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Thelonius Garcia: Marche Nocturne

By Dan McClenaghan
November 14, 2024
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The first name Thelonious—does it come from the word theology? Is a parent giving a newborn a form of divinity with the appellation? This is speculation; the answer is up in the air, but the most famous Thelonious is Thelonious Sphere Monk, one of the brightest of jazz stars to emerge in the age of bebop.

And now we have

Thelonius Garcia

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonius Garcia (note the slight spelling variation of the first name) and his debut recording. Serenity reigns—and it feels like divine serenity—on the pianist's debut recording, Marche Nocturne.

Like many jazz artists before him, Garcia started his quest in the classical music world, immersing himself in the music of Claude Debussy and Gabriel Faur��. Then, his studies at McGill University, studying piano jazz performance, brought to his orbit the music of

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk—Garcia's father was a Monk fan—

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea,

Paul Bley

piano
1932 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Bley and

Vijay Iyer

piano
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Vijay Iyer.

Marche Nocturne (Night Walk) is a languid, wee hours solo piano stroll through sixteen Garcia originals. They are lovely and introspective vignettes. He says of his compositions: "This album is about my inability to grasp what reality means; it's about the constant conversation between the world of dreams and the real world. A night walk between day and night, sleep and wakefulness." This sounds like the ubiquitous quest of artists of all stripes, and Garcia immerses himself in the journey with sincerity and with a sublime and well-conceived look inward, making subtly rapturous music, like an artist who is serious about creating, and understanding beauty and the real world.

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Track Listing

Marche Nocturne; Vestiges; Gould; ?vocation; Plan��tes s?urs; Apr��s minuit Bach; Histoires ��ph��m��res; Je veux vivre avec toi pr��s de la rivi��re; La m��moire noire; Incantare; D��but; Le piano englouti; Les restes humains; Poussi��res de vie; Nous avons chang�� d'armes; Petite marche nocturne.

Personnel

Thelonius Garcia

piano

Additional Instrumentation

Pierre Lebeau: vocals (Je veux vivre avec toi pr��s de la rivi��re); Paul Bisson: vocals (Incantare).

Album information

Title: Marche Nocturne | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Self Produced

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