[.ca] The Complete Riverside Recordings

From Amazon.com:
With 15 jam-packed CDs and a well-designed LP-sized booklet with beautiful photos inside, this is the mother of all Thelonious Monk collections. Its supremacy is only in part related to girth and presentation, however. Historians and critics are almost unanimous in appraising the years Monk spent with the then-fledgling Riverside Records as his best. And this set catches it all, from the moments of deeply inspired, quicksilver genius to the foibles, miscues, and studio chatter (which is very minimal). Beginning in 1955 with a trio recording of Ellington tunes to the slew of live recordings that compose most of the last eight CDs, the recordings here end in 1961, with Monk leading a slender quartet fronted by tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, who would remain with him through many of his Columbia releases of the 1960s. Monk's trail up to his lengthy stint with Riverside began with a short tenure at Blue Note, and while those recordings (collected on the four-CD Complete Blue Note Recordings) illuminate the pianist's skewered take on bebop, sessions like the one that makes up the Brilliant Corners single CD (and that appear, of course, here) show ways Monk was doubling back on jazz styles, piling techniques from the swing era--a more moderated approach to underlying swing, for example--onto his odd voicings on chords, which arrest the ear at every turn. Where the Brilliant Corners sessions show Monk working with a rasp-toned Sonny Rollins on tenor and Ernie Henry on alto, the bands expand and contract repeatedly throughout the 30 sessions, all of them annotated by producer and Riverside cofounder Orrin Keepnews in the booklet. You can hear Monk tailoring his Tatum-esque flourishes on the solo sessions that led to Thelonious Himself and Thelonious Alone in San Francisco and then lavishing reams of reeds and brass when in 1957 he corralled John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxes, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Gigi Gryce on alto sax, and Art Blakey for the Monk's Music session or when in 1959 he led a roiling ten-piece in the At Town Hall session. But the most intimate encounters are the smaller ones, with Gerry Mulligan clearly finding all manner of seams and creases to drop his flowing baritone in on the Mulligan Meets Monk session or with Monk finding an ideal chemistry with Johnny Griffin's fast, tight tenor sax lines. Then there is the microtonal poetry of a 20-minute listen-in where Monk explores "Round Midnight," giving listeners a keen glimpse into the mind of one of jazz's most singularly creative minds in history. With any one of the single CDs that together make up this package, a listener could so easily get hooked into buying all the work Monk did for Riverside disc by disc that it makes sense to take the colossal leap and scoop it all up at once--and then dig way in. --Andrew Bartlett

The love of my life!:
As someone who can't play music, I have a hard time talking about jazz. Meaningless superlatives-- that's all I can manage when it comes to a set like this. So, I suppose, if you like Thelonious Monk, money is the only reason not to buy this big box set. If you don't like Monk's sound, then this is way too much Monk for you! I guess there is some virtue in buying the original albums separately-- if they are available on CD-- such as Monk playing Duke Ellington, or a program of other "standards," which are the sessions that come on the first discs. Yet Thelonious didn't seem to be about making albums and recordings-- he just played and let the engineers do the rest. The Grammy-winning liner notes of Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews tell the story of that aspect, and how Monk was a difficult participant in the recording process, but a stunning genius. Now, normally I don't go in for multiple takes of the same song, but with Monk it's an entirely different story. There simply aren't too many ways Monk can play one of his own compositions, with the way he explores all the possibilities of the piece and struggles with his own creativity-- there I go, trying to sound like a musician. No-- of all the recordings I have, classical, jazz, vocal or otherwise, this box set of Thelonious at the peak of his powers is quite simply the most monumental. Monumental in the sense that I can only sit before it and love, revere and admire. And not just at Monk. Into the studio-- or the club where the live recordings take place-- come such titans as Gerry Mulligan, Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and I must not forget that hero of the Monk quartet, Charlie Rouse. In fact, it is in the last discs of live performances in Paris and elsewhere with his quartet that the Monk sound fully takes shape. But every track and every second is something that leaves me breathless and speechless. I hope perhaps, judging from my own enthusiasm over this set, you too will see the wisdom in making it your own.

Remastering getting long in the tooth:
I've got this set, & the music on it is unquestionably among the greatest of Monk's achievements. That said, this was released back in 1986 (when it won a pair of Grammys)...and that's the remastering used on the CD set. The sound quality is acceptable but, even without my making a direct comparison to recent generations of remasterings (& this particular catalogue has lately been in the process of a facelift) it's obvious enough in listening to it that the remastering quality is far from state of the art. Live recordings such as the Five Spot sessions with Johnny Griffin sound particularly in need of a careful dusting. Anyway, I certainly don't wish to dissuade Monk fans from this set--clearly, it's the best way to get a hold of this crucial body of work in one lump, & there are a number of tracks here which aren't available elsewhere now. But it's high time that this set be given a repolishing according to current remastering standards. Calling Mosaic Records......

Hard bop paradise:
Guy Lombardo enthusiasts will probably consider the bucks to be expended on this set a dreadful waste of cash but if you are partial to bop-oriented jazz it will give you years of boundless pleasure. At the very least it is a splendid coffee-table item but the music is the thing. On every track Monk shows his inventiveness, versatility and his hipness; truly a giant of modern jazz. An excellent booklet (LP size) with extensive (Grammy winning) notes accompanies this set. Highest recommendation

Awesome Collection!:
Any serious Monk fan should have this set if its within your budget. The multiple versions on Round Midnight are worth the price of admission alone and there are so many wonderful collaborations. I mean does it get any better than John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk? Although I must admit the packaging is a little bland, but that is likely due to the fact that it was released a few years back. However, the substance can definitely be found in the music and Thelonious Monk will forever be an icon.

$200 for a Lifelong Friend:
Sure, this is expensive, and I really resent the manner in which so many boxed-sets are marketed to exploit "a new angle" of a musician, but this particular example is a goldmine. Save up your ducats (stop smoking, cut out your afternoon candy bar, or start bicycling to work) and buy this box for yourself. Once the box is in your possession, do not rush yourself or over-indulge. If administered properly, this music will reveal its genius to you, and you will create a permanent spot in your life for it in return. Monk made a lot music both before and after the sessions included in this box, but this is the essential stuff. Unlike much 20th century music, Stravinsky's music embraces the deconstructive chaos of "modern" music, and yet somehow retains the balanced building blocks of the classical era. This also holds true for Monk. You cannot call his music "out" or "free", but he clearly throws a hand-grenade into the bunker of convention. He swallowed the sounds & constructs of conventional swing & bop, and spit them out as angular, fragmented ideas that still retained an organic "listenability". His modern approach is not cold or alienating, but adds depth and sophistication to the modes of jazz that preceded him. This music could be a lifelong friend. Is $200 too much to pay for a lifelong friend? Buy it, open it up, and take it along for your journey...

• It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
• Sophisticated Lady
• I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
• Black and Tan Fantasy
• Mood Indigo
• I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
• Solitude
• Caravan
• Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
• Memories of You
• Honeysuckle Rose
• Darn That Dream
• Tea for Two
• You Are Too Beautiful
• Just You, Just Me
• Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
• Pannonica (Opening) \o#\c
• Pannonica
• Brilliant Corners
• Bemsha Swing
• I Surrender, Dear
• I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You \oTake 5\c
• I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You \oTake 7\c
• I Should Care \oTake 1\c\o#\c
• I Should Care \oTake 2\c
• I Should Care \oTake 3\c
• 'Round Midnight \oIn Progress\c
• 'Round Midnight \oTake 7\c
• April in Paris
• I'm Getting Sentimental over You
• Monk's Mood \oFalse Start\c\o#\c
• Monk's Mood
• Functional \oTake 1\c\oAlternate Take\c
• Functional \oTake 2\c
• All Alone
• Crepuscule With Nellie \oTake 1\c\o#\c
• Crepuscule With Nellie (Breakdown) \o#\c\oExcerpt\c
• Blues for Tomorrow
• Off Minor \oTake 4\c
• Off Minor \oTake 5\c
• Abide with Me
• Crepuscule With Nellie \oTakes 4, 5\c\o#\c
• Crepuscule With Nellie \oTake 6\c
• Epistrophy \oFragment\c
• Epistrophy
• Well, You Needn't (Opening) \o#\c\oExcerpt\c
• Well, You Needn't
• Ruby, My Dear - Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk
• Ruby, My Dear - John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk
• Nutty
• Trinkle, Tinkle
• Straight, No Chaser \oTake 1\c\oAlternate Take\c
• Straight, No Chaser \oTake 3\c
• Rhythm-A-Ning
• I Mean You \oTake 1\c\oAlternate Take\c
• I Mean You \oTake 2 Alternate\c
• I Mean You \oTake 4\c
• 'Round Midnight
• Decidedly \oTake 4\c
• Decidedly \oTake 5\c
• Sweet and Lovely
• Coming on the Hudson
• In Orbit
• One Foot in the Gutter
• Trust in Me
• Let's Cool One
• Pea-Eye
• Argentia
• Moonlight Fiesta
• Buck's Business
• Flugelin' the Blues
• Very Near Bllue
• Evidence \o#\c
• Blues Five Spot
• In Walked Bud/Epistrophy (Theme)
• Unidentified Solo Piano
• 'Round Midnight
• Bye-Ya/Epistrophy (Theme) \o#\c
• Light Blue
• Coming on the Hudson
• Rhythm-A-Ning
• Just a Gigolo
• Blue Monk
• Evidence
• Epistrophy (Theme)
• Nutty
• Blues Five Spot
• Let's Cool One
• In Walked Bud
• Misterioso
• Epistrophy \oTheme #2\c
• In Walked Bud
• Blue Monk
• Rhythm-A-Ning
• Monk's Mood
• Friday the 13th
• Little Rootie Tootie
• Off Minor
• Thelonious
• Crepuscule With Nellie
• Little Rootie Tootie (Encore)
• Played Twice \oTake 1 - 2nd Alternate\c
• Played Twice \oTake 2 - Alternate\c
• Played Twice \oTake 3\c
• Straight, No Chaser
• Ask Me Now
• I Mean You
• Jackie-Ing
• Round Lights
• Pannonica
• Blue Monk
• Ruby, My Dear
• There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie \oTake 1\c\oAlternate Take\c
• There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie \oTake 2\c
• Everything Happens to Me
• Reflections
• Remember
• Bluehawk
• You Took the Words Right Out of My Heart
• San Francisco Holiday \o#\c
• Just You, Just Me \o#\c
• 'Round Midnight \o#\c
• San Francisco Holiday \oTake 2 Alternate\c
• I'm Getting Sentimental over You
• Evidence
• Epistrophy (Theme)
• Epistrophy
• Four in One \oTake 1\c\o#\c
• Let's Call This
• 'Round Midnight
• San Francisco Holiday \oTake 3\c
• Four in One \oTake 2\c
• Epistrophy (Theme) \o#\c
• Well, You Needn't
• Crepuscule With Nellie
• Jackie-Ing
• Body and Soul
• Off Minor
• April in Paris
• I Mean You
• Rhythm-A-Ning
• Just a Gigolo
• Hackensack
• Epistrophy
• I'm Getting Sentimental over You
• Jackie-Ing
• Body and Soul
• Straight, No Chaser
• Crepuscule With Nellie
• Bemsha Swing
• San Francisco Holiday
• Rhythm-A-Ning
• Epistrophy