Thelonious Himself
Because Thelonious Monk's artistic vision was so personal and peculiar, hearing him in a solo setting is perhaps the best way to begin to understand him. This 1957 album was his first to consist of exclusively solo material. His lines are fractured, his ideas are deliberate, his mood is introspective, and the end result is an album of both stunning beauty and jarring surprise, often at once. The three originals included are all significant: "Functional" shows how Monk's irregularities translate into a blues format. "'Round Midnight," his most famous composition, is boiled down to its very core (the CD reissue includes a revelatory 22 minutes of "'Round Midnight" outtakes, ideas, and development). The finale "Monk's Mood" is a fragile ballad that eventually adds color from tenorJohn Coltraneand bassist Wilbur Ware--the only spot on the record with accompaniment. That said, it's equally as fascinating to hear Monk reinvent the five timeless standards in his own image.--Marc Greilsamer