Home » Jazz Musicians » Sean McGowan

Sean McGowan

Sign in / sign up and request update access to the Sean McGowan page.


Tags

111
Album Review

Sean McGowan: Sphere

Read "Sphere" reviewed by Florence Wetzel


For many jazz lovers, pianist Thelonious Monk's solo recordings of his own compositions are an exquisite pleasure. The simplicity of a single instrument reveals the compositions' elegant architecture, allowing their angular beauty to become refreshingly clear. The challenge and joy of recording Monk's music solo continues to entice musicians, thus creating afresh some of the twentieth century's most enduring artworks. Guitarist Sean McGowan pays homage to Monk on Sphere, titled after Monk's unique middle name. McGowan has drawn ...

119
Album Review

Sean McGowan: Sphere

Read "Sphere" reviewed by David Rickert


Those who seek to create a tribute album of Thelonious Monk music face one big obstacle: how do you capture Monk's idiosyncratic style without sounding like a pale imitation? You could just record cover versions of his songs and leave it at that, but the end result wouldn't really capture the pianist's oddball genius, so what would be the point? Perhaps Sean McGowan has found the best solution: adapt Monk's music to a different instrument than piano. Sphere, ...

244
Album Review

Sean McGowan: Indigo

Read "Indigo" reviewed by Martin Gladu


"When the smith gets wildly excited, 'tis best to agree with him," warns the Gaelic proverb. Needless to say when a person's full name translates into “Oldest Son of the Smith" the weight of such patronymic suddenly takes a whole new importance. Fortunately, guitarist Sean McGowan need not resort to swinging heavy apparatus to elicit the same reverence fellow clansmen vowed his ancestral namesake. Quite on the contrary, he is armed with only a Brad Nickerson-made hollow body guitar that ...

Read more articles

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Orchestral Quintet

Self Produced
2020

buy

Sphere

Self Produced
2011

buy

Indigo

Maple Sugar Music
2008

buy

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.