Thelonious Monk - Ruby, My Dear

[BricioleDiTorta]

...meraviglia. 

[BricioleDiTorta]

quanta bellezza.

[willieluncheonette]

One of the most beautiful songs ever written!! Hope you've heard the original trio version on Blue Note, the incredibly beautiful version with Coleman Hawkins on Monk's Music album, and the solo piano version on Alone In San Francisco album. If you're like me, you never get tired of hearing Ruby My Dear.

[groente12]

Cant have a good morning without Monk.

[JustinAllenNelms]

Signature style.

[toskoramone]

Recognizable as Monk from the first bar. This is one guy who really got through, was really at one with his instrument. In his most "wrong" notes, there is still so much intention and confidence. He knew exactly what he was doing

[conspiratordrew]

i am just realizing what a madman this guy was when it comes to piano... i could stand hearing a version of this trombone accompaniment

[TheGrrammmpa]

Pure Monk goodness. Thank God for Thelonious!

[jazzgirl232]

Absolutely Monk.  Unmistakably Monk.

[BINKIE2000]

One of the most beautiful and touching things I've ever heard.

[Bagas]

How is Ruby doing?

[TheGsmith9]

Just the Brilliance of Thelonious being able to define that line of separation between melody and harmony... the man is a genius with a style that can never be compared to ever again..... Ruby My Dear... the beautiful song that the ladies can understand.. somehow, someway in this age of new hip hop and club music, thelonious still finds a way to touch the inner musician in everyone... absolutely beautiful.

[questions613]

if you had to pick one recording to represent monk and indeed jazz this could be it

[truedtaylor]

Sounds like Monk to me. Beautiful.

[dizyootum]

Franticfactory is probably the clown who disliked this

[kerawelt]

As an essentially classical music addict  I claim his is a great piece of harmony craftsmanship. I wonder what Ravel or Debussy would have thought of this audacious foray into unknown counterpoint paths.

[franticfactory]

Sounds like a small child banging his fists on the keys in random places. 

[ghostofbeatsrocked]

@franticfactory Are you embarrassed by that comment yet? You should STUDY MORE.

[franticfactory]

@ghostofbeatsrocked Still not embarassed, nope. Very much not so.

[thecouchonfire]

@franticfactory also, you should be ashamed of yourself

[ghostofbeatsrocked]

@franticfactory

[thecouchonfire]

@franticfactory

that comment roughly translates into "i don't know jack about music and/or fundamentals of music theory"

[Ghtthomps]

@franticfactory

The genious of Monk is evident when you try to play his way which sounds simple but it's not. You just do not know the man or his music. It's my call.

[hippojuice23]

Scott Joplin on acid! 

[Bagas]

Beautiful, as if jazz history were in his hands.

[CatGonda]

berlusconi 

[mynameisniu]

@CatGonda ma che stai a dí

[CatGonda]

berlusconi 

[giuliomafia]

Sublime

[chamane222]

Un petit bijou que cette tune, merci Sphere,,,.

[rodeo179]

sounds great but didn't work for me. more into softer music

[Vesters1]

@rodeo179 you suck

[MrSuperninjas]

hey there seerskater, if that is not monk, then who do you think it is? Liberace?

[mlangbert]

Monk is playing this in heaven now, and the angels are in tears.

[ooomusic]

My fave Monk tune.

[joburgjazzer]

One of the most beautiful pieces ever

[ericdolphy222]

@joburgjazzer

ditto.

[ericdolphy222]

@joburgjazzer

ditto. and a terribly beautiful take this one is.

[Framedmact]

@joburgjazzer ditto, a true insperation.

[MugsyPeabody]

Monk did two brilliant solo albums, Solo Monk and Monk Alone in San Francisco. Both are glorious expressions of his soul. Because people's taste hadn't caught up with his, only 1500 each were pressed. Now, thank merciful heaven, or at least the digital universe, they've been released on CD.

[psmooth777]

I've heard this version of Ruby My Dear about a thousand times. Sounds like Monk to me and it always has.

[jagacom]

mmmhhh it doesn´t sound like him, it´s too technical, meaning as if it is played by a machine or a classical student

[Kinlow54]

This is pure genius! It is just as fresh and moving as it was when Monk created it! Anyone who does not think this is brilliant needs to ask themselves how many people will be listening to Ludacris or Jay Z 45 years from now with the same intensity as people still listen to Thelonius!

[ezeroh1]

what you smoking sounds like thelonious to me

[seerskater]

what? this doesnt sound at all like monk. are you sure this is him?

[Praguedive]

@seerskater - I guess so. You see, the album is called 'Solo Monk'. There isn't any other musician besides Monk.

[MisterAlbertoPiano]

@Praguedive Well, there's T.S. Monk, the son of Thelonius Sr. Maybe he's playing this piece. Anyway, I don't have a clue xD.

[lewalcindor]

@seerskater The playing here is representative of pretty much the rest of the Solo Monk album. His playing throughout sounds like he's ...bored. I believe Monk had a squabble with Columbia Records for whatever reason and didn't exactly put out his best music.

But still, this is probably my favorite version of "Ruby, My Dear" because it was the first version I've heard. For this song alone, Monk's refusal to improvise or play any complicated chords actually enhances the music IMO.

[chessplayer21]

@seerskater yes this is monk. in one of this documentaries they show him making this recording even

[eatspinach]

@seerskater do you thelonious monk's solo work? this is quintessential monk.

[bertdockx]

@seerskater you're funny: if this doesn't sound like monk, 'folsom prison blues' doesn't sound like johnny cash (no offence intended, just smiling at your comment)

[fredkingsss]

@seerskater I find it sounds a lot like him, the way he attacks the chords and arpegiates, or the way he plays with some little hesitations sometimes, it is heavy sounding like the monk we know

[mussman717word]

@seerskater

This is definitely Monk.

[sallylou529]

So beautiful it makes me weep

[byronious1]

Yeah well I'm not a very good piano player, but this took me 6 months to learn, mostly by ear. The notations are always wrong, because the chords don't really exist to express Monk (well they do, but you know!). He floated below and above both dreams and reality.

[SNNT95]

Increible, digno de un genio.

[Jazzyteach65]

The flatted ninths-fifths kill me in this tune. Hauntingly gorgeous!

[mmaybrown]

Yes you are right!! Very lovely chords.

[wblakews]

think he liked tchai

[030957]

Una maravilla. Gracias maestro Thelonious.