Charles Ruggiero: Plays Monk Live! At The Baked Potato

Perhaps no other composer has contributed more standards to the jazz canon than Thelonious Sphere Monk, whose music was once considered too atypical and erratic for the mainstream. Times and tastes have changed, however, and on second glance, Thelonious Monk's compositions,  even when skirting the norm, seem nowhere near as deviant as before. In 2026, it is hard to envision a list of jazz benchmarks that does not include such classics as, for example, "'Round Midnight," "Straight, No Chaser," "In Walked Bud," "Ruby My Dear," "Ask Me Now," "I Mean You," "Pannonica" or "Well, You Needn't."

Bassist Charles Ruggiero is one of Monk's long-time admirers, which is why, when he and his trio were offered a regular monthly gig at The Baked Potato in Los Angeles, he told his teammates (to paraphrase), "we'll only play the music of Thelonious Monk." Not entirely true, but that clearly is the case on Ruggiero's 2026 recording, Plays Monk Live! At The Baked Potato.

"'Round Midnight" is not on the menu, but five convivial and appetizing themes are, namely "Monk's Dream," "Let's Cool One," "Evidence," "Green Chimneys" and "Misterioso." Ruggiero, tenor saxophonist Bob Reynolds and bassist Mike Gurrola make each one shine anew, even without the singular Monkish trademarks that betokened their inception. Reynolds, a creative and reliable soloist (as are Ruggiero and Gurrola), has the first two minutes of "Evidence" to himself before the others join in for a swinging, all-hands-on-deck version of Monk's takeoff on the standard "Just You, Just Me."

That arrives midstream, after the threesome has captured the audience's attention and earned its admiration and applause on "Monk's Dream" and "Let's Cool One." "Green Chimneys," wherein everyone digs in hard, is another impressive crowd-pleaser, but no more so than the smooth-striding, super-chic "Misterioso," which ends the concert on an auspicious note. A solid and charming performance, one that surely must have pleased everyone who had the good fortune to be there.