MUSIC OR DIE #10–Thelonious Monk, "Brilliant Corners" (1957)

After a yearlong hiatus, I AM BACK! 

I could write an entire blog post about just that album cover. Dat. Cover.

Part 10 of my 1000+ part series.
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

TL;DR:  In which I continue my ride on the B.S. train. 

I still have no idea what I'm doing! Wheeeeee!

More after The Cut>>>



1.) Brilliant Corners
Whooooa, ok. So right off the bat, a curveball – sounds a bit like a cat walking across a piano.
Like, legit sounds like a cat doing an aggressive rendition of "Chopsticks." 

I FEEL IT FLOWING WITHIN MEEEE

Honestly, this song threw curveball after curveball. From tempo changes to what seemed like bum notes here and there (but which were clearly written in), I never what was going to happen from one moment to the next. 

I was reminded of that scene from the movie Amadeus where Mozart is composing his "Requiem" with rival composer Salieri writing the score. As Mozart plows through it, Salieri keeps yelling, "YOU GO TOO FAST! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" 

I am Salieri. I had NO idea what was happening at any given point in time, but I had the strong impression that it was Important, whatever it was.

2.) Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are

CRUELLA DE VIL CRUELLA DE VIL

IF SHE DOESN'T SCARE YOU, NO EVIL THING WILL

Seriously, though, if this doesn't scare you, little will

I honestly wonder if Disney paid royalties to use this song, the opening is so similar. After those first opening bars, the song switches gears and mellows out, with a prominent tenor sax solo.

The title is definitely interesting – I looked up to see if there was a connection to the Venezuelan leader Simon Bolivar (because who doesn't like fascism sprinkled in their jazz?) but it would seem it refers to a Hotel Bolivar? I don't even know, I'm basically flying blind here.

Ok, I'm about nine and a half minutes in (THIS SONG IS OVER 13 MINUTES LONG!), and it's literally just bass and drums. And I'm falling asleep. I need more of that crazy, crazy Cruella.

AND YAY at around 12:15, SHE'S BAAAACK! I'M SO HAPPY, I COULD WEEP.

Beggars can't be choosers.

3.) Pannonica
"Come to my ice cream truck, children!"

This.

The start is some xylophone-esque realness. Music box meets ice cream truck meets...I don't even know what. (Edit: Apparently that instrument is a celesta. #themoreyouknow)

I'm trying so hard here to stay focused and listen, but spoiler alert: listening to this album at 1 am when you're not a jazz fan is not the best idea.

Ok, now the celesta is back, and it reminds me of the music from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood:

Case in point: listen to the first 18 seconds or so

Edit: This was apparently named after Monk's friend and benefactor, and judging by the name part-time Bond villain Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter. Intriguing.

4.) I Surrender, Dear

So I initially knew this song from the Bing Crosby version from 1931.

Needless to say this is a much different version. For one, no Bing. For another it's a piano instrumental, as opposed to the big band standard. At points, it reminded me of the Peanuts soundtrack (Vince Guaraldi, eat your heart out).

In which this blog continues to be highly self-aware

While there are definitely sonically strange moments from time to time, for a complete novice like me, this was a much more approachable track. Not least of all because it's only ("only") about five and a half minutes long.

5.) Bemsha Swing
Yeeeeehaw! Right out of the gate, I'm feeling this one a lot more. I'm all about bombastic brass, and this delivers just that. It has a Spanish vibe to it that I dig, and it's a bit more uptempo than the others as well. 

Ok, I'm about four and a half minutes in, and the shine is wearing off.

JUST KIDDING – HELLO, DRUM SOLO! It sounds like drums coming from far, far away, just sonically traveling through the cosmos.

They are coming.

OK, around 6:45ish we journey back to the original theme, nice melodic bookends taking us to the end.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, this album is a fascinating one. I still can't get behind long jazz albums, especially when they're not live, but this one is particularly off-kilter and inaccessible for a novice, I'd say. There were a ton of dissonant notes, tempo changes, and unusual twists and turns. I'm just staggered at how anyone writes this – there is some crazily brilliant (eh? eh? BRILLIANT CORNERS) method to the madness...I imagine that this album is a treasure trove for music theorists and historians, but alack and alas, I am neither of those things. 

Personal standout tracks:
Um, is it cheating if I say "Cruella de Vil"? Maybe personally the last track, "Bemsha Swing." But honestly, I don't know if I'll ever really "get" jazz. 

This is my cross to bear.