Volume 1 of the two-volume
Genius of Modern Music set comprises the first sessions
Thelonious Monk recorded as a leader, on October 15 and 24 and November 21 of 1947. It's impossible to overstate the importance of these sessions. They include some of the earliest recordings of
Monk compositions that would become
standards, despite their angularity and technical difficulty: the strange, sideways chord progression of
"Thelonious"; the bouncy and cheerful but melodically cockeyed
"Well, You Needn't"; the
post-bop Bud Powell tribute
"In Walked Bud"; and, of course,
"'Round Midnight," which is now one of the most frequently recorded
jazz compositions ever. There are kinks to be worked out:
Art Blakey's drumming is fine, but he obviously hasn't quite taken the measure of
Monk's compositional genius, and on the November session, alto saxophonist
Sahib Shihab employs a fat, warbly tone that sounds out of place. But the excitement of discovery permeates every measure, and
Monk himself is in top form, his solos jagged and strange, yet utterly beautiful. This first volume of
Genius of Modern Music, along with the second, belongs in every
jazz collection. ~ Rick Anderson
