Thelonious Monk – Brilliant Corners (Mono, 1STEP, Slipcase)
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€149,00
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Thelonious Monk - piano (all tracks), celesta (B1) [click here to see more products featuring Thelonious Monk]
Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone (A1 to B1, B3) [click here to see more products featuring Sonny Rollins]
Oscar Pettiford – double bass (A1 to B1) [click here to see more products featuring Oscar Pettiford]
Paul Chambers – double bass (B3) [click here to see more products featuring Paul Chambers]
Max Roach – drums (A1 to B1, B3), timpani (B3) [click here to see more products featuring Max Roach]
Clark Terry – trumpet (B3) [click here to see more products featuring Clark Terry]
Ernie Henry – alto saxophone (A1 to B1)
Written by Thelonious Monk (A1 to B1, B3), Harry Barris (B2), Gordon Clifford (B2)
1 LP, Gatefold jacket, Slipcase
Limited Numbered Edition
Original analog Master Tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Mono
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Craft Recording - Small Batch Series
Original Label : Riverside Records
Recorded at Reeves Sound Studios, New York City on October 9 (A2, B1), October 15 (A1) and December 7 (B2, B3), 1956
Engineered by Jack Higgins
Produced by Bill Grauer, Orrin Keepnews
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Liner Notes by Orrin Keepnews
Originally released in April 1957
Reissued in 2025
Tracks:
Side A:
- Brilliant Corners
- Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are
Side B:
- Pannonica
- I Surrender, Dear
- Bemsha Swing
Awards:
Included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999
Included the The Penguin Guide to Jazz “core collection” of essential recordings
Reviews :
“I bet some listeners might prefer the 'stereo' edition, which has a slightly fatter lower mid bass that gives Max Roach's drum kit greater 'wallop'. And probably, as with the Miles 'One Step', where the hard, somewhat harsh but accurately reproduced muted trumpet 'offended' lovers of the noisy, somewhat compressed Prestige original , some will find this 'One Step' a bit 'in your face', but not I! While the Neotech VR900 vinyl compound can sometimes sound soft, here it does not, but it surely is dead quiet. The quiet further expresses the skilled front to back layering in Jack Higgins' live mix...on 'Bemsha Swing' from the second recording session, where the sound is quite different and Roach's drum kit is pushed further back on the soundstage, the NeoTech VR900's quiet (plus probably the 'One Step' process), proves its worth. You really catch all of what Roach is doing.” Michael Fremer, Tracking Angle
“Although Brilliant Corners is Thelonious Monk's third disc for Riverside, it's the first on the label to weigh in with such heavy original material. Enthusiasts who become jaded to the idiosyncratic nature of Monk's playing or his practically arithmetical chord progressions should occasionally revisit Brilliant Corners. There is an inescapable freshness and vitality saturated into every measure of every song. The passage of time makes it all the more difficult to imagine any other musicians bearing the capacity to support Monk with such ironic precision. The assembled quartet for the lion's share of the sessions included Max Roach (percussion), Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Oscar Pettiford (bass), and Ernie Henry (alto sax). Although a compromise, the selection of Miles Davis' bassist, Paul Chambers, and Clark Terry (trumpet) on "Bemsha Swing" reveals what might be considered an accident of ecstasy, as they provide a timeless balance between support and being able to further the cause musically. Likewise, Roach's timpani interjections supply an off-balanced sonic surrealism while progressing the rhythm in and out of the holes provided by Monk's jackrabbit leads. It's easy to write Monk's ferocity and Forrest Gump-esque ingenuity off as gimmick or quirkiness. What cannot be dismissed is Monk's ability to translate emotions into the language of music, as in the freedom and abandon he allows through Sonny Rollins' and Max Roach's mesmerizing solos in "Brilliant Corners." The childlike innocence evoked by Monk's incorporation of the celeste during the achingly beautiful ode "Pannonica" raises the emotional bar several degrees. Perhaps more pointed, however, is the impassioned "I Surrender, Dear" -- the only solo performance on the album. Brilliant Corners may well be considered the alpha and omega of post-World War II American jazz. No serious jazz collection should be without it.” AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer
One Step. Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, one-step plating uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. One-step plating skip the regular father-mother process, going right to a single convert and then pressing. Though this dramatically increases mastering and production costs, it also assures each run is more consistent from disc to disc, with less noise, clearer details and deeper bass. Reducing production complexity to just a single "convert" disc between the lacquer and the press greatly improves groove integrity, diminishes non-fill anomalies and increases signal integrity from the master tape to your system.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.95 / 5 ; Michael Fremer : 11/11 Music, 10/11 Sound