but from a few yards away reveals the clear image of Abraham Lincoln. Take "We See," for instance: it sounds a bit odd on a micro level, but pan out and you hear a very appealing melody with the charm of a Tin Pan Alley standard. Monk was in on seven sessions for Prestige as a leader and sideman between October 1952 (after leaving Blue Note) and December 1954 (before bolting for Riverside). Prestige's initial LPs sliced and diced these sessions, so the chronological format of this three-CD box gives the music a welcome cohesion. Of the seven dates, four are particularly rewarding, all of them under Monk's leadership. The October 1952 trio session with trivia-question-answer Gary Mapp on bass and drummer Art Blakey yielded wonderful Monk compositions like "...  (less)

touch and a wide, encyclopedic knowledge of the jazz piano. Although Bill Evans is obviously the primary influence, one can hear echoes of Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, and Hank Jones, as well. Mehldau has absorbed his influences well, sounding neither imitative nor radical, and though solidly in the tradition of conventional jazz piano, he is adding his own verve, vitality, and intelligence to the genre. From jazz standards ("The More I See You" and "It Might as Well Be Spring") to pop kitsch ("Cry Me a River" and "How Long Has This Been Going On") to hipster originals ("Dream's Monk" and "Sublation"), Mehldau and crew demonstrate that they have listened well to their progenitors, following the well-traveled path of using familiar melodic material...  (less)

is hardcore jazz, with tunes by Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk, Jerome Kern, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, and John Coltrane. Mehldau hasn't yet earned a place in the highest rank of the jazz pantheon, but if he keeps making recordings of this caliber, he'll blow away a lot of the opposition. He doesn't wear his influences on his sleeve but, with the support of Grenadier and Rossy, executes harmonic reconstructions of standard texts. --Stanley Booth  (less)

a tireless advocate of the enduring values of bop, and he created a forum in which younger talents could flourish. There are some classic versions of bop standards here, like Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," heard in a brilliant 1960 version, and Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," with Monk at the piano on a 1957 recording. There are also tunes by Blakey sidemen that would become standards themselves: pianist Bobby Timmons's "Moanin'" and Benny Golson's "Blues March," among them. In its peak years--the late 1950s and early '60s--the Messengers were a launching pad for brilliant players like trumpeters Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. In its later versions, the Messengers even spurred the careers of younger tra...  (less)

recording her last two CDs with jazz royalty Cedar Walton, Phil Woods and Tom Harrell. Highlights of Art Attack include an incendiary version of the classic standard GYPSY IN MY SOUL, a haunting collaboration wit the Turtles Island String Quartet on Wayne Shorters classic NEFERTITI, and a kickin' version of Monk's EVIDENCE featuring Madeline's original lyrics.  (less)

and put away--to the puzzlement of many musicians and critics, who point out that there are more beautiful, more varied performances by professional singers available. Yet the singing of these Spanish Benedictines has a special quality that probably explains this disc's popularity--a reverent serenity that no doubt stems from the fact that the monks are actually praying, not just performing. Granted, Chant can become a bit monotonous with repeated listening, but it really gives you the sense of devotion that has always been the purpose of "Gregorian" chant. If this recording (ahem) enchants you at first, wonderful. If you get bored with it later, don't give up--there has been an extraordinary variety of styles and sounds over the 1,500-yea...  (less)

Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis. Since recording his first date as a leader in 1954, Rollins has recorded dozens of albums for numerous labels, eventually settling in for a long stay on Milestone. The Bridge , recorded in 1962 for RCA Records, is one of Rollins's most dramatic recordings: it marks a return from three years of self-imposed retirement and its title track is a nod to the stories that Rollins had spent much of that time practicing by himself on the Williamsburg Bridge. The lineup for The Bridge is unusual for the time, a quartet featuring guitar (Jim Hall) instead of piano. The rest of the band serves simply to frame Rollins, whose time off only improved his already awesome ab...  (less)

Heavyweight Champion ). The tunes signal an important transitional phase from Trane's stints with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk to his emergence as a leader in his own right. "Giant Steps" "Naima," and "Cousin Mary"--featuring pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Art Taylor--crystallized Trane's supersonic "sheets of sound" style. "Like Sonny," an Afro-Latin dedication to his friend and contemporary Sonny Rollins with Wynton Kelly on piano, reveals Trane's stylistic debts to Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. His historic renditions of "My Shining Hour," "Body and Soul," "Summertime," and "My Favorite Things" highlight Coltrane's ability to remake a song into his own image, as well as introduce his ...  (less)