Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (Small Batch, One-Step Pressing)

Thelonious Monk's 'Brilliant Corners' album is the fifth installment in Craft Recordings' popular 'Small Batch' vinyl series. An iconic title in the pianist's discography, this 1957 album features not only several of Monk's original compositions, but also an exceptional cast of talent, including Sonny Rollins, Max Roach and Paul Chambers. This Small Batch pressing is limited to just 4,000 copies worldwide.

Like all albums in the series, "Brilliant Corners" features lacquers cut from the master tapes (AAA) by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180 gram vinyl at RTI using Neotech's VR900 compound. This one-step lacquer process (as opposed to the standard three-step process) allows for an optimal level of musical detail, clarity and dynamics while reducing the amount of surface noise on the record. The limited nature of these pressings ensures that each disc is a true representation of the original lacquer and is as close to the original recording as possible.

Each copy is individually numbered and enclosed in a hot-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase with an acrylic insert of the original artwork. The vinyl record – removable with a unique, friction-free ribbon tab – is housed in a reproduction of the original Riverside Records album cover and protected by an anti-static, anti-scratch, archival-quality inner sleeve. New liner notes from GRAMMY® Award-winning music historian, journalist and producer Ashley Kahn round out the set.

Released in April 1957, “Brilliant Corners” was transformative for Monk’s career, providing him with a major comeback. The album received critical acclaim, including Nat Hentoff of DownBeat, who proclaimed it "Riverside's most important modern jazz LP to date." In 2003, the album was one of the top 50 recordings chosen for the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry, while over the decades, "Brilliant Corners" has been consistently ranked as an essential jazz title.

Please note that due to the limited nature of this pressing, there is a limit of two copies per household. The product is excluded from discount code offers.