MONK SPENT YOUTH
F-IRE records: F-IRECD100
Zac Gvirtzman: piano, bass clarinet, organ, toy piano; Fred Thomas: drums, double bass, prepared piano; Ben Davis: cello
Recorded July 2016 by Zac Gvirtzman at Greenaway Studios, London
How do you find new ways of interpreting the seminal music of Theolonius Sphere Monk? One approach is to try to master the complicated rhythmic patterns in his playing – which, from the perspective of the modern listener can be easily overlooked. So many imitators have ploughed that particular furrow that Monk sometimes sounds like, well, someone playing be bop, rather than someone actively discovering this music. Another approach is to force the music itself into places that jolt the listener and this is what this talented trio do. Opening the album with ‘Bubu’s birthday’ played discordantly but confidently on toy piano certainly attracts the attention and provokes a double-take. Among the other tracks collected here, we get ‘Crepuscule with Nellie’ (track 4), ‘Green chimneys’ (track 10, ‘Misterioso’ (track 15), and, ‘Round midnight’ (track 16), together with a host of less well-known Monk tunes and couple of Gvirtzman originals. Each arrangement brings a freshness to the pieces. In ‘Crepsecule with Nellie’, for instance, Gvirtzman plays solo on a church organ, creating something that is both joyous and meditative. Elsewhere, Davis’ cello has the power and versatility of a saxophone as he takes solos and weaves accompaniments on ‘We see’ (track 3); this track also demonstrates how cleanly and precisely Gvirtzman has assimilated Monk’s rhythms in his own piano playing. The trio move easily between their different instruments, finding funky grooves in ‘Green chimneys’ and ‘Off minor’ (track 7), or post-bop stuttering rhythms in ‘Evidence I’ and ‘Evidence II’. As you can see from the label, this is another combination of musicians from London’s F-IRE collective, but this is a trio that is much more than super talented individuals; the way that the players support each other and their collective commitment to and interpretation Monk’s music is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. While I am reviewing this after I had compiled my ‘best of’ list for 2019, I wouldn’t hesitate to include this one and heartily recommend it.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
F-IRE records: F-IRECD100
Zac Gvirtzman: piano, bass clarinet, organ, toy piano; Fred Thomas: drums, double bass, prepared piano; Ben Davis: cello
Recorded July 2016 by Zac Gvirtzman at Greenaway Studios, London
How do you find new ways of interpreting the seminal music of Theolonius Sphere Monk? One approach is to try to master the complicated rhythmic patterns in his playing – which, from the perspective of the modern listener can be easily overlooked. So many imitators have ploughed that particular furrow that Monk sometimes sounds like, well, someone playing be bop, rather than someone actively discovering this music. Another approach is to force the music itself into places that jolt the listener and this is what this talented trio do. Opening the album with ‘Bubu’s birthday’ played discordantly but confidently on toy piano certainly attracts the attention and provokes a double-take. Among the other tracks collected here, we get ‘Crepuscule with Nellie’ (track 4), ‘Green chimneys’ (track 10, ‘Misterioso’ (track 15), and, ‘Round midnight’ (track 16), together with a host of less well-known Monk tunes and couple of Gvirtzman originals. Each arrangement brings a freshness to the pieces. In ‘Crepsecule with Nellie’, for instance, Gvirtzman plays solo on a church organ, creating something that is both joyous and meditative. Elsewhere, Davis’ cello has the power and versatility of a saxophone as he takes solos and weaves accompaniments on ‘We see’ (track 3); this track also demonstrates how cleanly and precisely Gvirtzman has assimilated Monk’s rhythms in his own piano playing. The trio move easily between their different instruments, finding funky grooves in ‘Green chimneys’ and ‘Off minor’ (track 7), or post-bop stuttering rhythms in ‘Evidence I’ and ‘Evidence II’. As you can see from the label, this is another combination of musicians from London’s F-IRE collective, but this is a trio that is much more than super talented individuals; the way that the players support each other and their collective commitment to and interpretation Monk’s music is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. While I am reviewing this after I had compiled my ‘best of’ list for 2019, I wouldn’t hesitate to include this one and heartily recommend it.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
