Search - Thelonious Monk :: Essential Thelonious Monk

This is the best of Monk, but...

BigT | San Diego | 09/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Monk is my absolute favorite, I have dozens of his albums and box sets. The quality on this CD is great, the song selections are great. The only thing I would recommend is that if you plan on buying more of Monk's recordings this "Greatest Hits" CD will kind of spoil it for your. You remember the best of the Eagles, Steve Miller Band, Beatles, Elvis whatever. You'll never want to buy another album because some of the songs will be on it. If you just discovered monk go get Mysterioso, Straight No Chaser or Monk's Blues. It's not like you'll find any bad tracks on those albums, so why just eat the frosting! I love that they are remixing all this great music!"

Another great one from Monk!

L. Orr | LA | 10/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great CD to really get a sampling of Monk. Has a good mix of tunes. I usually prefer Monk playing versions alone, Or with his famous quartet-with Rouse, Gales, and Riley, though, this one is very satisfying! "Essential Thelonious Monk" is a CD that anyone would enjoy!"

Making Monk Accessible.

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 10/06/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Pick up the most important album of the present millenium--"Thelonous Monk with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall"--which begins with the absolutely essential "Monk's Mood" (excluded from the present collection), then go to the almost equally essential "The Thelonious Monk Trio" or "The High Priest" (make sure it's one that includes "Reflections" from 1952-53). Now pick up Roberta Gambarini's "Easy to Love," including the medley reproducing the emotion, intellect and spirituality of the the aforementioned two Monk tunes. Not only will you gain an entrance to Monk's music, but you'll be privileged, indeed doubly enriched, to hear it through the alert ears of someone who hears all of the elusive, inscrutable and profound beauty that, for some reason (because we're too close to it?), most Americans find elusive, difficult or impossible to relate to."