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Over the course of two albums, bandleader/composer/arranger John Beasley has reimagined Thelonious Monk’s iconic compositions through his inventive, versatile MONK’estra—a big band able to deftly navigate the legend’s eccentricities from a variety of perspectives, from boisterous swing to raucous funk to Afro-Cuban explosiveness. The discs garnered Grammy nominations alongside critical acclaim. Beasley veers off in a new direction on his stunning third album in the series, “MONK’estra Plays John Beasley.” As the title implies, this time out the band shifts focus to its fearless leader’s own estimable compositions and piano playing, alongside a quartet of Monk classics and a tune apiece by Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker.
Guitarist Bill Frisell marks the recording debut of his trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston with “Valentine.” “We’ve played a lot for a number of years,” Frisell notes, “but there was no evidence of it, so I really wanted to have a document of it, if only to show it’s real and not this magical thing that I’ve imagined in my fantasies.” The disc sees the guitarist mixing original compositions, both old and new, with jazz standards, traditional songs and other covers. Frisell says that the record is an exploration of the deep creative bond between the three musicians after all their years on the road together, and of the freedom that the trio format gives them.
Also this week, trumpeter and composer Anthony Stanco features stellar performances some of Detroit’s most prominent jazz artists, including bassist Rodney Whitaker, on “You Know the Feeling”;
baritone saxophonist Frank Basile and tenor sax man Sam Dillon, both with experience in the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Mingus Big Band, team on the quintet recording, “Two Part Solution”;
and Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo is featured in trio and solo settings on “Compilation.”