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T.S. Monk

T.S. Monk - drummer, bandleader, composer, and vocalist was drawn to the drums before the age of ten. His destiny was sealed when Max Roach, with whom he studied, gave him his first drum set. After earning a reputation in school as a rabble-rouser (and graduating), the young Monk joined his father's trio and toured with his dad until the elder Monk's retirment in 1975. T. S. then launched into the music that had captivated him and his generation, R&B. He first toured with a group called Natural Essence and afterward, along with his sister Barbara, formed his own band. He then proceeded to have hits on two recordings, House Of Music and More Of The Good Life , where T.S. played drums, arranged, and sang.

T. S. received the New York Jazz Awards First Annual "Recording of the Year" award and 'Downbeat's' prestigious 63rd annual Album of the year Reader's Choice Award for Monk On Monk. Monk on Monk is the "80th Anniversary Birthday Tribute to Thelonious Sphere Monk" featuring twenty guest artists including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Arturo Sandoval, Dianne Reeves, Nnenna Freelon, and Howard Johnson, among others. Critics and the public lauded T. S. Monk as his father's true musical heir, as bandleader, and performer. Rave reviews in the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, the L.A. Times, and others, echoed the public sentiment of the sold out concert hall shows across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

Shortly after his father passed away leaving a rich and legendary legacy, tragically his sister died of cancer. To honor his father's legacy and support the efforts of education, Thelonious turned his attention toward forming the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. As Chairman, Thelonious has been at the forefront of helping to create a number of programs that range from sponsoring music education for students in the form of full scholarships to funding and supporting after-school athletic programs. The Institute's activities reach from Boston to Los Angeles and from New York to Orlando.

In 1992, Thelonious formed his jazz sextet and received raves from the moment they hit the stage and the studio. One of the most unique groups on the circuit, the T. S. Monk Sextet's cohesive and driving style has been heard at the JVC Jazz at the Bowl festival, Sun Valley Center, Lied Center for the Performing Arts, and many of the legendary jazz clubs. For his special 80th Anniversary Birthday Tribute to his father, the sextet formed the core of the eleven musician, pulsating and dynamic show. With Grammy Award winning producer (for Joe Henderson's Lush Life, among others) Don Sickler on trumpet, the duo has carved an innovative and dynamic approach to crafting the T. S. Monk Sextet sound; this band soars and sizzles.

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Live Review

T.S. Monk Sextet at Revolution Hall

Read "T.S. Monk Sextet at Revolution Hall" reviewed by Tom Borden and Eric Gibbons


T.S. Monk Sextet Revolution Hall PDX Jazz 2017 Portland, OR February 25, 2017 The centerpiece of the 2017 PDX Jazz festival was a posthumous honor bestowed upon the late great Thelonious Monk. Inarguably a pillar in the pantheon of jazz, Monk's music was delivered at this year's festival from as close to the source as one among the living can get: via his son T.S. Monk. Anyone born to such an immense ...

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Live Review

T. S. Monk at 38th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival

Read "T. S. Monk at 38th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival" reviewed by Matt Marshall


T. S. Monk Sextet 38th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival Kirtland, Ohio February 27, 2010

Although the last of the February snow onslaughts tried its best to kill the 38th annual Lakeland Jazz Festival--the longest-running jazz festival in Northeast Ohio--and did, indeed, postpone trumpeter Sean Jones' scheduled February 26 performance until a later date, drummer T. S. Monk and his sextet bravely battled the elements to make it into Kirtland, Ohio, and entertain a room ...

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Interview

T.S. Monk Speaks Out

Read "T.S. Monk Speaks Out" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner


T.S. Monk is a voluble speaker. Which stands to reason since he is also an exceptionally engaged man. Not only does Monk have a new release due this August, Higher Ground , he will also launch his own label, Thelonious Records, open his father's archives, continue in his capacity as chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute, and proceed with his work on a Broadway play. T.S. Monk has been on the scene for quite some time, working ...

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Album Review

T.S. Monk: Higher Ground

Read "Higher Ground" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner


T.S. Monk's new album Higher Ground serves up a decidedly challenging musical concoction. With this release, Monk has not only solidified a highly personal sound, he has done something rare and infinitely appealing: he has created idiosyncratic, confounding music. Released in conjunction with the founding of Thelonious Records, and coinciding with the long awaited opening of the Thelonious Monk Archives, Higher Ground consists of nine tracks presented by the younger T.S. Monk's septet, a standing group of ...

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Album Review

T.S. Monk: Crosstalk

Read "Crosstalk" reviewed by Robert Middleton


T.S. Monk's latest release, Crosstalk flirts perilously close to smooth jazz with it's drum machine fills and synthesizer washes, but make no mistake, this is masterfully performed jazz by a musician who knows exactly what he's doing. After the great critical and commercial success of “Monk on Monk," T.S. decided it was safe to finally do what he's dreamed of for years: blend elements of pop and funk with jazz to create something that was truly his own--as he says ...

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Album Review

T. S. Monk: Monk on Monk

Read "Monk on Monk" reviewed by Jack Bowers


A daunting task, recreating the idiosyncratic music of the legendary Thelonious Sphere Monk without lessening its power or singularity, and who better to accept the challenge than Monk’s drumming son, T.S. Monk (with a lot of help from his friends). Herein are nine of Monk’s matchless compositions, ably refashioned by T.S. and colleagues with an abundance of spirit and a scrupulous aversion to needless parody. In June, Monk on Monk was honored by journalists as “Recording of the Year” at ...

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Album Review

T.S. Monk: Monk on Monk

Read "Monk on Monk" reviewed by Rick Bruner


Several years ago Thelonious Sphere Monk III (AKA T.S. Monk), son of the one and only Thelonious Sphere Monk, entered the jazz scene after a stint in the pop music field. He has since released some fine albums but until now has not devoted an entire recording to the music of his legendary father. Monk on Monk explores nine of the elder Monk's compositions arranged for large ensemble by trumpeter Don Sickler.

A bevy of jazz legends gathered to assist ...

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Festival

T.S. Monk To Headline 29th Annual New Haven Jazz Festival, August 11

T.S. Monk To Headline 29th Annual New Haven Jazz Festival, August 11

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations

T.S. Monk Headlines the 29th Annual New Haven Jazz Festival Saturday, August 11, 4:30 – 9:00 pm, at New Haven Green Festival Is Highlight of Jazz Week, A Series of Live Performances at New Haven Bars and Restaurants, August 8-12 NEW HAVEN, CT: – Jazz Haven, in cooperation with the City of New Haven's Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, has expanded the annual celebration of jazz in New Haven to present Jazz Week, a five-day series of live performances ...

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Interview

T.S. Monk: Drummer and Son of Late Jazz Great Carves His Own Musical Path

T.S. Monk: Drummer and Son of Late Jazz Great Carves His Own Musical Path

Source: Michael Ricci

Theres a simple but often forgotten message that drummer T.S. Monk, son of legendary jazz artist Thelonious Monk, will be spreading to students when he comes to Northeast Ohio to participate in the Lakeland Jazz Festival, which takes place Thursday through Saturday at the Lakeland Performing Arts Center at the college in Kirtland. “Play your own stuff," said Monk, calling from Orange, N.J. “You are not supposed to have the sound of the same person next to you. This is ...

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Performance / Tour

Cyrus Chestnut Trio Debut Performance in Replacement of T.S. Monk Sextet at the Kimmel Center Friday, February 22

Cyrus Chestnut Trio Debut Performance in Replacement of T.S. Monk Sextet at the Kimmel Center Friday, February 22

Source: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Sponsored by The Bank of New York Mellon

Mingus Big Band Shares the Stage to Pay Tribute to Iconic Jazz Master Charles Mingus

“What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes and play space." -Josh Tyrangiel of TIME magazine, 2006

The Cyrus Chestnut Trio will make its Kimmel Center Presents debut performance in replacement of the T.S. Monk Sextet originally scheduled to perform on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 8pm in the ...

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Event

T.S. Monk Sextet and Mingus Big Band Pay Tribute to Iconic Jazz Masters John Coltrane and Charles Mingus at the Kimmel Center as Part of the Mellon Jazz Fridays Series February 22

T.S. Monk Sextet and Mingus Big Band Pay Tribute to Iconic Jazz Masters John Coltrane and Charles Mingus at the Kimmel Center as Part of the Mellon Jazz Fridays Series February 22

Source: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

"[T.S. Monk is]...a first-rate drummer, unquenchably driving, and of the few who can keep the pulse swinging." --Variety

“[Mingus Big Band] is digging into the repertoire of Charles Mingus...capturing the best parts of the Mingus legacy: the muscle, the affection for history, the willingness to take chances, the guts and soulfulness."--The New York Times

T.S. Monk Sextet and the Mingus Big Band join the stage to celebrate the legacies of iconic jazz masters John Coltrane and Charles Mingus at the ...

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Event

Jazz Drummer T.S. Monk to Perform with Sextet at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music

Jazz Drummer T.S. Monk to Perform with Sextet at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music

Source: All About Jazz

Jazz drummer T.S. Monk will perform with his sextet at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music's popular Jazz at the Conservatory series on Saturday, December 3 at 8:00 PM. Tickets for the performance are $25 for adults; $15 for students/seniors, and are on sale now. Brooklyn Conservatory of Music is located at 58 Seventh Avenue, at Lincoln Place, and is accessible by the Q or B trains to 7th Ave. or the 2 or 3 trains to Grand Army Plaza. Drummer, bandleader, ...

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Music Industry

T.S. MONK IN CONCERT AT THE JAZZ BAKERY IN LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 23-28, 2001

T.S. MONK IN CONCERT AT THE JAZZ BAKERY IN LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 23-28, 2001

Source: All About Jazz

T.S. Monk, the multi-instrumentalist, educator, composer and son of jazz legend Thelonious Monk will make a rare concert appearance in Los Angeles October 23-28, 2001. Two sets each night at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $22-25.00. Ray Gallon on piano, Dave Jackson on bass, Wynston Bird on trumpet, Willie Williams on tenor saxophone, Bob Porcelli on alto saxophone and Big Black on congas make this one show you don't want to miss. For more information, directions, log on to ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Higher Ground

Thelonious Records
2003

buy

Crosstalk

N-Coded Music
1999

buy

Monk on Monk

N2K Encoded Music
1998

buy

Monk On Monk

N2K Encoded Music
1997

buy

Take One

Blue Note Records
1992

buy

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