Career Monk

This five disc collection contains some of the most important recordings of Monk’s career; from his very earliest Bluenote sessions to the startling compositions that have become all-time classics. Featuring nine original and now legendary albums in total, the music showcased within perfectly displays the rapid progress of Thelonious Monk’s natural talents as a writer, performer and bandleader, leaving no doubt as to how he came to achieve the revered status he still maintains to this day.

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (1956) {2008 Riverside} [Keepnews Collection Complete Series] (Item #16of27)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 208 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 290 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remastering
© 1956, 2008 Concord / Riverside | 0888072305014
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

Orrin Keepnews' commentary (from the new liner notes): “This album was actually one of the major factors in the successful battle to win new and wider acceptance for Monk. In the sequence of his Riverside discography, it followed two initial albums devoted entirely to 'standards' and offered the first occasion on this label for Thelonious to express himself basically through his own writing. Creating music for five instrumental voices in terms of his personal and unorthodox construction, approach and phrasing, he produced some startlingly brilliant examples of the great depth, wit, and strength of his style.”

Thelonious Monk - Something In Blue (1971) {Tokuma Japan–Black Lion TKCB-30742 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 194 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 24 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 1992 Tokuma Japan / Black Lion | TKCB-30742
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano Trio

This is one of Thelonious Monk's most important records, even though it was his last studio session. He went out with a bang, with old friends Art Blakey and Al McKibbon on board in late 1971. (Any Monk record made after this is a concert bootleg with reluctant participation by Thelonious.)

Greg Lewis - Organ Monk: Uwo In The Black (2012) {self-published}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 421 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 164 Mb
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© 2012 self-published / 884501732284
Jazz / Bop / New Powerful Jazz Music / Hammond C-3 Organ

Many a jazz musician visits the territory of pianist Thelonious Monk for a short spell, but organist Greg Lewis seems to have signed up for an extended stay. His Organ Monk (Self Produced, 2010) proved to be a completely original and exciting take on the music of the man affectionately and reverently called the High Priest of Bop, but Lewis didn't linger on this success. He buckled down and put together a sequel that is every bit as enjoyable, though different from its recorded predecessor.