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Thelonius
It was back in December 2011 that Thelonius first got together at Factory Studios in Bristol to rehearse.
Back then it was Dan, Tim and Richard, fresh out of a bruising but rewarding experience with a UK hip-hop crew, who decided to revisit the music that was closest to their hearts.
That music was dominated by J Dilla, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, D’Angelo’s Voodoo, Pete Rock and DJ Premier as well as the new kid on their block Robert Glasper and his team of wunderkinds, The Experiment.
What was needed Gumtree was Tom with a penchant was a jazz piano player and the first one up on Mcmahon-Hore, a classically trained budding genius for EST and Thelonious Monk.
The first rehearsal was one big laid back groove as Thelonius put T.R.O.Y. through its paces and quickly followed that up with Stakes is High, Ex Girl to Next Girl and what would later become Spanish Joint.
Rehearsal followed rehearsal and in late Jan 2012, a call from ace local promoter Deirdre Ward landed the first gig at the Big Chill Bar in Bristol.
The live set now included tracks by A Tribe Called Quest, Common and EST as well as those hip-hop classics that started it all.
In the early days, the band thought about trying out DJs to broaden the palette but a chance meeting at an End of the Line gig saw the arrival of Imogen, her saxophone and her oboe.
Imogen’s skills were instantly put to good use on the originals that had been stewing in the recesses of the ATM rehearsal rooms with Dan and Rich trying to reduce the number of notes and Tom, Imo and Tim all trying to increase them.
Her first gig was a small pub in Bristol, her second a Phoenix Nights style club in Bath - complete with dodgy posters and an audience of 70+ year olds.
Since then, gigs at the now sadly extinct Spring Gardens, the note fest at the Louisiana and two stunners at The Plantation in Bristol saw the band grow in confidence enough to jump in a studio.
The fruits of those sessions, sometimes torturous, always fun, with the wonderfully exact Jon Sinnott are laid bare on this collection.
We hope you enjoy them - Bristol July 2012.
REMINISCE - Thelonius
101 - M’Njun - (Baker, Darbon, Evans, Mcmahon-Hore, Walker) Ahhh the lovely but bonkers M’Njun, or Nnnggguuunn or Mahengen as Tom calls it. It started life as an interpretation of the drum beat to Prince’s Sign O’The Times and developed via the closing suite on The Roots Undun. It was also the original with the most difficult birth. It took forever and Dan needs kudos for the middle section breakdown.
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Thelonius: Where Do We Go From Here?
by Bruce Lindsay
Where Do We Go From Here? asks Bristol-based Thelonius on a seven track live mini album featuring the hip-hop tunes (from A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, Gang Starr and others) that formed the core of the band's early influences. Where indeed. The title might suggest a band that's lacking direction--the music suggests a band that's more than capable of taking its jazz and hip-hop roots in whatever direction it might choose. Thelonius recorded this album at a ...
read moreThelonius: Crows On The Beeline
by Bruce Lindsay
Thelonius announced its arrival on the scene with a brief-but-fun self produced EP, Reminisce, in 2012. The quintet, from Bristol in the west of England, blended its mix of influences--most notably hip-hop and Thelonious Monk--into a hook-laden and imaginative set of tunes. It was over all too quickly. Thelonius returns with the download-only Crows On The Beeline--a whopping 29 and a bit minutes of music. It's still hook-y, still infectiously danceable, still mixing hip-hop, bebop and a few other things ...
read moreThelonius: Reminisce
by Bruce Lindsay
It's that pesky Bristol scene again. 2012 has already seen some fine albums emanating from the English city--Busnoys' By Tapering Torchlight (Tall Guy Records) and Andy Hague's Cross My Palm (Ooh-Err Records) are just two examples. Now along comes Reminisce, from the five-piece Thelonius, to further enhance the city's reputation for quality music.Guitarist Tim Baker, bassist Dan Darbon and drummer Richard Evans formed Thelonius--only one O, it should be noted--in December 2011. Pianist Tom McMahon-Hore and reeds player ...
read moreThelonius Monk Institute of Jazz Selects 12 Semifinalists
Source:
Phyllis Kauflin
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has selected 12 semifinalists to compete in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. These semifinalists will perform for a panel of esteemed judges including Herbie Hancock, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Moran, Danilo Perez and Renee Rosnes on Sunday, September 11 from 1pm to 5pm at Baird Auditorium, located at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History sponsored by Cadillac. Admission is free on a first-come, first-serve basis. The semifinalists are: Kris Bowers, ...
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Roxbury International Film Festival Features Jazz Film on Thelonius Monk
Source:
MassJazz: Jazz in Massachusetts
In My MindThe 12th annual Roxbury International Film Festival gets underway in Boston this week, featuring a full slate of films, documentaries and workshops celebrating people of color in cinema.
One of the films featured this year is In My Mind, a documentary by jazz pianist Jason Moran that pays tribute to legendary jazz artist Theolonius Monk and his historic concert at New York's town hall in 1959. Combining rare audio and photos of Monk ...
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Happy Birthday, Thelonius Monk!
Source:
JamBase
JAZZ'S GRAND TRICKSTER WOULD HAVE BEEN 91 THIS WEEK
There's no one quite like Thelonius Monk. His impact on the instrument of piano, jazz and music as a whole is beyond comprehension. He's one of those rare individuals whose imagination and fearlessness break up the calcification that builds up on music and frees it to wriggle and leap in the most amazing ways. Without Monk we would likely have no Marco Benevento or Brian Haas (JFJO). Without Monk ...
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