{"product_id":"thelonious-monk-genius-of-modern-music-vol-2","title":"Thelonious Monk - Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2","description":"\u003cp\u003eThelonious Monk's Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2 collects the Blue Note sides that helped establish him as one of jazz's great originals, here on 180-gram vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the early 1950s, Monk was still widely misunderstood. His angular melodies, unexpected pauses and percussive attack struck many listeners as wrong notes rather than a new language. Blue Note's Alfred Lion believed otherwise, recording him repeatedly and gathering the results into the Genius of Modern Music series. Volume 2 first appeared in 1952, drawing on sessions that featured Milt Jackson on vibraphone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Straight, No Chaser\" is pure Monk, a blues theme bent into strange and delightful shapes that musicians have been chasing ever since. \"Four in One\" tumbles forward on knotty unison lines, while \"Ask Me Now\" reveals the tender ballad writer hiding behind the eccentric reputation. On these sides, Jackson's vibes add a cool shimmer against Monk's blunt, perfectly placed chords.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese recordings now read as foundational texts of modern jazz, yet they still sound playful and surprising rather than academic. Few pianists ever made silence swing quite like this, or made a single clashing note feel so completely right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA heavyweight pressing suits music this direct, letting the piano's woody attack and the room's natural air come through.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57518429864241,"sku":"602475448174","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/Thelonious_Monk-Genius_of_Modern_Music_Vol._2_68693775-3035-47fe-9d4d-0e3c9a633642.jpg?v=1794678776","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/thelonious-monk-genius-of-modern-music-vol-2","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}