Event
Monk's Music Trio plus Max Perkoff - High Spirited Thelonius Monk Tribute
Monk's Music Trio wades into the tricky yet fantastically rewarding music of Thelonious Monk with joie de vivre, panache and a great deal of skill.
The trio of drummer Chuck Bernstein, pianist Si Perkoff and bassist Sam Bevan interpret Monk's compositions with a ringing clarity, and interact on the bandstand with the sort of electric empathy that has led veteran jazz critic Dr. Chuck Berg to write,"There's an ESP-like simpatico between Chuck [and] pianist Si Perkoff . . . that makes each note, phrase, and tune click. One immediately senses a rare level of interpersonal and musical trust . . . ."
Perkoff, in particular, was in on the ground floor of this music's inception. He served a long tenure as house pianist at the legendary Jimbo's Bop City, a nightspot that flourished during the heyday of the Fillmore Street jazz scene of the 50s and 60s, and was friends with Thelonious Monk.
Add in frequent collaborator Max Perkoff (yes, Si's son), who plays trombone with the group but is also a much in-demand pianist and arranger, and you get a foursome more than up to the challenge of bringing Monk's music to life in a manner that's crowd pleasing and and does splendid justice to Monk's profound and swinging compositions.
Chuck Bernstein formed Monk's Music Trio in August 1999. Since then the group has been winning fans with their spirited performances and three excellent CDs. In a clear testimony to the respect in which the group's work is held on the national jazz scene, the trio was joined in the studio for their 2006 release, Monk's Bones, by trombone great Roswell Rudd, one of the foremost interpreters of Monk's music of the past 30 years. Max Perkoff brought his trombone along, as well, to form a unique two-trombone attack.
Kevin Whitehead of NPR's "Fresh Air" said of the CD, "The Quintet get the logic of Monk's pieces, literally get into the swing of them. In the end, that's way more important than how few or many notes they play."
And Richard "Duck" Baker of the East Bay Express said of the group's 2005 release, Think of One, "The first CD by San Francisco-based Monk's Music Trio, Harmony of Odd Numbers,was one one of the best jazz CDs of 2003. The follow-up is just as good--to put it simply, nobody does Monk better than these guys."
The genial Bernstein, too, is a veteran performer. He's logged many miles behind the drumkit during a 40-year career backing blues, rock and jazz stars alike, including Charlie Musselwhite, Nick Gravenites, Barry Melton, Smith Dobson.
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LocationJazz at Pearl's
256 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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