Best Ever Albums

Re: Artists You Wish You Liked More

PurpleHazel — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:28:43 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 04/13/2020 04:28

baystateoftheart wrote:

He's obviously very talented and creative, and I've enjoyed everything I've heard (Brilliant Corners, Monk's Music, Misterioso, Monk's Dream), but I don't love any of those albums. I wish I could hear what many do in him, but I don't.

You don't love them as album experiences, or you think you wouldn't even love a 40-minute playlist of Monk's best tunes? He's a little older than Coltrane, Mingus and Miles -- he was one of the architects of be-bop and modern jazz along with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie -- did a lot of his best work before 1958, so quite a bit of his music was originally released as 10-inch LPs rather than 12-inchers. Because of that I don't think he's quite as well represented by the album format as some younger artists. (Though I think most of the albums folks have mentioned are pretty great.)

Monk is hands down the greatest small group composer in the history of jazz (a majority of Mingus' best work was with what I consider mid-size groups). His tunes are unique and instantly recognizable as his work. He is also, to my mind, one of the most historically important jazz soloists. To jazz musicians and fans, having your own sound is the most important thing, and Monk personified that. Long before the free jazz era, he was using dissonance, what people called "wrong notes" and eccentric phrasing to create the most individual solos until Eric Dolphy and free jazz came along. Can't imagine Dolphy or Cecil Taylor (who recorded a semi-free jazz album a year before Ornette Coleman's first album) without him, and I suspect he was a huge influence on free jazz in general. In a genre full of great technicians, he turned his technical limitations into a great asset.

You line up Monk's 15 best tunes and there isn't another small group jazz composer who can hang with him -- hell, most jazz musicians don't even have 15 really good original tunes.

Good topic.

Re: Artists You Wish You Liked More

CharlieBarley — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 21:49:08 GMT

Author: CharlieBarley

Posted: 04/13/2020 01:49

Joanna Newsom

I get that she's talented but I can't get past her voice though some of her music is nice.

Re: Artists You Wish You Liked More

Spyglass — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 20:32:54 GMT

Author: Spyglass

Posted: 04/13/2020 00:32

Black Flag. I like them as a good punk band, but I don't think they're as good as their hype.

Re: Artists You Wish You Liked More

Hayden — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 20:27:53 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 04/13/2020 00:27

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Underground by Thelonious Monk

Listen to this.

Artists You Wish You Liked More

baystateoftheart — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 20:27:14 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 04/13/2020 00:27

I was just thinking about this while listening to Thelonious Monk. He's obviously very talented and creative, and I've enjoyed everything I've heard (Brilliant Corners, Monk's Music, Misterioso, Monk's Dream), but I don't love any of those albums. I wish I could hear what many do in him, but I don't.

Which artists do you wish you liked more?