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The Music of Thelonious Monk: John Beasley's MONK'estra Live
Courtesy Raj Naik
It all made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening of jazz music. Captivating!
—Jimmy Haslip
John Beasley
piano
Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982
Pianist, composer, and Grammy winner Beasley, has a sixth sense when it comes to the grasp of Monk's inherent genius. In 2015 he formed MONK'estra with a group of musicians that are genuinely appreciative of Monk's work, and of Beasley's innate skillset for writing arrangements. When you read or speak about Monk, the word quirky almost always comes up in description of many of his tunes and/or of his mindset. The fun and cleverness of it all is celebrated in a "go big or go home" setting. Three records later, John Beasley Presents MONK'estra Volume One (Mack Avenue, 2016), John Beasley Presents MONK'estra Volume Two (Mack Avenue, 2017), MONK'estra Plays Beasley (Mack Avenue, 2020). the band continues to just blow doors on the road.
Musician, producer, composer, and three time Grammy winner
Jimmy Haslip
bassb.1951
Billy Strayhorn
piano1915 - 1967
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
From their most recent record, Monk'estra Plays Beasley, the tune "Steve-O" kicked off the show in heart-pounding style. The Beasley composition is named after saxophonist
Steve Tavaglione
woodwinds
Brian Swartz
trumpetb.1967
Bob Sheppard
saxophone, tenorb.1952
Edwin Livingston
bassAfter a fifteen-minute intermission, the sixteen-piece ensemble returned to the stage with "Donna Lee" in hand. The
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Yes, it was time to breathe in a ballad. A Beasley original, "Song for Dub" brought out the woodwinds, piano, and alto flute for solos that sweetly fell into a collective breath. Only later did I realize that "Song for Dub" had also followed "Donna Lee" on MONK'estra Plays Beasley. Announcing that a Duke Ellington song was next created a buzz. They went right into "Silk Lace" with a groovy, slightly modernized mindset. The woodwinds, the piano, and trumpets were once again brightly engaged. It was the genuine energy and spirit put into an Ellington composition that made it special on this evening. This continued to be the case as they heart-fully immersed themselves into another hour and fifteen minutes of joyful rhythms and swing. Altogether, a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute performance—notable in the ninety minutes world that has been in place for several years now.
"Rhythm A Ning" is among Monk's finest compositions. It's certainly a tune that demonstrates Monk in the heart of his element. This arrangement by Beasley is off the charts (okay, let's go with pun intended). Full blast jazzy swing with everyone aboard the train. Swartz steps up with another "just killin' it" trumpet solo. But it was the five-piece saxophone section in front that blew my mind, in addition to their horns.
Tom Luer
clarinet, bass
Danny Janklow
saxophone
Adam Schroeder
saxophone, baritoneb.1978
The crowd wanted more, and what a treat to hear "Round Midnight" on this sensational night. Monk composed the epic piece in 1944. It proved to be successful for Miles Davis and a host of other jazz cats. Here they had fun with it, taking it out for a funky spin. The rhythm section of Livingston and drummer
Terreon Gully
drums
Francisco Torres
trombone
Ryan Dragon
tromboneWendell Kelly
tromboneRyan DeWeese
trumpetJames Ford
trumpetAnother brief encore with Beasley softly soloing midnight melodies, seemed to echo thank you, we're so glad you enjoyed, and goodnight. Indeed it was mentioned earlier in the evening, their appreciation for the turnout amidst high gas prices, a rough economy, etc. But this was a joyful night in celebration of the music of Thelonious Monk. An excellent pianist and composer, Beasley shines brightest on his arrangements. His skillset in that area places him at the top with the industry's best. He writes arrangements for many orchestras and symphonies around the world. With Monk'estra he is brilliantly able to keep all of Monk's intentions, his fun, his quirkiness, his offbeat patterns, everything that is Monk, and bring it all into big band arrangements. It's the fabric of Thelonious Monk painted on a larger canvas and rolled out on stage with vigor and intelligent enthusiasm. Haslip later added "that it all made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening of jazz music. Captivating!"
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