Brilliant Corners: The Music of Thelonious Monk (1997)

About this title: Bill Holman's exploration of ten Thelonious Monk tunes is purposely a lot more Holman than Monk. Rather than trying to re-create the great pianist/composer's piano solos or small-group renditions of his songs, Holman picked out numbers that interested him and then avoided listening to Thelonious' versions. The one trait of Thelonious Monk's that is present throughout these dynamic big-band reinterpretations is the dominance of the themes, which are never far away; otherwise, the music is pure Bill Holman. The charts are sometimes (like Bob Brookmeyer's) influenced by modern classical music; ... read more

Tracks:

1. Straight, No Chaser [Monk]
2. Bemsha Swing [Monk/Best]
3. Thelonious [Monk]
4. 'Round Midnight [Monk/Hanighen/Willi]
5. Bye-Ya [Monk]
6. Misterioso [Monk]
7. Friday the 13th [Monk]
8. Rhythm-A-Ning [Monk]
9. Ruby, My Dear [Monk]
10. Brilliant Corners [Monk]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.