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MONK'estra: MONK'estra Plays John Beasley
by Jack Bowers
The MONK'estra is actually a number of groups of various shapes and sizes, from duo to big band, assembled under the guiding hand of composer, arranger & pianist John Beasley to—wait for it!—"play John Beasley," an artist whose admiration for Thelonious Sphere Monk is clear throughout this buoyant and resourceful album, as it was on Volumes 1 and 2 of the series, in which the MONK'estra “played Monk." Beasley wrote eight of the album's fourteen genial numbers ...
Continue ReadingTributes to Monk, Part 2
by Russell Perry
Around the 100th anniversary of Thelonious Monk's birth in 2017, there were so many excellent collections of his music released that the previous hour of programming couldn't contain them all. More Monk tributes from John Beasley and MONK'estra, the Microscopic Septet and Wadada Leo Smith in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today! Playlist Host Intro 0:00 Wadada Leo Smith solo “Crepuscule With Nellie" from Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk (Tum Records) 3:01 Microscopic Septet “Friday The ...
Continue ReadingThe 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 ...
Continue ReadingThe 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 ...
Continue ReadingJohn 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. ...
Continue ReadingJohn 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 ...
Continue ReadingJohn 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 ...
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