OCT 10 | Thelonious Monk's Birthday Celebration
Oct 10, 2024
Miner Auditorium
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
Recommended by Terence Blanchard
"A great pianist with a great creative mind. Doing Thelonious Monk with Big Band will be a unique experience. I’ve enjoyed them every time I hear them."
ABOUT THIS SHOW
A far-ranging pianist and arranger who’s worked with Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Queen Latifah and Steely Dan, John Beasley returns on Thelonious Monk’s birthday with his big band that captures the spirit of Monk’s singular music – the off-beat melodies and humor, strange beauty, and unbounded swing – in fresh arrangements flavored with hip-hop, Afro-Cuban rhythms and atmospheric colors.
In his review for the International Review of Music, renowned jazz critic Don Heckman described MONK’estra’s arrangements as “some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.”
Easily one of the busiest and most versatile musicians in jazz, Beasley has led a sparkling career that has balanced work as a bandleader, a first-call keyboardist, composer, arranger, and Music Director for major tours, film, and television. He assembled MONK’estra to explore Monk’s music as well as the work of Duke Ellington, Benny Golson and his own adventurous originals with a band made up of some of the jazz world’s finest instrumentalists. MONK’estra re-imagines Thelonious Monk’s compositions with an eye to the future; a killer modern band that pays loving tribute to the master’s music while infusing it with contemporary harmonies, unstoppable grooves, and a contagious sense of fun.
Pianist and arranger, Beasley leads a 16-piece big band that captures the spirit of Monk’s music flavored with hip-hop, and Afro-Cuban rhythms – an approach the International Review of Music calls “some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.”
LEADERS CIRCLE LOUNGE
LC MEMBERS — PLEASE RSVP
The Leaders Circle Lounge on Thursday, October 10 begins at 6:30 PM, preceding the 7:30 PM performance. Leaders Circle Members enjoy complimentary drinks and treats pre-performance with our most dedicated and passionate Members. Additional guest tickets are limited to one per LC Member. Please contact [email protected] with any questions. RSVP by clicking the button below and checking out.
A labor of love for Beasley and a reminder of the wonderfully malleable nature of Monk’s music when handled with care and ingenuity
jazztimes
A labor of love for Beasley and a reminder of the wonderfully malleable nature of Monk’s music when handled with care and ingenuity
jazztimes
Watch & Listen
John Beasley MONK'estra
I Mean You
John Beasley MONK'estra
Little Rootie Tootie
John Beasley MONK'estra
I Mean You
John Beasley MONK'estra
Little Rootie Tootie
OCT 10-13 | Thelonious Monk Festival
OCT 10-11
Solo Monk
SULLIVAN FORTNER, SOLOOCT 13
Monk Explorations
MARTA SÁNCHEZ