Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk's compositions sit at the centre of the modern jazz repertoire: angular melodies, dissonant clusters and a percussive piano attack that leaves space for silence and surprise. Standards such as 'Round Midnight, Blue Monk and Epistrophy still sound newly invented.
His writing leans on flat ninths, flat fifths, unexpected chromatic turns and whole-tone runs, often with stride left hand under lines that refuse to settle. At the keyboard he favoured a harsh, almost gloved attack, abrupt releases and deliberate hesitations rather than smooth legato, sometimes splitting a single line between the hands. Pieces such as Trinkle Tinkle, Evidence, Hackensack and Monk's Dream give later bands tight, odd frameworks that still invite fresh storytelling inside the form.
Compositions by Thelonious Monk appear on
For Elvin...
This live set captures a real night with the long-running Ted Vining Trio: Ted Vining on drums, Bob Sedergreen on piano and Barry Buckley on bass. Guitarist Stephen Magnusson makes a special guest appearance on two tracks.
Now and Then
Although he first came to prominence on the jazz scene a half century ago, Ornette Coleman still scares people. But his compositions, rooted as they were in classic blues, have long appealed to jazz listeners of every stripe.
About Time
Drummer Mark Lockett's debut About Time gathers a strong Melbourne jazz front line for modern standards and one original, telling fresh stories in the spirit of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.