Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins - Brilliant Corners

For this third LP for Riverside, 'Brilliant Corners', Monk recorded some challenging original material over the course of three sessions. Most of the recordings feature some of his longtime A-list studio colleagues Sonny Rollins, bassist Oscar Pettiford and former Charlie Parker drummer Max Roach along with alto saxophonist Ernie Henry. Miles Davis bassist Paul Chambers and trumpeter Clark Terry from Duke Ellington's orchestra also backed him on 'Bemsha Swing', a piece he had previously recorded for prestige albums by himself and Miles Davis. The album includes the beautiful 'Pannonica', on which Monk plays Celeste, and a full solo performance on the album's only cover, 'I Surrender, Dear'.

It is the title track, however, where Monk was at his most ambitious and adventurous, challenging his band more technically than he had done in his previous decade of recording. With its abrupt time changes and innovative phrasing, 'Brilliant Corners' took about 25 takes to perfect, and the engineer still had to cut two takes together. The complex and experimental piece was so treacherous to record that Henry nearly had a nervous breakdown and Pettiford pantomimed his playing after having a heated exchange with the pianist.

Monk's determination was not in vain, as "Brilliant Corners" is now considered a milestone in jazz and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

Tracklist:
1. Brilliant Corners
2. Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are
3. Pannonica
4. I Surrender, Dear
5. Bemsha Swing

Label: DOL
Released: 1957/2021