Who could feel sad or hopeless while the music of Thelonious Monk plays? One of the geniuses of all music took dissonance, often associated with gloomy or moody pieces, and made it happy. This harmonic exploration shows on nearly all of his recordings and never manages to tire a single iota. Feeling glum? Put on Monk! Even more shocking is that this music remains highly intellectual and deeply conceptual despite the almost childlike playfulness it often emanates. Monk managed to create some of the happiest, most life-affirming sounds ever conceived by a human being.
Almost everyone knew Monk by the time he began recording for Columbia records in the early 1960s. In a few years absolutely everyone knew him. Though many depict these later years as relatively in decline and less creative, no one can deny that even these recordings contain irresistible energy and oomph. "Criss Cross," his second Columbia release, followed the justifiably popular "Monk's Dream." Though many of these songs hearken back to Monk's Riverside days and critics often cry "rerun!" at this recycling, truly repeating oneself remains a difficult task in jazz. Of course the personnel, the tempos, the solos, the recording technology and contexts have changed drastically. Regardless, there was doubtless a lot of rehashing of songs in this period. If only all rehashes sounded this good.
The opening of "Hackensack" does slightly echo the beginning of "Monk's Dream" with its rolling piano riff. Instantly, Monk's unique and endlessly charming piano punctuations brighten the room. Just one or two tiny popping high notes during a quick break between saxophone marks this indelibly as a Monk recording. More great stumbling piano dissonance opens "Rhythm-A-Ning," a song Monk played perpetually. The melodic structure of "Criss Cross" almost perplexes the brain like a runaway fractal. It doesn't seem possible that those notes in that progression combine together to make an amazing song. Mystical? Maybe. "Think of One" shares this unique aura that fully utilizes Monk's ability to groove and to even evoke humor. This one may evoke shades of the equally intriguing "Nutty." The drums really rule the mood and atmosphere of this piece in mesmerizing ways. Listen to them take control following the solos and the refrain of the main theme. "Tea for Two," though another well worn road, still manages to groove pleasantly with opening drum and bass solos. Monk's personal touch revitalizes this old ditty, especially in the dramatic closing piano solo. The original 1963 album ended with the always entrancing "Crepuscule With Nellie." Some call this Monk's "symphony." It remains beyond most words. Everything following this track appeared much later. The decent but not perfect version of "Pannonica" served as the only bonus track on the original CD. A rather drowsy alternate take of "Tea For Two" and an almost there alternate "Eronel" accompanied the rather meandering and relatively uninteresting "Coming on the Hudson" on a further re-release around 2003. "Crepuscule" served as an unforgettable closing for the original album, tying things up with a nice mellow cool-down. What a way to go.
"Criss Cross" still stands out as a great jazz album regardless of the eternal recurrence of some of its repertoire. The usual addictive catchiness of Monk's dissonant melodies pervades every song. This formula continued throughout Monk's tenure with Columbia, though he would manage to add in a new tune here and there. As time weaves on, some may experience Monk for the first time through his later recordings. For these listeners, unburdened by history, the song recycling likely won't pose any issue, at least initially. But no matter how one comes to know Monk's music, the important thing remains that one comes to know Monk's music. One listen is usually all it takes.
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Criss-Cross
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Track Listings
1 | Hackensack |
2 | Tea for Two |
3 | Criss Cross |
4 | Eronel |
5 | Rhythm-A-Ning |
6 | Don't Blame Me (Retake 1) |
7 | Think of One |
8 | Crepuscule with Nellie |
9 | Pannonica |
10 | Coming On the Hudson (Album Version) |
11 | Tea For Two (Take 9) (Album Version) |
12 | Eronel (Take 3) (Album Version) |
Editorial Reviews
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Product details
- Language : English
- Product Dimensions : 4.95 x 5.61 x 1.76 inches; 3.04 ounces
- Manufacturer : Legacy Recordings
- Item model number : 14603698
- Original Release Date : 2010
- Run time : 1 hour and 2 minutes
- Date First Available : October 1, 2010
- Label : Legacy Recordings
- ASIN : B0045DO7Z2
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #171,392 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #72,634 in Pop (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
97 global ratings
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2014
- Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013Monk's first album for Columbia, "Monk's Dream," has received more attention, but "Criss Cross" has always struck me as having an edge on the earlier disc in terms of musical substance, programming, and group interplay. Whatever your thoughts about Monk as a pianist, his 4th man--the all-important tenor saxophonist--was without exception a pyrotechnician. Griffin, Coltrane, Harold Land, and Charlie Rouse (Monk"s most frequent front-liner partner and apparently his favorite) were all "saxsophonists" of the first order, each the equivalent of an Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson on his horn. So the challenge for each was as much one of "internalizing" Monk's unconventional structures and engaging the pianist in a game of repartee that, like all of Monk's music, would involve the listener as an active participant in the act of "extemporaneous composition" (the accessibility that distinguished Monk's most ingenious projects).
With his rapid-fire, crisp articulations, gnarlish melodic lines, and tart and tangy tone, Rouse playfully engages both Monk and the listener on no fewer than eight Columbia albums in addition to the Clint Eastwood-produced movie "Straight No Chaser." I'd have to disagree with the judgment of some that on the rarely played "Coming on the Hudson" Rouse is "off his game" and "scrambling" compared to Johnny Griffin's more consistently assured performance. First of all, the earlier Five Spot performance with Griffin is taken at a "comfortable" and forgiving medium-up tempo (which still can't disguise some unfortunate "wow" in the master tape). It's true that Griffin gets off to a more secure start on his solo, fully in synch with Monk's first chord (on the 2nd beat of the first measure of the last chorus). By contrast, on "Criss-Cross" Monk slows the tempo down enough to risk a loss of momentum. Moreover, Rouse begins his solo on the first, or strong, beat of the measure, ahead of Monk by a full beat.
Whether the journeyman tenor player was momentarily thrown by the slow tempo, or anticipated Monk a measure too early, hardly matters in view of what ensues: a vigorous and vibrantly alive exploration of Monk's harmonies that manages to strike gold with each drop to the lower register and each leap to the altissimo. After the almost plodding tempo of the introduction, the tune seems to have moved into high gear, thanks to Rouse's furious yet dead-accurate double-timing. To say that he ushers in Monk's solo with a bang would be an understatement.
Monk composed around 50 compositions--and he frquently came back to the same standards--"Tea for Two" (recognized as the Exclaibur for every aspiring pianist ever since Tatum's masterful version) and "Don't Blame Me" (a favorite of Bird's) among his favorites. So it's quite possible that collectors of even a small number of Monk albums will already possess some of the songs on this album. Still, anyone who doubts Monk's ability to reshape, deconstruct, and reconstruct the tunes he had already recorded, will have no better opportunity to put his singular inventiveness to the test, thanks to Amazon's current pricing of this album, which is an even better deal for Prime customers.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2021Thelonious Monk in my humble opinion was the pinnacle of songwriting in the jazz/bob world while he lived. This album is one of his best and highly recommended to those just getting into Monks wonderful catalog!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2016Playful, complex, enigmatic --> Monk!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021Love to listen to Monk while traveling, it's a perfect match for a few hours on the road. Great pianist and jazz man.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2020Wow great record by Thelonius - had no idea it was going to be as absorbing as Brilliant Corners or Monks Dream. Monk was one great jazz composer.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2016One of Monks best in my opinion,and one of my favorite albums in my very diverse collection. GREAT starter album if you're just getting into T. Monk, and awesome gift to someone who is an appreciator of a variety of music. Highly recommend it...
- Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020Monk and Charlie Rouse always great...
Top reviews from other countries
- BRUCE D MACKENZIEReviewed in Canada on September 30, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
As expected, brilliant Monk
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NegustormReviewed in France on October 23, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Monk's Dream : la suite...
Après le très réussi Monk's Dream (best seller absolu de Monk), voici le petit frère.
On explore des titres peu connus : Hackensack, Think of one (Prestige 1954) ; Criss-cross, Eronel (Blue note 1951). Titres assez cubiques comme il se doit. Parfois, Charlie Rouse arrache dru au saxo.
Rhythm-a-ning étonne : c'est un classique du quartet des années 60 mais dans une grande fraîcheur et hardiesse communicative. Crepuscule with Nellie émeut toujours autant.
Don't blame me est l'exercice solo désormais habituel. Tea for two, version Monk? Avec très peu de sucre et sans lait. On mélange bien... Puis on se retrouve dans un vertige avec des chromatismes hypnotiques à la main gauche... Sphere qui tournicote de nouveau.
De nouveau, Frankie Dunlop fait vrombir la puissante berline sur ses 12 cylindres rutilants.
Encore un très beau LP de Monk avec un son parfait dans sa version Columbia 360° sound (choix de mixage assez étrange au casque avec Dunlop à gauche, Monk à droite sauf en solo, Rouse et Ore au milieu). Merci à SONY de rééditer ces pépites avec un pressage aussi parfait.
NB : Le CD offre une version de PANNONICA absente du vinyle.
- Arturo Suski BlancoReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2011
5.0 out of 5 stars THE PERFECT MONK !
A truly wonderful and relaxing release by thelonius monk. I would recommend this to all his fans and those who are still unfamiliar with his work. One of his finest releases, indeed.
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どヒマなカフェ営業中Reviewed in Japan on December 6, 2009
5.0 out of 5 stars めちゃめちゃ聴き易いんだね!
何かもうモンク翁のアルバムだからって構えるのが馬鹿馬鹿しく思えてきた… だって普通に気持ち良いジャズじゃないですか(笑)しかも今作品はリズムが強くSWING♪しているから尚更でしょう。ただドラムは人によってはバタバタうるさいと感じるかも知れないなあ、ワタシ的にはこれくらい景気よく叩いてる方が好きなんだけどね。ベースも地味だけど重心が低くブンブン鳴ってるんで良いですね。プレステージ、リバーサイド時代放っといて先にコロムビア盤集めてしまおうかな、いやマジで。(とほほの助)
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, as ever
Lovely album