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The Jazz All Stars: The Jazz All Stars Volume 1
by Jim Worsley
The gigless times of 2020--the year of the Covid-19 pandemic--could have brought musicians and the industry to their collective knees, gasping for air. Instead, it resulted in more new music than ever before. It filled our lungs with fresh air. It filled our hearts and souls, not to mention our ears. New businesses opening, defying the odds and pursuing their dreams, is a relevant factor. Le Coq Records, emerging in 2020, boldly presents an all-star ensemble—featuring many of ...
read moreThe Monk'estra Trilogy: The Genius of John Beasley and Thelonious Monk
by Jim Worsley
His music was ahead of its time. I know, how many times have you heard that said about the incomparable Thelonious Monk? Still, to sit on that thought for just a minute, his music has skyrocketed into the twenty-first century in a time capsule. A jazz icon in his lifetime, he is remarkably revered and understood today. Pianist, composer, and arranger John Beasley grasped Monk's music at the ripe old age of eleven. Noteworthy, in as much as ...
read moreJohn Beasley: MONK'estra Plays John Beasley
by Jim Worsley
In 2016 John Beasley gifted us with John Beasley Presents Monk'estra Volume 1 (Mack Avenue). The buzz of that superb record led to John Beasley Presents Monk'estra Volume 2 (Mack Avenue, 2017). Both records were Grammy nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. They were both more than Grammy worthy, but alas the competition is fierce. Beasley has been more than a Thelonious Monk fan throughout his life, including his now over forty years in the music industry. ...
read moreJohn Beasley: Master of All Trades
by Jim Worsley
In today's busy world, sometimes you just can't do it all. Apparently, John Beasley never received that memo. The pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director, and film and TV composer is in high demand, and has an enormity of projects that would seem to belie the twenty-four hour day reality. It is perhaps the variance in scope and style of these collaborations that heighten the bar and, frankly, boggle the mind. The Louisiana born Beasley has a non-stop schedule (outlined ...
read moreJohn Beasley: Monk'estra, Vol. 2
by Angelo Leonardi
Dopo il primo volume (Monk'estra vol.1, Mack Avenue 2016), John Beasley amplia l'organico e invita nuovi ospiti per un'altra rivisitazione del pianeta Monk. Galvanizzato dalle ottime accoglienze del debutto, il bandleader presenta nuovi estrosi arrangiamenti dal classico songbook del pianista. In effetti il vocabolario orchestrale monkiano è quasi tutto da costruire se si eccettuano i progetti del 1959 e 1963 di Hall Overton e poco altro. John Beasley smussa l'originale dimensione angolare e allucinata dei brani, privilegando frenesia e colori ...
read moreJohn Beasley’s Monk’estra At SFJAZZ
by Walter Atkins
John Beasley's Monk'estra SFJAZZ Thelonious Monk Centennial Celebration San Francisco, CA October 15, 2017 The double Grammy nominated Monk'estra big band lead by conductor/arranger and pianist John Beasley performed Sunday night in SFJAZZ's spacious Miner Auditorium. Released in September of this year, Beasley's Monk'estra Vol. 2 (Mack Avenue Records, 2017) had garnered some serious attention. This was also a special occasion commemorating Thelonious Monk's centennial and the audience was giddy with anticipation. Fans were ...
read moreNuove Orchestre Alla Ribalta
by Angelo Leonardi
Da anni non si vedevano all'opera tanti nuovi ensemble, sia negli Stati Uniti che in Europa. Le cinque formazioni che presentiamo spaziano da quella giovanile come l'italiana New Talents Jazz Orchestra guidata da Mario Corvini (Extempora) alla big band di John Beasley ricca di stelle (Monk'estra -Vol. 1); dai progetti norvegesi del pianista Rune Klakegg (Fjon) o della sperimentale Berlin Soundpainting Orchestra (Holothuria) alla Hip-Bone Big Band di Michael Davis, smagliante vetrina di trombonisti. Il tutto spazia tra ...
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