ORRIN EVANS TRIO PLAYS MONK, feat. GARY BARTZ (EVANS, ROBERT HURST, JEFF "TAIN" WATTS / SATURDAY, MAY 16 / Cape May Convention Hall
The Story
Philadelphian pianist-composer-bandleader Orrin Evans, a familiar face at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, brings in a special group for his celebration of the enigmatic pianist and prolific composer Thelonious Monk (aka “The High Priest of Bop”). The second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, Monk’s contributions to the standard jazz repertoire include beloved tunes like “‘Round Midnight,” “Blue Monk,” “Straight, No Chaser,” “In Walked Bud,” “Well, You Needn’t” and “Rhythm-a-Ning” (which he played on 1998’s Captain Black). Joining Evans on this tribute to Monk are bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts and special guest alto saxophonist Gary Bartz.
Said Evans, who has 20 albums under his name and also leads the Captain Black Big Band: “Monk changed my vision of what ‘jazz’ was at an early age. The beauty of his ‘Round Midnight’ changed my life. And while dissonant harmonies and angular melodies characterize Monk’s unique and influential compositions and improvisations, his groove is also undeniable. Encountering Monk’s music for the first time, my eager young jazz-loving self felt a need to dance while listening to jazz. He changed “jazz” for me by showing me the importance of rhythm and dance in the music, that it’s alright to move to this music.”
The Sound
Along with the aforementioned classics, expect to hear a few more obscure but no less compelling compositions like “Crepescule with Nellie,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “Monk’s Dream” and “Off Minor” (which his Captain Black Big Band recorded on their 2019 album, The Intangible Between) when Evans and his all-star group tackle the music of Monk at the Cape May Convention Hall.
