Thelonious Monk: Body and Soul
Musicians:
Thelonious Monk (piano).
Composed by Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour & Frank Eyton
.Recorded: New York, November 1, 1962
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
With a kind of slow and heavy stride gait in the left hand and a right hand building arabesques around the melody before improvising, Monk definitely gives a highly personal version of this standard. A version that seems to emerge from the reiteration of almost the same chorus played again and again, with the pianist's moans and grunts reflecting his effort to make a masterwork with such density out of this overused set of chords. The final chorus comes closest to the melody and, capped by conclusive high notes, appears like a light at the end of a tunnel.
Reviewer: Thierry Quénum
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Tags: 1960s jazz · body and soul · solo piano
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