Format Details:
Release Date: 25 January 2019
Label: Waxtime
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 8436028698882
Release Date: 01 January 2017
Label: Jazz Images
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 8437016248300
Description
"Brilliant Corners" was Thelonious Monk's third album for Riverside Records and the first for this label to include his own music. The complex title track, with its multiple time signature changes, required over a dozen takes in the studio, and is considered one of Monk's most difficult compositions.
The album features such stars as Sonny Rollins and Max Roach, as well as some of the pianist/composer's most creative writing ever. Brilliant Corners was given a five-star rating in Down Beat by renowned jazz critic Nat Hentoff, who stated that, "This is really a mood album, the kind of mood that envelops corners that can be called brilliant but are more inimitable than that increasingly indiscriminate adjective might connote. This is Riverside's most important modern jazz LP to date." The album also received a five-star rating in All Music Guide, with Lindsay Planer writing that, "No serious jazz collection should be without it."
Description
Brilliant Corners is an exceptional example of Monk's distinctive approach to jazz, which was characterized by angular melodies, unusual chord progressions, complex rhythms, and an idiosyncratic sense of timing. The title track, "Brilliant Corners," for example, was so intricate that it took multiple takes to complete, and the musicians found it challenging to follow its unconventional structure. This difficulty speaks to Monk's originality and his pushing the boundaries of what jazz could be at the time. The LP is one of Thelonious Monk's most acclaimed and influential albums, recorded in 1956 and released in 1957. It stands as a cornerstone in Monk's discography, showcasing his innovative approach to jazz composition and performance, and is often regarded as one of his finest works. Upon its release, Brilliant Corners was met with widespread critical acclaim and remains a significant album in jazz history and helped solidify Monk's status as one of the great innovators of modern jazz. It was a breakthrough album for Monk commercially as well, attracting attention from jazz critics and listeners who were beginning to appreciate his genius more widely. Today, Brilliant Corners is considered an essential jazz record, often cited as one of the greatest jazz albums of all time: musicians like Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Eric Dolphy were influenced by Monk's ability to push the boundaries of jazz without losing its essence. The album is not just a masterwork in Thelonious Monk's discography but a pivotal moment in the evolution of modern jazz.
Tracklisting
Tracklisting
Tracklisting
Oliver Nelson
Joni Mitchell
Bob Dylan
Pink Floyd
Quincy Jones
Tom Waits
Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Kristin Lee
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
