist legendär
Très bon album de Jazz. C'est certes très classique, mais ça marche vraiment très bien. À la fois au niveau des mélodies avec des cuivres parfaitement gérés comme sur "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues Are", comme pour les ambiances avec des parties de piano très propres et singulières comme sur "I Surrender Dear". Franchement, l'album est vraiment très clean, un classique du genre, et ne serait ce que pour la personne de Thelonious Monk et ses partis pris dans sa vie, l'album mérite son attention.
I don’t usually enjoy or really understand jazz, but this was very fun!
Not got anything clever to say, that guy is good at the piano
4.5* A veces Pantera Rosa. Eso no es malo.
Grows on you
En dag skal jeg sette meg inn i bop.
En dag skal jeg sette meg inn i bop.
Det här kan man lyssna på länge. Det är som att bara stiga in i en mjuk värld och luta sig tillbaka. Kanske inte sticker ut till som något särskilt progressivt i dag. Men det är en tidsanda, en stämning som är njutbar. Bra samspel mellan Rollins och Monk.
Det finns absolut ingen som kan gå det kantiga att låta så harmoniskt som Monk. Hans spel är omisskännligt. Det vrider å vänder, kränger åt alla håll. Ändå låter det helt självklart. Å sen övriga musikanter! Rollins bara flyter fram medan rytmsektionen med Pettiford och Roach styr skutan med inbyggd kompass. Roach har en grym timing. Exakt i när det ska tas ner, och när det ska tryckas lite extra på kaggen. Chambers och Terry gör rätt hyfsade inhopp på avslutningsspåret också. Allra bäst är det i Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are. Något svagt spår finns inte men I surrandet dear har vi hört i roligare versioner. Den hade mått bra av att Monk behållt sällskapet från övriga bandet. I så fall hade femman varit oundviklig. Nu blir det ”bara” en vrålstark fyra.
Ingen spelar piano som Monk. Helt i sin egen takt men ändå helt i samspel med bandet. Inget dåligt band heller; Sonny Rollins, Oscar Pettiford och Max Roach. Monk har bara ett album med i boken. Om jag ska välja ett Thelonious-album så är det Monk's dream som gäller. Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are och Bemsha Swing skivans höjdpunkter. Kommer precis över fyran.
Jazz wouldn't be my go to music but it has been lovely to listen to whilst I work. Not too distracting but calming
Jazzy and fun!
Approachable, piano led jazz you could have playing in the background or be the main event. Will be looking to pick this up on vinyl.
This is a fun album. I have always enjoyed jazz and instrumental music. Thelonious Monk is at the top of his game here.
Pretty cool jazz, great for a rainy day
pretty good jazz album
I don’t know much about jazz, but this album sounded pretty good, with some small parts that felt a bit off but mostly smooth
Blind album, know the artist. Good listen for sure, and I liked this more than other jazz albums I'd say. Maybe it was the swing, the piano? 4.
Chill
Very good jazz album, i like the jazz solos and the sound in general, im honna listen to it more carefully, but i really like it.
Great jazz. Enjoyed it.
Very good this. Had it on three times in a row and will definitely listen again
Album #64: Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk Genre (W): Hard bop No singles. I have listened to this album three times. Thoughts?: I enjoyed this album’s instrumentals a lot. I don’t know the terms exactly but I loved how the compositions were arranged. Specifically the solos. Favorite songs: Side One, Pannonica, Bemsha Swing
Very solid jazz album, the first track was definitely a stand out
Brilliant smooth brilliantly smooth
Pretty classic solid jazz. When I listen to this kind of stuff it just makes me wish I could play myself because it seems so enjoyable and cathartic to be part of a jazz group like just noodling away with friends would be so nice. (3.5 stars)
I liked it. Very jazzy
Lovely intro.
Not the biggest fan of jazz. I liked the style though.
Fajne, przyjemne. Taki archetyp jazzu. 4
Hrópaði ekki á mig eftir þrjár hlustanir, en var mjög notaleg fyrir því. Alveg solid jazz fjarki frá þeim sem þarf að mennta sig betur í fræðunum.
Great album! I'm no jazz aficionado but I've always liked Monk when I heard him. Unlike some of the other jazz that this list has served up so far, this still has enough structure for a layperson to find the groove and enjoy. Monk and his collaborators aren't afraid to experiment and get weird by any means, but it's kept grounded and accessible which I greatly appreciate. 4 stars
The jazzy instrumentals were nice. This seems like the type of music that I would put on while doing a long project, letting the music fade away in the background as I focused on my task. I wouldn’t put it on on its own, but it was very nice.
I've known about Thelonious Monk for a while, and I've always wanted to listen to him, despite his absurd stage name. The way this group is so tight and how each solo works so well, even the drums and bass, really made this one of my favorite Bebop-style jazz albums I've listened to. I'm not sure if it's a 4 or a 5 yet, since that has a lot to do with if I end up relistening to it, but I definitely enjoyed it. Also, it turns out Thelonious Monk is his actual, full legal name. Weird parents I guess. Favorite Track: Brilliant Corners
Good jazz album
Lounge jazz is not really something I seek out but it’s pleasant. I’m more interested in punchier jazz that makes liberal use of the brass section. But I listen to plenty of chill stuff so I get it.
AMAZING, ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE
Gemütlich
Hell yes, sånt jävla badass han är. Finns det något hårdare omslag än det till Underground?