Multiple versions of it in Monk's catalogue but this one -- featuring another jazz legend, John Coltrane on the sax solo/melody -- is my favorite.
Not to be too geeky about it, but what made Monk special were all of his eccentricities: dissonant melodies and unexpected chord/mode changes, using flat ninths, flat fifths, unexpected chromatic notes together. I would describe his piano-playing style as "percussive." There's a lot of noise/silence in his key-tickling.
His distinctive look included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He also had an idiosyncratic habit during performances: while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano.
He's also the second-most-recorded jazz composer in the canon, second only to "Sir Duke" Ellington.
Jul 5, 2024
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a hypnotic, rollicking take on the Sound of Music classic that is anything but classic. an oft overlooked soprano sax, incredible piano vamping, all set to waltz time.
Nov 15, 2024
I used to listen to more jazz, dusted off some old favorites though this week. Story time with this album, like 7-8 years ago I rolled up solo to a show at the Village Vanguard in NYC and was seated next to another solo attendee- over some martinis we got to chatting about lots of topics, jazz being one of course, sharing recs, and he spoke very highly of this album which I hadnât heard before. Coincidentally we even ended up at the same pizza place for a slice after it happened where our discussion continued. Shout out to you Alan youâre a real dude hope youâre doing well.
Feb 28, 2025
For music I mean⌠music's so hard. I love music so much. I was looking at this picture called A Great Day in Harlem and it's a collection of jazz artists taking a picture on a stoop in Harlem. It's a very iconic photograph. Sonny Rollins is in the picture and he's still aliveâ I think he just turned 90. He's been around a long time. Sonny Rollins is my favorite player of all time and that's a hard thing to say because there's a lot of sax players I love.
He's got a record called East Broadway Rundown that is just one of the most astonishing recordings I've ever heard in my life. There's a song on there called East Broadway Rundown and it's quite long, almost 20 minutes long I think. That's one of my favorite songs to listen to. The places it goes to, you just don't hear very often.
There's a big component of the jazz or genre of jazz, I guess called free jazz that can get pretty out there, and a lot of people hear it are like, âoh, that just sounds like cats in pain or somethingâ and they're not really into it, and I can understand that sometimes. It's not for everybody. Sonny, on this song, gets to a place that's even beyond free jazz. It's some world that exists only in this song. I've never heard it in any other song.
Sonny Rollins in general, his devotion to playing, the fact that he was already successful in his field and yet took time off to to practice on the bridge because he wasn't satisfied with where he was at and he wanted to push himself even further. I just always admired the heck out of him.Â
Feb 12, 2025
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Hey tyler hopefully this doesnât violate some PI.FYI golden rule
But after nearly two years of writing, editing and arguing, my book about the EP is coming out in May and can be preordered here:
https://hozacrecords.com/product/aifl/
The book is about the origins, history and cultural impact of the EP since these little objects first started coming out in the 50s.
Over 50 of my music biz friends then helped me shape the list and review the top 200 ever released, according to us (ha).
For those of you who are into this kind of geekery/snobbery, I canât wait to hear what you think. A labor of love, as all books are! â¤ď¸
Mar 27, 2024
âSongs Of a Lost Worldâ coming to a goth listening station near you Nov 1 đ¤
The fr FW Me Friday the 13th the world was looking for
Sep 14, 2024
I will fail to explain just how much this band meant to me in the 90s.
So I will borrow from AV Club who did a fine job of distilling it:
âUnwound is the best band of the â90s. Not just because of how prolific, consistent, and uncompromising it was, but because of how perfectly Unwound nested in a unique space between some of the most vital forms of music that decade: punk, post-rock, indie rock, post-hardcore, slow-core, and experimental noise. That jumble of subgenres doesnât say much; in fact, it falls far short of what Unwound truly synthesized and stood for. Unwound stood for Unwound. But in a decade where most bands were either stridently earnest or stridently ironic, Unwound wasnât stridently anything. It was only itself. In one sense Unwound was the quietest band of the â90s, skulking around like a nerdy terror cell. In another sense it was the loudest, sculpting raw noise into contorted visions of inner turmoil and frustration.â
R.I.P. Vern Rumsey.
This is their finest song, from their finest album.
I really canât say enough about the sheer bloody minded genius of this group. đ¤
Mar 23, 2024