Thelonious Monk

There is really no one quite like Thelonious Monk in the whole history of jazz music. His compositional style, much like his odd, fractured, and angular piano playing, was deceptively simple and repetitive, full of endlessly circular progressions that seemed to almost intersect themselves at whim, ending up more like auditory puzzle boxes than anything resembling a jazz standard. This wonderful two-disc set, drawn from his time at the Blue Note and Prestige labels between 1952 and 1956, provides a varied introduction to this enigmatic genius. Track after track affirms Monk's uniqueness. Take his version here of "Just a Gigolo," where his angular, dissonant piano lines restructure and reassemble the melody into a halting, delicate, and poignant mini-masterpiece, demonstrating Monk's uncanny ability to adapt standards into his own eccentric space. Brilliant stuff. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide