[Leon]

I am curious as to people's favorite MOnk tunes. Everyone seems to play Well You Needn't, Round MIdnight, maybe Epistorphy and In Walked Bud, but what about some of the lesser known/played ones? Let's Call This? Pannonica? Criss Cross? Anyone? I'm looking for songs that are fun to play and fun for the listener.

 

[JonL]

Let's Call This is a shamefully overlooked Monk tune. Bemsha Swing is just so much fun to play. Ask Me Now. Bright Mississippi (Sweet Georgia Brown changes).

 

[milomo]

A few of my favorites are Let's Cool One and Light Blue from those live records with Johnny Griffin, Work from an early trio record (Joe Lovano does a nice version as well), and Wee See from a record with Frank Foster. JonL mentioned Ask Me Now, I remember when Joe Henderson made those Vanguard records, as soon as they came out almost every tenor player in NY (myself included) started playing it, replete with those trills on the melody and everything. Ask Me Now and Beatrice, those tunes were everywhere after Joe's record came out.

 

[greyteque]

Ask Me Now, Teo, Nutty, Pannonica

 

[EastCoastGhost]

Brilliant Corners and Bye Ya

 

[Tryptykon]

slight correction..

A few of my favorites are Let's Cool One and Light Blue from those live records with Johnny Griffin, Work from an early trio record (Joe Lovano does a nice version as well), and Wee See from a record with Frank Foster. JonL mentioned Ask Me Now, I remember when Joe Henderson made those Vanguard records, as soon as they came out almost every tenor player in NY (myself included) started playing it, replete with those trills on the melody and everything. Ask Me Now and Beatrice, those tunes were everywhere after Joe's record came out.

Beatrice was [originally]written by Sam Rivers for his wife(now deceased..)

Friday the 13th was the other monk tune .. also Boo Boo's Birthday .

IMO, the whole Monk Book should be explored .

 

[gary]

"Think of One". Get the recording with Charlie Rouse to hear real sympatico. Fun song with a quirky change and interesting intervallic motivs.

 

[milomo]

Beatrice was [originally]written by Sam Rivers for his wife(now deceased..)

Friday the 13th was the other monk tune .. also Boo Boo's Birthday .

IMO, the whole Monk Book should be explored .

No correction is needed. The fact that Sam Rivers wrote Beatrice, and those other Monk tunes are on the records had nothing to do with the last two sentences of my post. My point was exactly what I said, that when those records came out, those two particular tunes went into heavy rotation on a lot of NY bandstands.

 

[jazzbluescat]

Speaking of Charlie Rouse, Monk's rendition of Lulu's Back In Town is among my favs. I can't play that tune without the Monk/Rouse influence...just love it.

Anyhow, I love to play Ruby, My Dear. And, In Walked Bud always puts me in a good mood. Trinkle Tinkle is an ongoing project, a crazy tune.

 

[Chris S]

Anything off the Town Hall Concert.

 

[Seasax]

blue monk

 

[rhysonsax]

Little Rootie Tootie & Misterioso are favourites of mine.

Rhys

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

My favorites to perform are:
In Walked Bud, Criss Cross, Straight No Chaser, Epistrophy and I Mean You (and of course everyone digs Around Midnight).

But then I truly adore all of Monk's compositions, and view him as America's J.S. Bach.

 

[bbbouklas]

Straight No Chaser is one of my favorite songs... and I love playing it!

 

[matty]

Reflections, Monk's Dream, Criss Cross (I like the 6 bar bridge version) Trinkle Tinkle, Ruby My Dear, Evidence.....all that have been mentioned (and all that haven't.) Monk's tunes are a hoot to learn - and eventually play. It takes me much longer to learn (read: be comfortable with) most Monk tunes than any other composer...

 

[Tim Price]

1 Bemsha Swing

2 Nutty

3 Reflections

4 Green Chimeys

5 Monk's Mood, Crepuscule With Nellie ( i do this as a seque )

6 Ugly Beauty

7 SF Holiday

8 Thelonious

9.Ruby My Dear

10 Light Blue

11.Friday the Thirteenth

12. Skippy

My friend Sam Newsome just put out a MONK Cd ;
Its beautiful and Sam is happening.
Read about it here;http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26614

 

[littlemanbighorn]

Friday the 13th
Misterioso
Introspection
Green Chimneys
Monk's Mood
Skippy

 

[Tryptykon]

No correction is needed. The fact that Sam Rivers wrote Beatrice, and those other Monk tunes are on the records had nothing to do with the last two sentences of my post. My point was exactly what I said, that when those records came out, those two particular tunes went into heavy rotation on a lot of NY bandstands.

Alrighty,then.

 

[JonL]

Speaking of Charlie Rouse, Monk's rendition of Lulu's Back In Town is among my favs. I can't play that tune without the Monk/Rouse influence...just love it.

Anyhow, I love to play Ruby, My Dear. And, In Walked Bud always puts me in a good mood. Trinkle Tinkle is an ongoing project, a crazy tune.

Yeah, that led me to put that tune in the book, too. What a beautiful attitude. Ever hear any of Monk's versions of "just a Gigolo"?

 

[Leon]

I was pleased to see Let's Call This mentioned, (one of my favorites), and Green Chimmeys, Teo, We See and so many other Monk tunes that are not played/heard often enough.

Did anyone mention Coming on the Hudson or Eronel?

I'm surprised no one mentioned Monk's Mood, Monk's Dream, or Crepusule with Nellie.