Over the past several years, there has been a revival and reconsideration of the music of Thelonious Monk. No one embodies this trend better than Monkadelphia, a group of Philadelphia-based jazz musicians who play his music exclusively--a difficult challenge which they embrace with vitality, panache, and sophistication. With Chris Farr on saxophone, Tony Miceli on vibes, Tom Lawton on piano, Micah Jones on bass, and Jim Miller on drums, this group makes the Monk legacy come alive, sustaining rapt attention throughout extended nightclub sets and concert gigs. Their forthcoming 2010 CD is masterful, with echoes of the best groups of the 1950s and 1960s, reflecting Monk's unique contributions yet representing Monkadelphia's own approach, developed in over a decade of performing his music together.
Veteran AAJ Contributor and Philly advocated Victor L. Schermer spoke with Miceli, Miller and Lawton about the genesis of the decade-old Monkadelphia, and how the group manages to bring a fresh perspective to music that remains as innovative and definitive as when it first emerged, more than half a century ago.
Check out Monkadelphia: All Monk, All the Time
For more information contact All About Jazz.
