#4752, Variations on Thelonious Monk
Hear Thelonious Monk, New Sounds-style, including Monk played in non-western tuning systems by Iranian-American musician Hafez Modirzadeh, an arrangement of Monk for the Partch Instrumentarium from the late Dean Drummond and Newband, and a trio led by ex-Police guitarist Andy Summers from an edition of the New York Guitar Festival, recorded in 2002. There are arrangements from flutist Sylvan Leroux with accordion, congas, and bass, to variations on ‘Round Midnight by the late composer George Crumb for his avant approaches to piano, and an arrangement of Epistrophy by guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan.
Hear Theolonious Monk in a duo for sax and piano, done up by Iranian-American sax player, composer, and professor Hafez Modirzadeh and pianist Craig Taborn. It’s from Facets, where jazz and Persian classical music come together in retuned piano, intended to create the sounds of the Persian scales.
From a February 1995 New Sounds Live concert, hear Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" arranged for the Harry Partch Instrumentarium - the 43-note-to-the-octave instruments that Partch invented in the middle of the 20th century and played by Newband. The late multi-instrumentalist Dean Drummond was the curator of these instruments for many years, in addition to leading Newband. Then, listen to some of the late composer George Crumb’s take on Thelonious Monk's famous tune ‘Round Midnight - Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik. Written for piano virtuoso Emanuele Arciuli, the work, despite its blues movement, also features Crumb’s approaches to solo piano - strummed strings and percussive rumblings on the piano insides.
Plus, hear music from Thelonious Monk, as arranged by Sylvain Leroux for the “qromatica,” his chromatic version of the Fula flute, the traditional flute from Guinea, West Africa. Music from the guitar-bass duo of Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan rounds out the show. -Caryn Havlik
Program #4752, Variations on Thelonious Monk (First aired 5/18/23)
ARTIST: Emanuele Arciuli
WORK: George Crumb: Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik -Premonition [1:00]
RECORDING: Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 9
SOURCE: Bridge Records
INFO: bridgerecords.com
ARTIST: Emanuele Arciuli
WORK: George Crumb: Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik - Nocturnal Theme [1:35]
RECORDING: Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 9
SOURCE: Bridge Records
INFO: bridgerecords.com
ARTIST: Newband, conducted by Dean Drummond
WORK: Thelonious Monk, Arr. Drummond: ‘Round Midnight [5:47]
RECORDING: NS Live, Merkin Hall, Feb. 2, 1995
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: The work appears on Newband Plays Microtonal Works, Volume 2 via moderecords.com
ARTIST: Hafez Modirzadeh, Craig Taborn
WORK: Monk: Pannonica, arr. Hafez Modirzadeh [3:50]
RECORDING: Hafez Modirzadeh - Facets
SOURCE: Pi Recordings
INFO: hafezmodirzadeh.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Sylvain Leroux
WORK: In Walked Bud [4:26]
RECORDING: Qromatica
SOURCE: META-Dash
INFO: sylvainleroux.bandcamp.com/album/qromatica
ARTIST: Emanuele Arciuli
WORK: George Crumb: Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik - Blues in the Night [3:27]
RECORDING: Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 9
SOURCE: Bridge Records
INFO: bridgerecords.com
ARTIST: Sharon Freeman feat. Willie Ruff
WORK: monk's mood [3:38]
RECORDING: Various - That's The Way I Feel Now - A Tribute To Thelonious Monk
SOURCE: A&M Records
INFO: Try Discogs.com
ARTIST: Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan
WORK: Epistrophy [7:26]
RECORDING: Epistrophy
SOURCE: ECM 2626
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Emanuele Arciuli
WORK: George Crumb: Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik - Midnight Transformation [3:04]
RECORDING: Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 9
SOURCE: Bridge Records
INFO: bridgerecords.com
ARTIST: Andy Summers Trio
WORK: Thelonious Monk: Round Midnight [6:28]
RECORDING: Live at the 92nd Street Y, 2002
SOURCE: New Sounds Live
INFO: andysummers.com
