Reviews (page 9 of 13)
I’m just not a jazz fan. I never have been and probably never will be. With that, I can’t pretend this isn’t good… it’s just not for me.
Unfortunately jazz that makes you feel cool just isn’t as awesome as jazz that makes you feel like sitting in the sun
This sort of album is one of the reasons I'm working through this list of albums. I'm far from being a jazz aficionado so I can't form a particularly informed opinion of this record. Essentially, I found this a rather pleasant record to listen to. I can't say it's brilliant, can't say it's rubbish. The wikipedia page refers to composition, but to my ears it sounds like a bunch of skilled musicians noodling around together (with pretty good results). If I was feeling uncharitable I might suggest it sounds like lounge bar music at times. But given I found it a nice record, 4/5.
This is what people who hate jazz, think jazz is. Love these artists, but this is an acquired taste. 4/5
This was pretty good but nothing stood out like some other albums of similar genre.
Alright
It's been a while since I listened to a full album of Monk. I really enjoyed this one. The crazy piano cords were not as prevalent here but you could hear him experimenting with the music. He truly a master and this album shows it.
The unique and original Thelonious Sphere Monk: he alters our understanding of rhythm and chords structure for everyone that hears him. He is life altering. In his day he was revolutionary and it holds up today. Three favorites are on this album: The title track, Pannonica, and Bemsha Swing. It still amazes how listenable and fun he made discordance and jerky rhythms. Any fan of music needs to hear Monk before they die.
Got my dick hard
Managed to listen first song halfway. Jazz is definitely not my cup of tea.
Good jazz
Thoughts before listening: I have a big blind spot for Thelonious Monk as I do for many of the jazz greats. This isn't one of the albums I recognize, but I'm sure it's great. Review: This is essentially the definition of jazz. Cool, laid back, piano driven with great players contributing throughout. This is background music for a hipster cocktail party in the 50s. Hard to complain about this, 4-stars.
its jazz
Good Jazz album. I don't know too much about it but it was nice and easy to listen to.
liked this! didn't love the opening song but the album grew on me
Nice jazz but i don't like jazz all that much
That's not my taste in music
Classical Jazz.
#60 - A good one, very vibey. Also perhaps the origin of some famous modelling. Love the different moods it cycles through. Also some kickass bass solos and love that they added a vibraphone / glockenspiel!
Jazz is not for me at all. This album was pleasant in the background but that is as far as it goes for me. Favourite song: There was not one track I would like to listen to again Least favourite: Nothing was bad it was all just meh!! Album artwork: OK
Very cool. Great music to work with. Smooth but not so smooth that it would put you to sleep. A lot of talent on these tracks. A tight band making it sound easy.
This album was absolutely fantastic! I'm not much of a jazz fan typically., I don't know why... I'm not sophisticated enough I suppose, but this album hit right for me. It was really well done. All of the artists were tight, and I enjoyed the solos (mainly bass and drum) that they did throughout the record. The first thing that struck me when Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are came on was... "Man, this sounds like the Cruella de Vil song". Apparently, the Cruella song was written by Mel Leven as an hommage to Thelonious Monk. I also thought Pannonica sounded familiar. It took me a while to figure it out, but the tune sounds a lot like Hopelessly Devoted To You by Olivia Newton-John from the musical Grease. Also, it turns out that Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics for the song, and Carmen McRae sang them. That song is called Little Butterfly. Favourite songs: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are, Pannonica, Brilliant Corners Least favourite songs: "I Surrender, Dear" 5/5
a Classic jazz album. The great Sonny Rollins on this one.
Nice but still
I feel like I'm more and more learning that I'm just not really a jazz person. This one is fine, I don't mind listening to it, but I don't feel like it's particularly profound or engaging. It's just kind of there and it's fine. Clearly some very talented musicians, but I just don't connect Standouts - 3/5
Clearly there is a lot of talent on display here but the album itself feels like it's lacking. The complex and innovative composition falls flat for me when nothing else is really driving the music. That's not to say that it isn't enjoyable to listen to, it definitely is. Perhaps a few more listens would help me in appreciating it more.
Monky business
I hadn’t heard of Thelonious Monk before. From what I gather, he was a jazz pianist and composer with a unique improvisational style. His compositions featured dissonance and multiple key switches, silences, and pauses in his playing. Brilliant Corners is his 11th studio album and is mostly comprised of his compositions, save for one cover. On a fundamental level, I appreciated the technical expertise of Thelonious and his backing band. Songs like "Pannonica" and "Bemsha Swing" showcase the piano and horns able to flourish and swing in a manner that's accessible yet still proficiently played. There's a certain eloquence that's evoked, and I enjoyed it for the most part on this album. The biggest hurdle to be had with Brilliant Corners is side one. The opening title track was compiled from multiple takes as it turned out to be a complex piece, and it shows as the focus hops from one instrument to another without much cohesion. Following that up with the 13-minute "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" added to a challenging listen from the get-go, though that piece sonically coalesced better over its movements. I had a pleasant enough time with Brilliant Corners as a hard jazz album. It was a nice experience to have it in the background and reflect. Give it a chance.
Never heard it. I generally don't like modern art or modern jazz I'm not qualified to judge this.
I liked this much more than the Miles Davis, but as I don't see myself listening to this again - I give it a 3. Enjoyable, but not memorable.
I tend to tune out jazz. It sets a nice mood though.
Classic late-night jazz. That's about the only time I listen to this genre, but I enjoyed this one in that context.
Solid, but not something I would normally listen to.
Jazz, outside the dance material, is conversation to me, with a bit of cinema thrown in, and this is fine swap of discourse, content with sticking to form rather than exploding it. I’m a dilettante, but I still know Rollins and Roach, and I hear how tight and free this is. Suffers from opening with the best track, not a complaint.
Really liked this - one of the rare jazz albums I paid rapt attention to all the way through. Inspired me to sit through my 2hr+ "Ken Burns Jazz" compilation again, of which the highlights were "Straight, No Chaser" and "'Round Midnight" among a few others. Seems like Mr Monk's work hits exactly in my jazz sweet spot..
This was, very predictably, excellent. One of the best to ever do it. A lovely way to ease in to the day.
This was my fav jazz album we've had so far after 200+ albums. When I saw that it was released in 1957 I didn't expect it to sound like it could have been recorded in the past few years.
A lot more piano than I anticipated, but in a good way. Not the style of music I want to listen to on the daily but tolerable.
oscar oscar mitä teit... oscar pettiford... basson mläjäyttäjä... niin saatanan laadukas sooloilija että heitettiin vittuun bändistä albumin loppuakohden.. siksi lähtee yksi tähti ruthless treatment of oscar... mutta muuten pianokikkailija pianodiddler tekee taikaa sievillä sormillaan.. pikkukätöset pomppii viehakkaan söpöt minihandut kiemurtelee norsunluu ja eebeenpuun koskittimilla ei kuulu yhtään ylimääräistä ääntä niin höyhenenkevyesti toimii mekaniikka theloniouksella Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
Not my jam. At all.
Weird, experimental jazz at it's best. I don't know that I'd call it a fun listen, but its definitely an interesting listen.
Standard classy jazz
Of it’s time
This is good. I probably need to know more about jazz outside of Miles Davies to understand the importance of this.
Classic jazz. Great piano.
Complex, dissonant, melodic
Damn this guy has such a recognisable style, great album. High 3.
Excellent jazz album.
Thelonious was always a bit ahead of his time. And he doesn’t quite fit into jazz. He’s jazz. Yes. But if you listen he’s also a bit classical. He’s closer I think to Ellington than Armstrong. None of this is criticism, just observation. I liked this album. Still do. Listen to how he pushes harmony and rhythm. No one really thought like thelonious. Maybe Ellington or Ornette. 5
Yes I knew the name. Not the album. Clearly it's polished high end stuff from some kind of pure uncompromising musical genius. The competing or contrasting overlaid melodies, like a well composed double exposure photo, can be enjoyed intellectually for a bit. Too much and it becomes demanding (for some, well, for me....) ... So, call me lazy, or bourgeois, but I like to take my jazz easy, where the music does the work, and I sing along, bop along or just chill. Nevertheless I admire this music for its precision, clarity, and tight instrumentation. Top stuff. Just not my alley... [Side note, I discovered I do really like other recordings.... Midnight Blue, and Blue Monk, among some other tracks of his repertoire - his collaborations with Coltrane I think are more my style, mellow and flowing] ... Maybe it's just this album .
For a long time, all I knew about Monk were Round Midnight & Blue Monk &, from various film clips, his often bizarre mannerisms as he played. Then, about ten years ago I lucked upon an original Australian vinyl copy of Brilliant Corners in excellent condition. What a revelation. I’m not sure if I ever really knew what “cool” was, but I think this album qualifies. Especially Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are, featuring the 26-year old Sonny Rollins on tenor sax and the great drumming of Max Roach. That 13-minute track gives all of Monk’s sidemen the chance to shine and they do. Apparently he was some taskmaster, which is why you get a slightly different lineup on each side of the album. The only track not composed by Monk is I Surrender Dear, the 1931 hit for Bing Crosby, which launched his solo career. It was recorded in the same year by Louis Armstrong, and became a go-to standard thereafter for jazz players. It is interesting to listen to the Ray Charles version, also released in 1957, on his second album for Atlantic. It’s also an instrumental, but with a band behind him, including Oscar Pettiford, who also plays bass on the Monk album. Monk’s version however is completely solo. The difference between the two versions is extreme - more gymnastics involved for Monk. I’m so glad to have given this album several listens in the last few daze.
My middle son did his musical rebellion phase, aged 15, by getting into... jazz. I have pretty broad tastes and listen to some reasonably unpleasant sounding music, but I have to confess I just don't understand a lot of jazz. The more cerebral and challenging end of jazz is especially baffling to me. I would certainly put Monk into that category. From reading Wikipedia, it sounds like a few members of his band would feel similarly; the title track to this album was stitched together from multiple takes because it was too complex to successfully complete in a single pass. I can understand some of the basic structures of what he is doing here; a lot of them are relatively simple blues patterns with simple, chunky riffs (Bemsha Swing is good example), but Monk seems to go out of his way to pick notes that no other human being ever would think of playing. The opening of Brilliant Corners is like that; it's like he has sat down and thought "hmm, what is the most wrong note to play here" and chose that. It has a perverse logic to it. I can't understand what he is doing, but there is a discernable, almost mathematical quality to it unlike (unlike free jazz, which just sounds like uncontrolled chaos to me). I hate prog rock because it is just too clever clogs for my tastes, and, unfortunately, Monk is also too clever for me. It's too "in the head" and I just can't enjoy it. It is not out of the question, however, that one day the penny will drop and I will suddenly learn to love this record.
I'm not way into jazz as I once was. Overall, I can only say that it's pleasant.
Inspiring on such a subterranean level. I just couldn't sit and listen to this. I felt like I should be in some hepcat Bowery bar or coffee house in the mid-60's wearing dark shades and talking to others about communism and why it is or isn't going to overtake our world while this plays in the background. Oh! and smoking lots of filterless cigarettes.
Thelonius, thanks for inviting us to your informal jam session. When does the actual album come out?
Oh jazz, I will be so happy to quit you when this journey is over.
I couldn’t find a commonly accepted antonym for synergy. Dysergy derives from a medical term, dysergia, that refers to a lack of muscular coordination due to defective nerve conduction. No. Reverse synergy describes when the value of an individual unit might be more than the merged unit. Closer. In toxicology, antagonism refers to the case where the combined toxicity of two compounds is less than the individual toxicities. I think this comes the closest here. These musicians are wonderful players individually. But combined, I would need some toxic substances to enjoy their antagonistic creations.
Even I have heard of Thelonious Monk. According to the wiki article they recorded 25 takes of the title track and even after that they had to combine several of those takes in the final record. This perfectly illustrates my biggest problem with Jazz, too much technique too little emotion. So yet another Jazz album I don't give a fig about.
Instrumental smooth jazz, good stuff, some easy listening today.
Amazing music, notes go in directions where they shouldn't work, yet they do.
A nice, grooving jazz album. Can’t say much stood out to me, but it also didn’t offend either. Nice bass lines in a lot of the songs. I’d put it on as background music in the future.
Jazz, 1957 -> 3
I liked this album, a few jazz essentials that I recognized and was glad to hear after a long time not listening to anything jazz that wasn't on the big or small screen. Would listen again, but only after a few years.
That is some smooth jazz.
Can't help but think of the BOTTOM theme song.
Good record. Love the one he does. His own. ‘I surrender dear’
I felt that I should have liked this album much more than I did. For some reason, it sounded a bit repetitive to me. Maybe I'll give it another chance on another day.
Meh. Didn't care. Repetitive. Once again I don't do jazzz
Ermmmm, well it was just a load of old piano jazz. I guess it wasn't as insulting as some of the experimental jazz but still it just isn't my thing. Parts were quiet pleasant to have in the background.
Not my flavour of jazz. 2/5
Sounded very dissonant to me... was that the point.. I like "Bemsha Swing", and "I Surrender, Dear" as the top 2 on the album, but overall it was a hard listen, and not for me.
It's jazz. I generally like the sound of Jazz trios/quartets. However, this sounds a great deal like ever other combo I've ever heard and every song is almost undistinguishable to my ear. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are sounds like the music from Cruella DeVil. This could be on in the background and it wouldn't bother me, but I couldn't see putting it on just to listen to it.
Сперва я был такой мееех пуффф опять джазз опять чё попало а потом включили саксофон и что-то.. что-то по кайфу! рабочий денёк летит
Good jazz album. Started a bit too abstract, but I quite liked it.
Nice jazz album. I still don’t “understand” this stuff yet, so it’s a bit abstract for me, but it sounds well-made.
Honestly I enjoyed more than I thought I would when I started it - it was a bit discordant but in kinda a fun way
Solid jazz music. Can see why he was seen as a revolutionary. Probably would not listen again though.
Noodling background dinner music.
No so brilliant in my eyes. I'm sure some Jazz aficionados would have my head for saying that but Jazz just doesn't click with me.
Soothing as background music
Second Jazz album in a row - and I am not the hugest Jazz fan. It's okay music, you can listen to it in the background it just not that I am going to remember anything from it tomorrow or ever going to say: remember that great album, let's listen to it again. But it has nice melodies and a nice saxophone. I can imagine if you are into Jazz, that you can really enjoy this one.
Not my thing
I'm sure this is a good and acclaimed jazz album, but I just don't enjoy jazz music.
Classic sounding jazz but maybe I’m just not a huge jazz fan, just feels repetitive and like the same thing after a while like you could just loop 10 minutes and it would all be the same
7/10 I always dread the Jazz ones, but this wasn’t bad at all. Excellent vibe, not boring like most so far. Great musicianship, piano excellent, bass propulsive, loved some of the drums. Sax good, even better when more brass joined. Best: Bemsha Swing
67 jaar na dato klinkt de opname nog wel fris, maar voor mij zit dit soort muziek toch te veel in het hokje 'artsy fartsy tingeltoeterjazz die het hart niet echt beroert'. Op een concert zou ik de neiging hebben om bier te gaan halen en erdoorheen te gaan kletsen...
Zeg 'jazz' en mensen horen dit waarschijnlijk voor zich. Het voelt wat gedateerd. Maar ik erger me daar niet zo aan. De schijnbaar vrije instrumenten kunnen elkaar toch prima vinden. Het vrije schiet niet door in de complexe jazz voor de liefhebber. Er gebeurt genoeg, maar het blijft toegankelijk. Wat dat betreft is het wat Parker achtig. 3,5 ster
Jazz vind ik altijd moeilijk te beoordelen. Jazz is sowieso veel improvisatie, maar ik onderscheid ze vaak in 2 categorieën. De eerste is megadruk en chaotisch, heel vermoeiend. In de tweede is iets meer lijn te ontdekken. Thelonious heeft er iets meer lijn in gelukkig. Als ik op de wiki ga zoeken wat hem nu zo uniek maakt, dan begrijp ik eruit dat hij op een andere manier piano speelt. Namelijk met vlakke vingers op de toetsen rossen, als een olifant, of zoals ik eerder zou zeggen een boer. Mij valt dat niet zo op, dat de toetsen extra hard en vlak doorkomen. Meer dat de drums een soort doffe schellen zijn. Leuk hoekje om af en toe in verzeild te raken, maar verre van briljant wat mij betreft.
Nö!
Enjoyed the sound
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞 Mix: 🎧👂🧈 Musik: 🎷🎺🎹🎷🥁🎼🤯 Wertung: 🪞🪞🪞/5
Reconozco que el jazz me supera. Puedo entender melodías y, a veces, incluso empatizar, “sentir” la musicalidad, pero todo lo demás, el academicismo, la improvisación, los colores, etc., todo eso me pasa por encima.
This is the Monk era that I prefer and will share as representative of good Thelonious Monk.
This album was fueling my ADHD. All over the fucking place. Fun listen but not returning to this one.
3.5
Briliant Jazz album - if you are in the mood for Jazz. For me in person, it's a little bit too heavy. Therefore only 4 stars
the magic album, put it on , instant coolness
Feels a few years ahead of its time. The band is playing really well here.
Just don’t care much for jazz but I can appreciate that this album is good. Piano parts are my favorite.
Lovely bit of music. Really like the interplay between the musicians. Nearly an amazing album, just missing a little something extra. 4.5/5 Will listen again
Not really a jazz kind of gal, but can certainly appreciate it when it’s there.
about halfway in, i genuinely started to worry i'd drifted off to the neighborhood of make-believe.
Longtime Coltrane fan, but I can definitely appreciate the work of Monk, Rollins, and Henry here.
Hierdie album is fokken wild, ouens. Vyf fokken sterre uit vyf ekse.
Just not my thing, not because it's Jazz, I'm just going on what I heard on this particular record.
Pretty good
This sounds insanely good, considering it came out in the 50's.
great album with only a few crazy parts - great morning music
Love and remember the beer fondly. I can say that there is a lot of talent on this album, but I am not going to seek it out necessarily because it is more of technical listen than I typically enjoy.
Is this where the cruella Seville song came from?
No vocals huh? I guess they don’t need em. Nice melodies. Not my cup of tee though
Tremendous playing. Absolutely lovely to listen to : )
Jazz just isn’t my thing but I definitely appreciate the talent
awww, MAN!!! Amazing!!!! A true genius of modern music on piano, with a great band. Monk has a singular sense of time, and a singular sense of how to make a harmony. A fabulous listen
Complex Without Emotion At this point I have already heard a couple Thelonious Monk albums including this one and it seems as though the music community really loves this guy and his music but to me his music has never really stuck with me. I do like it but in terms of Jazz I have heard much better albums. Of course it is very complex and features incredible musicians like Sonny Rollins (I recommand "Saxophone Colossus") and this complexity is what mainly makes this album so important but to me it kind of removes a lot of the emotional depth that makes Jazz such a great genre to me. Of course Jazz is a genre build on complexity and the mastery of your instrument but when that means that all the emotional depth is taken away, it looses a lot of what makes music music in the first place. I'm not saying there is nothing of emotional value to get out of here but to my liking it falls short. The title track, that is also the opener of the album does feature a very interesting piano playing by Thelonius which is then replaced by Rollins saxophone part that smoothly goes into a drum solo of high technical caliber. Overall a very nice song that pushes the boundaries of "Bebop" in a way that it is known today as "Hard Bop". Some repeating themes with slightly dissonant piano notes add to the enjoyment a lot. The following song that is the 13-minute beast of 'Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are' with a very lasting piano playing. I do enjoy the song but I do not care for it THAT much. It very much feels like the complexity is the only thing to get out of; no emotional value at all which I at least had with the title track before. The final rhythm solo that smoothly goes into the main theme again is very enjoyable though. Side B opens with 'Pannonica' which has a very laid-back and nearly dreamy vibe to it especially with the very high piano notes that make it sound like a Glockenspiel or other high-pitched instrument. 'I Surrender, Dear' is another nice song but again I don't care for it outside of being pleasent to listen to while writing reviews. Other Jazz has me bawling my eyes out, dancing in ecstacy, groovin' or rethinking my life while laying in bed. This is just there and sounds nice and sometimes really complex. 'Bemsha Swing' is the final track on the album and for me my favourite song on this second half of the album. It is very groovy and has a nice flair although I kind of loose interest after the first 4.5 minutes. Overall, my highlights are: The drum solos, the title track, the "background" piano playing and some of Rollins parts. I respect this man, his music and what he did for Jazz a lot but it seems as he just isn't for me. favourites: Brilliant Corners, Bemsha Swing least favourites: I Surrender Dear Rating: very strong 6/10 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
There are jazzers there are anti-jazzers and I sit somewhere in the middle. But this didn't grab me. I did muse that if I was 18 years old when this came out I'd have been right on it, but they had invented words by the time I was born.
I have no doubt that this is phenomenal playing but it does nothing for me at all
I know Monk, but I don’t really know his music in depth. This album was an enjoyable listen and there were some parts I recognized. At first, not really recognizing when it was from I felt like it sounded like a lot of other jazz I’ve heard…knowing it’s from the late 50’s made me realize how influential this record and Monk must have been as most of what I was comparing this to was from the 60s and 70s. Going to keep going through Thelonious’s catalogue.
Still dont get this kind of improjazz.
There used to be a jazz and sushi restaurant in Cambridge, MA called Thelonious Monkfish. I went once, it was pretty good. It's still there, but apparently they had to change the name because his estate got mad. Kind of weak if we're being honest. This has nothing to do with the quality of the album, but I don't have much to say about that so I'm writing this instead. The internet says this is "hard bop" jazz. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds pretty bass-heavy to me, lots of low plodding bass notes. It's generally nice in the way that jazz in the background is nice to me, but not a whole lot standing out otherwise. I'm so bad at writing jazz reviews, for like 95% of these I just feel like it's good for what it is and the artist is clearly super talented but it's hard to compare to other genres. Oh well, it is what it is. This was nice. Favorite song: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are Other: Brilliant Corners, Bemsha Swing 7/1/24
It is good jazz, OG. But it is what it is.
Ville nok være en 5'er hvis det var et livealbum
Groovy, diverst, lækkert. Fedt med noget mere guldalderjazz på listen
Tror at det ville være godt at høre live. På pladen forsvinder magien lidt
126/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Kind of forgettable as an album, none of the tracks were interesting in terms of instrumental, Which is kinda disappointing. Something you pick up once and that's it.
Wish I knew more about jazz! I know what I like, and this I like. Not a dud on this album. It rewarded both focused listening and inattentive listening.
Too experimental for me
I had heard this name before, but I'm going to be honest, judging just based on the name I thought he was an ancient Greek philosopher. So seeing that he's actually a jazz musician, and this album has 5 tracks and still clocks in at 42 minutes, color me intrigued. This seemed like a pretty basic, understated jazz record (subtlety is absolutely NOT a bad thing when it comes to jazz in my opinion by the way), until I realized this was all the way back in 1957. Knowing that, this record seems far ahead of its time in its smoothness mixed with some dynamic shifts as well. While there was one stand-out song for me in "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are", the rest of the record blended so well from song to song that it was hard to distinguish the beginnings and ends of tracks. Really felt like one long sonata as opposed to 5 disjointed songs. A real joy to listen to and I'm glad I'm able to be exposed to names I'd heard of but never delved into. Notable Tracks: - Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are - cool drum break compliments the catchy hook 7/10
JAZZ
Jazz is just absolute wank.
good but not for me, I can't see myself listening to this but I might have just been in the wrong headspace
The tone of this record is amazing. Given the players I’m not surprised this is a classic.
Finally a jazz album that's not Miles Davis or John Coltrane. A very complex, heady and musically rich sounding album that could also put you to a trance or sleep if you're tired. Opening track is very heady and abstract. The track Pannonica with its jingle bells and slow tempo almost feels like a lullaby. Overall an album to listen to if you want to listen to more jazz.
Lots of off-key and discordant chords. Stand out tracks: - Pannonica - I surrender, dear - Bemsha swing
Not a fan of this genre but they are talented musicians.
Calidad excelente, a veces un poco caótico para mi tierno oído
Bossa Nova is the ultimate elevator music but this must come a close second
A lot of solid and uplifting moments, but it got too disjointed at times. I’m spoiled by finding Miles first
Great jazz album
Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick the last couple of days but I could not fully vibe with this. I liked parts of this. And other times it got a tad too austere. 3.5/5
Monk's sense of time and choppy style are a bit jarring and takes some getting used to, his music often sounds a bit off. I enjoy some Monk every now and then when the mood hits me but this wouldn't be my top choice. I enjoyed this overall especially when compared to a lot of the other dreck I've been getting lately. More jazz please!
I'd be lying if I said I either understood jazz improvisation or listened to a lot of it. You can tell everyone playing is good and at the top of their game though.
gorgeous stuff all round
Love this absolute legend, banger album - one of the first jazz artists I was introduced to, courtesy of my brother Greg!
Maybe not my favourite Monk but I love the jazz! Gimme more jazz!
Monk's 50s works have never been my favourite - partially because he never quite got weird in the way that I appreciate from his contemporaries (Mingus, Coleman and Cecil Taylor specifically) - Not to sound like a pretentious dickhead but I like the freak side of jazz - and at the end of the day I'm a spiritual jazz head more than any other movement in jazz (altho i have embraced third-stream in recent years) I like Monk's 60s ragtime-y stuff which is weird, but only weird because it's incredibly normal. Anyways, this dude was pretty normal at the end of the day and I guess it seems like that was my basic issue with him. But I also think hes epic and he rocks.
I like Jazz, but this is a bit unstructured for my ape-brain jazz tastes. Still enjoyable.
Good backdrop jazz.
Always good to listen to absolute masters at their craft. Also I love a good walking bass line.
Like most jazz it all sounds the same to me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I don't listen to this type of music but I did enjoy this, thought it was very cool. I probably wasn't listening hard enough or am not knowledgeable enough to fully appreciate this but I did like it
Some very creative and interesting jazz, but it's also not totally my thing. The tracks had great buildup and performance, with the title track probably being my favorite.
This one was alright. I liked the drumming quite a bit. Favorite songs were Brilliant Corners and Bemsha Swing
Never listened to an entire jazz album before. Not a genre I’ve explored. Definitely pleasant. More as background music than full focus, but a good intro and exploration of something new to me. Encouraged me to take a peek into his history and other musical works. May just hit up Thelonius in the future when my brain wants to visit some unique instrumental pathways.
cool sound. I don't know if I would ever consciously listen to it again, but it was a nice experience.
good
Not a big fan of jazz
I had not listened to this record before today but have now listened to it five times. It's just terrific. What a talented group of musicians at the height of their powers. Amazing to think that this is the oldest record I have had yet on this app but it sounds so fresh and new. It's Monk time!
Boring as all heck. I enjoy jazz but I don't understand what about this album stood out enough to have it on this list.
Great background music
Brilliant corners 5/10 Ba lue bolivar ba lues are 3/10 Pannonica 4/10 I surrender dear 2/10 Bemsha swing 3/10 5/5 if you like jazz. 1-2 if you don’t.
Pannonica my fav. It’s like a jam of fly me to the moon.
gorgeous genius
A perfect album that is smarter than I’m able to fully appreciate. Seamlessly moves from swingy, bluesy bebop to freer more experimental jazz. The alto work is insanely good.
chill jazz
Bright, busy and bouncy. Hurt my head to try.
In not big on jazz outside Miles Davis but I'm learning more doing this project. As for this album I'm admire the musicianship and I liked some parts of it but unfortunately it wasn't really my thing. I found parts of it boring which I do with a lot of jazz but i understand this albums and Monk's importance not just in jazz but in music and why it should be in the book. I do think Jazz as a genre will grow in me and the more I listen the more I get it, but for now this is a miss for me.
I liked it a lot. Monk is a blind spot in my musical experience. My jazz well is admittedly, not deep. And when I am feeling jazz, I tend to wade in the cool pool. But I'll be checking out more of this.
I'm a Coltrane guy. Love the Bass and drums on this album though.
Finally some "proper" jazz to challenge my limited intake. I'd always meant to listen to more jazz (esp being a Pumpkins fan who's always hearing Jimmy Chamberlin talk about the great jazz drummers, not to mention growing up watching Mr Rogers with its live jazz trio playing the intro/outro songs differently every single time) but never really got seriously into it. The title track is sufficiently difficult as to be almost hard to follow & figure out (apparently so much so that it took 25 takes to record & still had to be pieced together from those, as none were complete). 2nd track somehow reminds me of the Cruella De Vil song (although that came out a few years later). Pannonica is a nice slow piece- unfortunately the youtube music version had some horrible skipping in the last minute. After that is a nice solo piano piece (very interesting to find that he was a fan of Rachmaninoff) before the final swing. Cool album- now off to listen to more jazz!
A nice jazz album from Monk.
A really odd listen. I’m just not into its weirdness.
Great jazz album
Great
A fantastic jazz album. Monk's music has a quiet cool about it that I love.
First time listening. Amazing
Great background music.
As much as I love to see some more jazz on the list, Monk isn't a huge favourite of mine, and neither is this album. The line up is fantastic, Rollins on sax, Roach on drums, Chambers on bass, it should be fantastic but instead it's just good. Worth a listen but doesn't bring out much excitement in me.
5/10 Thank you for your interest Mr. Monk, but we've decided to go with someone else. Your qualifications are magnificent and we can tell you are the kind of candidate that comes around once in a life time, but we simply don't have the kind of work for you that we feel would fulfill you. If I could invent a position I'd snap you up in a heart beat but I simply don't have the budget for someone of your caliber. I'll pass your interest on to a few people I know in the industry if you'd like and thanks again for stopping by. 6-3-2024
Would probably say my first jazz album!! Going in, I worried that all the songs would sound the same. As of now (the third song out of five), I am pleasantly surprised. Loving bass guitar (??) near the end of Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lies-ar. If only I knew what the title meant. Also really really liking the xylophone (???) on Pannonica. Is that a xylophone. If anything at all comes from this whole challengée hopefully it will be an ability to recognize instruments in songs.
i liked it all but the best were pannonica bemsha swing. nothing else really stood out to me, although it was all pleasant listening.
The list of important jazz figures is seemingly endless. And Thelonious Sphere Monk, who might have debatably the coolest name ever, is just another one of the more influential composers in the evolution of the hard bop sound in the late 50s and early 60s. I am wholly unfamiliar with his work, though. And I will never be opposed to sitting down with a jazz album. After hearing it, I’ll be honest and admit that this isn’t my favorite jazz album I’ve ever heard. But I enjoy parts of it. The streak still technically continues. I won’t deny this album its flowers. This is by all means a technically and compositionally sound set of recordings. That first song alone took them over a dozen takes to get. And you can hear it. This isn’t something the average composer would be capable of writing and performing. And no doubt, Monk proves himself as a very capable pianist. I Surrender, Dear is actually a really beautiful piece of solo piano work. All in all, this album does a great job with allowing each component of the band flex their abilities. As far as I remember, there are multiple drum solos on different songs. What keeps this from really matching up to my favorite jazz albums is the connection I have with it. Which is unfortunately very little. It isn’t easy to form a real connection with me just on a single first listen. But those albums that do are special. It’s just hard for me to really feel this album on a deeper level. And it doesn’t drawn me in emotionally like a good Coltrane or Davis album might. But this isn’t a terrible record at all. Still definitely a worthwhile part of the history of golden age jazz. Rating: 7/10
Jazzy and fun
This album was very good. Jazz is often thought of as background music, easy to listen too and forget about. Brilliant corners is not that. With complex rhythms and musical structures I found myself entranced and pulled to give the music my full attention at multiple points across its short runtime.
some nice piano jazz
Incredible artist, generational talent. Not his best work.
Good album for a sunny ride to work.
Amazing flow!
Enjoyed this! This felt a little unpolished tho? Even accomodating for this style, it still seems that way? Also I’ve gotten used to really modern production so this was a bit jarring for me.
You need more than a day to absorb this. But will probably return to it on my continuing mid life jazz discovery. Actually not the most modern sounding for the late 50s, but nicely recorded and very classic. Nice.
I'm reading the novel Erasure at the moment with the main character Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison, and this is the point where I realise why he has his nickname. To the music... it's ok. It's not particularly special. It sounds kind of generic, and doesn't appear (to me) to be doing anything that interesting or different. It just kind of plods along. It's pretty harmless in itself, and easy enough to listen to, which is about all I can say for it. 2.5 rounded up.
de nuevo: que bronca que mi papá tenga razón. 7,5/10
Dette er ikke engang Thelonious Monk på sitt beste! På spor 1 og 2 merker man at han fortsatt lever i en verden som verdsetter mer tradisjonell jazz, og selv om de er mer enn gode nok i seg selv, så er det spor 3, 4 og 5 som virkelig er noe å høre på. Det at han kom med dette så tidlig som i 1957, når Charlile Parker fortsatt var nyskapende, er bare helt vilt. En mann langt forut sin tid.
I actually didn't listen to this but pshhhh
Such a great jazz album.
I'm familiar with the name Thelonious Monk, but I haven't listened to any of his albums before. I've been enjoying my dips into the jazz canon through this project, so I'm excited for this today.
Monk is a captivating jazz artist, bringing his distinctive quirkiness and atonal proclivities into the already technically intense bebop genre. This record isn’t just smooth easy listening, the intensity and aggression of the piano work and tight horn work demand consideration. Great record that makes you participate intellectually with the jazz.
Not my cup of tea. Imprressionistisch though.
Really good jazz album
BOM DEMAIS!!!
I have tried to get into Monk many times and for decades, and nothing works. I believe him to be over-rated.
Overall pleasing to listen to, but jazz isn’t really my thing. I find it be meandering a lot of the time.
Non particolarmente significativo
not really my thing. as with a lot of jazz that i have experienced, it meanders and goes on and on. and as a general rule, i don’t like instrumentals.
Again: NOT A JAZZ GUY
3.5
Fun background piano music.
Interesting 3/5
Jazz clásico
Not for me personally but it's hard not to at least respect the musicianship.
one of monks not as good albums hmmm meditations ponder
jazz
Fantastic
Pretty
ok
Middling jazz
1/5 boring as fuck couldnt get through it
Thelonious Monk is a name that is synonymous with jazz. His crisp, percussive piano playing has become one of the defining elements of modern music. His extensive catalog spans almost thirty years, and his performing career lasted longer. Brilliant Corners is a collection of Monk's own songs - complicated compositions that were difficult to record for their complexity. This album is considered one the very best jazz albums ever recorded.
I can see why these guys are so well known.
Never used to be a jazz fan, but in the past bunch of years have been acquiring a taste and exploring the classic jazz artists. The thing I enjoy most about the era is there are incredible instrumentals with some of the top jazz artists at the time. You can tune in and let the music relax you without the distraction of vocalists. Monk is a legend and glad I had the pleasure...more!
Again, pretty good background/focus music. I actually liked this more than yesterday’s album (even though it still gets a 3).
Exciting and adventurous as it is relaxing. From a first time listen, it seems obvious this is an important album for jazz enthusiasts and anyone who studies music. Deserves to be on this list.
I feel classy
idk anything about jazz
Love some Monk every chance I get
Jazz sucks
Solid jazz tuneage
I heard all kinds of songs hidden in this album that were probably inspired by the monk. Fly me to the moon, in other words, etc.! But kind of boring compared to some jazz albums like mingus or bill evans
Monk war schon ne coole Socke.
I like Monk, but sometimes he can be too complex for me. I listened to this in the car on a five hour trip and really got to concentrate on listening, and I really enjoyed it. I feel that’s what you have to do with his music. It’s not passive listening. The man was an absolute genius.
6/10
Smoooooth Jazz
Jazz isn't really my thing
Instrumentation was nice I guess, but I found this boring and aimless.
Nah
Album 405 of 1001 Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners Rating : 3.5 / 5 Very good jazz. Not my favorite from the genre but certainly a fine listen.
I can appreciate this. The big band vibe makes it more soulful and fun, as opposed to other jazz records that seem so much like an exercise in technicalities that they lose out on emotion. Very good, Mr. Theolonious Monk! You made me feel something with your jazz. Standouts are Pannonica and Bemsha Swing.
Jerez this was bad
Monk is one of the best pianists of jazz music. You will always here his distinct brilliant style that shows how important rhythm is. I'm not sure though if this album is the best example of his talent. His band mates are great but they overshadow up a bit of his talent I find Maybe it's just me but I prefer Monk with very sparse co-instrumentation.
Great Album
This album is a classic. Generally strong, my only gripe is that sometimes the album is too trumpet-forward which washes out the other musicians. Otherwise very strong. 4/5.
Nice smooth jazz good for entry level listening or those with a more experienced ear. 3.5/5
Cool
Amazing musicians but this is probably dating me as all I can hear is this music would be great on an episode of Mr Rogers neighborhood.
Love this, contains both depth and humor. Constantly surprising and always grooving
Not my favourite of Monk's, but the general chaotic looseness is so distinct and entrancing, I can't turn it off.
Monk has such a distinctive sound that makes me feel like I can really hear every note even during complex, virtuosic runs. As soon as I listened to this album, I started again back from the top. Definitely one with some staying power.
I mean, it's Thelonious Monk – his work never gets less than five stars from me.
I’m not a huge fan of jazz but it doesn’t feel fair to give this a 1 or 2 just because I don’t care for the genre much.
Monk has more than one 5 star album, and this is at least 4.5, so I'm rounding up. Sonny Rollins on sax, 5 songs, no let up, everyone gets a chance to do their thing. Just look at the album cover…
I’m sure it’s great. It’s just not my bag.
John Coltrane is to jazz as Jimi Hendrix is to rock n roll. Sonny Rollins is to jazz as Jimmy Page is to rock n roll. Sonny is just absolutely transcendent on this record. "I played the wrong wrong notes." - T. Monk
What can you say brilliant! Great Jazz from the guy with the best name.
I don't pretend to know anything much about jazz but I know that I like this
Charming jazz.
Some parts I got into, other parts that I didn't. Guess that's jazz baby.
Great Jazz. But struggled at the halfway mark.
Every middle school, high school, and college jazz ensemble in the United States has felonious monk as a portion of their jazz repertoire. Thelonious Monk is a master of the art form of jazz music.
Jaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzz.
nice!
My new fav monk album. The band adds so much and the solos are great as always
El último tema, versión incompleta, es una forma brillante de terminar un álbum
This was nice enough. It is not as good as some of the other jazz I’ve heard so far from this list, so it’s just a 3 for me.
Great jazz, tight knit band too they bounce off each other well. 3.5
could i write poetry to this? n
I personally love Monk, but understand why others find his music difficult. People who don't like Jazz look to his music and say "Just play the right notes!" His style embraces chaos and resolution in equal measures and the end result is beautiful.
Some parts border on the anxiety inducing type of jazz that I can't get into. Overall, the good outweighs the bad.
Nice piano work from Monk. Pannonia was the highlight for me. Some early improv stuff from Sonny Rollins on the title track, which I guess was interesting.
Nice to listen to, but I jazz isn’t my favorite
Soothing & fun Jazz music. I don’t have much to say, as I’m a casual in this genre. But the vibes were there!
Jazz... Monk... Vibes. I want to just highlight one song that really stood out above the rest not even because it is the best but just feels so deep a personal. There is a point in listening to enough jazz that you start to hear the instruments speak and tell the story of a song call it leitmotifs or call and response whatever. It is a magical moment to hear a song so beautiful that is just piano but meaningful. I surrender Dear is that song, I just hear this song of a couple on their last vacation and reminiscing on the times that they had in love and how that is gone. As the song progresses you feel the temptations and the love coming back as they realize they can no longer not love one another and you can literally hear the voices in the song and the last minute they are both opening their hearts as you hear one of them say "I love you" and after that Monk does a slide down the piano at this revelation. We end with a motif of wedding bells and hope for a future of our couple. Thats what i felt at least. I love Jazz
There are definitely faaaaar better jazz albums, and this sounded like it was just relatively monotonous bass in the background, and the saxophone (or whatever is being played by the other person) just going up and down without making very nice rhythm, and also some drums in the spare time. I understand that this is more than 65 years old, so it would have been cooler but nowadays it doesn't sound that great to me.
3.5*
I played saxophone in elementary/middle school so whenever I listen to jazz my ear naturally gravitates towards the saxes. Hard for it not to whenever you have Sonny Rollins on the record too. Really enjoyed this listen, I had heard of Thelonious Monk before but I did not know much about him.
Angular as one would expect of things with corners.
Probably good if you like jazz. I don’t.
Some solid jazz work here. Playing was exceptional. Max Roach in particular shone on the drums. Monk is a craftsman and it shows brightly. Not quite as good as Kind of Blue or Love Supreme but still a worthy addition to any jazz collection.
In a train station not too far from here, there is a piano that anyone can sit at and play. Sometimes Monk sounds like the drunk guy who plonks himself there at 11.30 at night and hammers away. Grossly unfair, I know, but sometimes this record is a tough listen, unlike, for example, the be-bop offerings of Parker et al or the later genius of, say, Miles and Gil Evans. Technically, I have no doubt that this is all very impressive but it ain't always enjoyable. I will, however, persevere (I bought the damn CD, for Christ's sake...).
I really didn't give it a hard listen, the first track I found a little squirrely the second track was more melodic, Rollin's sax was sweet. I have to revisit, I'm not familiar with T. Monk classics.
Babbity
Jazz ain’t my bag but there’s a lot of objective talent on display here, especially when it comes to drum breakdowns. Listened to: on a bus to Quetzaltenango. Favorite track: Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
Title track especially great, can see the hype around this though.
Fiddly, beepy, boopy, twiddly, twinkly, twonky noise. No thank you. Jazz is truly abysmal.
I get that some people love jazz, I'm just not one of those people. I can admire the skill and virtuosity I just can't listen to it (I did though for the purpose of this exercise)
Terrific
I liked it! Good instrumentals plus it was fun
no idea how to evaluate this. quite free-form and experimental, but i did like it. i think
C'est bien si tu es dans un ascenseur
Very chill
djass, voða snotur. af hverju ekki? 3,5
This is a cornerstone, one of the most impactful Jazz albums ever. Of course, much is about the playing, the display of artistry and the fun of interaction. But it is beyond that, it is mainly Monk's approach on time and rhythm, the way he is capable of of free-floating, that set him apart. At his time this was extraordinary, and only few could follow him. This tension is not resolved here, which makes it difficult to really appreciate.
Gorgeous, creative sound, mildly challenging but elegant at its core. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are; Bemsha Swing; I Surrender, Dear; Brilliant Corners; Pannonica
Loved this.
Didn’t like at all
Vintage Monk, yet one that I'd not previously heard entirely. Great to have an excuse to just sit and listen to a master.
👍 Very solid, not boring, could definitely listen to this again.
It’s Monk - what’s not to love?
Very pleasant sounding, but there is a ceiling to how much I will enjoy a jazz album with no vocals like this one.
Same deal as Tim Buckley. This was fine, very jazzy but the instrumentals r wearing on me.