Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ellis Marsalis: An Open Letter to Thelonious

230

Ellis Marsalis: An Open Letter to Thelonious

By

Sign in to view read count
Ellis Marsalis: An Open Letter to Thelonious
Pianist Ellis Marsalis' An Open Letter to Thelonious is more than just another homage to the mystique and magic of Thelonious Monk's music.

Marsalis is no stranger to the Monk's music, but it is hardly an area of specialty for the patriarch pianist. As a native of New Orleans, he went against stereotype by not specializing in either trad jazz or R&B. Beginning in the late '50s, he played with mainstream players like Ed Blackwell, Cannonball and Nat Adderley and even Al Hirt, with whom he appeared for a three-year period in the late '60s. During the '70s, Marsalis freelanced and taught.

His recording career began in 1985, but his long stretch with Columbia throughout the '90s was a most productive period that resulted in six albums including a Duke Ellington tribute. The main thrust of Marsalis' jazz presentation was piano trio bebop with the influence of jazzmen like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie most evident in his playing.

Like the standard Monk Quartet, Marsalis uses the configuration of sax and rhythm section. When last seen in live performance, Ellis Marsalis led basically this same group (bassist Bill Huntington preceded Jason Stewart, who is on this recording) at Snug Harbor, the premier jazz club in New Orleans, located just outside of The French Quarter. On that occasion, a few years ago, Marsalis and company blew away the crowd with a 20 minute version of "My Favorite Things," with the same Derek Douget on soprano sax.

The music on An Open Letter to Thelonious is deliberate in its pursuit of a 'Monkian' presentation, but is also representative of the individual members of this combo. The opening "Crepuscule with Nellie" is a respectful version that is very similar to Monk's reflective ballad. However, on the following track, "Jackie-ing," Douget's tenor sax would have made Charlie Rouse proud and the ensemble puts the other pieces together. The combination of Marsalis' insinuating piano and Douget's tenor and soprano work (the saxophonist switches between the two during the full course of the album) capture the Monk essence along with contributions from his son, Jason Marsalis on the drums and Jason Stewart on bass.

The inclusion of "Teo," which was recorded by Monk on a few occasions, qualifies as an obscurity and serves as a vehicle for a fine Douget soprano sax solo as well as one from Marsalis. On the following track, Douget picks up the tenor sax and provides a just-right balladic interpretation of "Ruby, My Dear."

Track Listing

Crepescule With Nellie; Jackie-ing; Epistrophy; Monk's Mood; Straight, No Chaser; Light Blue; Teo; Ruby, My Dear; Rhythm-a-ning; Round Midnight; Evidence.

Personnel

Derek Douget: saxophone; Ellis Marsalis: piano; Jason Stewart: bass instrument; Jason Marsalis: drums.

Album information

Title: An Open Letter to Thelonious | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: ELM Music

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.