If anything is to be learned from the towering genius that was
Thelonious Monk
, it's that there is no single way to play music.
Monk
made a lifestyle out of bucking expectations and following his own path, and that's the least one can expect from a tribute album to the songwriting of
. The artists that populate this 11-song compilation understand that. They are not here to attempt to mimic Monk but rather to extract his essence and reconstitute it in their own image. With that in mind, not all of the tracks here even feature a pianist: the principal player on
"Ask Me Now"
is guitarist
Bob DeVos
, who gives the ballad a sweet and soulful reading, accompanied by
Dan Kostelnik
on the Hammond B-3 organ and
Steve Johns
on drums. Tenor saxist
Houston Person
also unites with an organist,
Sonny Phillips
, and drummer (
Frankie Jones
) for an extended
"Blue Monk"
that keeps in mind the song's familiar motif without being enslaved by it.
"Stuffy Turkey,"
meanwhile, is led by alto saxophonist
Arthur Blythe
, who chooses a tuba player, marimbas, and drums to support his animated take, while guitarist
Larry Coryell
teams up in counterpoint harmony with tenor saxophonist
Willie Williams
, plus bass and drums, on a
"Trinkle Tinkle"
that departs from
signatures to take on a life of its own.
"Straight, No Chaser,"
one of
's best known and most oft-recorded compositions, is recast as a big-band romp, but not in the traditional sense: guitarist
Joel Harrison
, violinist
Christian Howes
, and the ace rhythm team of bassist
Stephan Crump
and drummer
Jordan Perlson
are joined by a line of brass players (among them alto saxist
David Binney
and trumpeter
Ambrose Akinmusire
) to successfully put the tune to the funk test, bringing to it a contemporary buzz. The rest of the tracks do feature pianists, some mighty fine ones at that:
Mary Lou Williams
,
George Cables
Eric Reed
, and others. But each of these keyboardists choose to do
their own way:
Williams
'
"'Round Midnight"
is soft and dream-like;
Larry Williams'
"Rhythm-a-Ning"
(with
Eddie Gomez
on bass and
Billy Drummond
on drums) swings madly; and the duo of
Blythe
and pianist
John Hicks
turn
"Light Blue"
into a late-night saloon tune. Gathered from a variety of sources and produced by several individuals, there is a consistency to these interpretations nonetheless: the brilliance of
as composer is omnipresent throughout, even if the man himself isn't. ~ Jeff Tamarkin