Celebrating Monk at 100
Thelonious (led by Hans Koller, Martin Speake and Calum Gourlay) started a monthly residency at London’s Vortex Downstairs in January 2015, dedicated to playing Monk songs exclusively, and has since learned and performed from memory Monk’s entire song book.
For this special ‘upstairs’ centenary gig, Thelonious joins forces with New York guitarist and Monk expert Steve Cardenas.
In addition to the amazing compositions and his beautiful playing, the band take great inspiration from Monk’s legendary advice to Steve Lacy, from 1960
LET’S LIFT THE BAND STAND!!
A NOTE CAN BE SMALL AS A PIN OR AS BIG AS THE WORLD, IT DEPENDS ON YOUR IMAGINATION.
DON’T PLAY EVERYTHING (OR EVERY TIME). LET SOME THINGS GO BY, SOME MUSIC JUST IMAGINED. WHAT YOU DON’T PLAY CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAT WHAT YOU DO.
STOP PLAYING ALL THOSE WEIRD NOTES, PLAY THE MELODY!
WHEN YOU’RE SWINGING, SWING SOME MORE!
(WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR TONIGHT? SHARP AS POSSIBLE!)
Steve Cardenas:
Guitarist Steve Cardenas began his musical career in Kansas City and has been an integral part of the New York City jazz community since 1995.
Steve has performed and recorded with many well-known and highly esteemed musicians. Notably, he was a longstanding member of the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band (which later became the Paul Motian Octet), the Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, as well as Joey Baron’s band, Killer Joey. Steve is currently a member of the Steve Swallow Quintet, Ben Allison Band, Jon Cowherd‘s Mercy Project and John Patitucci‘s Electric Guitar Quartet. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, North and South America and Asia, performing at countless international music festivals, theaters, opera houses and clubs. Steve also leads his own trio and has released four recordings as a leader. His most recent album, Melody in a Dream, was released on Sunnyside Records last year.
Steve is also a well-respected educator. He is on faculty at The New School For Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City where he directs the Thelonious Monk Ensemble and the Guitar Duos class, as well as offering individual lessons. He has also been on faculty at the California Institute of the Arts, Siena Summer Jazz Workshop, Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony, Stanford Jazz Workshop and Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. Additionally, Steve is co-author, along with editor Don Sickler, of the Thelonious Monk Fakebook, Hal Leonard Publishing. The Thelonious Monk Fakebook marks the first time all of Monk’s compositions have appeared in one volume, many of them appearing for the first time.