Sunday, December 13, 2009
Robert Christgau on Thelonious Monk. Not surprisingly, I agree with the Dean's assessments of Monks' sides. The two Blue Note Genius of Modern Music sets showcase Monk's playing beautifully; 2) Thelonious Monk Trio may be the set I play the most frequently; and although I love his work with Traine and with Rollins, the Charlie Rouse stuff is just wonderful. A good way to enjoy Monk is to focus on the different drummers he worked with: Art Blakey, Max Roach, Arthur Taylor, Buffalo's Frankie Dunlop-- all very different, each contributing something special to music that has a muscular swing that can be so subtle that you might not even realize what you've heard until you realize that it has become the rhythm you are thinking of as you walk down the street hours later.
// posted by Bill @ 7:48 PM 
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