Think of One

Album Review

Few catalogs in traditional jazz are as ripe for modern tribute and exploration as that of piano great Thelonious Monk, and this San Francisco-based unit hits the nail on the head once again with a mix of well known and more obscure pieces. This project is actually a well-conceived follow-up to the group's critically acclaimed debut, Harmony of Odd Numbers, and features the addition of bassist Sam Bevan to original members Chuck Bernstein (leader/drums) and pianist/music director Si Perkoff. Swing's the thing on two of the disc's most compelling numbers, "San Francisco Holiday," first recorded by Monk at the Black Hawk in 1960 and featuring a punchy, staccato piano line that gives Perkoff room to roam, and "Brilliant Corners," a 1956 piece whose seductive melody and crisp ivory runs ease coolly over numerous shifts in tempo. Other tracks seem more contemplative, with "Coming on the Hudson" featuring bright drum-piano exchanges and "Ask Me Now" settling into a low-key lush romance mode. Great jazz players mining classic artist catalogs are always welcome, but this trio goes beyond the normal tribute mode by finding not only rarities (the wild, hypnotic "Stuffy Turkey"), but also more recently discovered compositions ("Two Timer") that the master never recorded commercially.