A packed house at the Hudson stage heard Beasley and company
take free flight in celebration of the centennial of Monk’s birthday with
freshly arranged tunes from last year’s MONK’estra, Vol.1 on Mack Avenue as
well as new arrangements on MONK’estra, Vol. 2, scheduled for release Sept. 1.
The band delivered the rhythmically charged ”Gallop’s
Gallop,” featuring drummer Peter Erskine, and introduced a rousing version of
“Criss-Cross.” But a sure highlight of the evening was a romp through “Skippy,”
which Beasley said was the “hardest” tune of the set because “it goes in a lot
of different places.” And that it did, with atmospheric trombones, kicking
rhythms and feisty sax solos.
Talking between shows, Beasley noted that the tune itself is
relatively simple. “Monk used to play [a solo version of] ‘Tea For Two,’ then
he recorded it by re-harmonizing the melody and finally wrote another melody
over that to make it ‘Skippy,’” he said. “Then I took it from there with my
arrangement.”
Beasley talked about the project, noting that he had played
Monk before in different settings, including on bassist Buell Neidlinger’s
Thelonious album in 1987 and in a duo recording with guitarist Steve Cardenas
on 1994’s 10/10 Tribute To Thelonious Monk.
The big band setting almost came as an accident after the
arranger found a new toy: the Sibelius music notation software that he was
using while serving as the associate music director of the TV show American
Idol (for Carrie Underwood in 2003 and lead arranger thereafter for over 10
years).
“After the season ended, I decided to do a 20th-century big
band chart using Monk’s ‘Epistrophy,’” he said. “I quickly found out that I
could stretch Monk’s form, make stops and starts. I realized how pliable his
music was and how open he was to interpretation. Arranging is improvisation, so
I went from there.”
He assembled a band of friends to perform this tune and
others. After playing the music for a couple years under the name MONK’estra,
he invited Monk’s son, T.S. Monk, to come hear the band and give it his
blessing.
“T.S. is always protective of his father, but he was totally
cool with what we were doing,” he said. “He said, ‘I give you my blessing
because the band is the step that my dad wanted for his music. He told me that
he wrote his music to be vehicles for self-expression.’”
So, with Beasley’s interpretations of Monk’s unique
quirkiness, offbeat actions and punchy dissonances, has he received any
detractors?
“I was fully expecting to hear people complaining about ‘’Round
Midnight,’ the way I made it electric with a Glasper-esque vibe, but no one has
said a thing,” he said. “I think they approve. Really, I think we’re just now
catching up with what Monk was doing harmonically. It takes people time to get
into different kinds of composing.”
Next up is Vol. 2, with new music and guest spots by Kamasi
Washington, Regina Carter and Dianne Reeves, who sings “Ruby, My Dear” (she
also guested in MONK’estra’s second show at North Sea, giving voice to the
lyrical, moody “Ask Me Now,” to which Beasley had written lyrics). And the
shows just keep on coming, including the Detroit International Jazz Festival on
Labor Day weekend; the Monterey Jazz Festival on Sept. 17; and a Monk
centennial celebration at the Jazz Standard Oct. 12–14.
Read the full piece from: Downbeat
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