Recording: Monk's Music

Artist: Monk's Music

Song: Pannonica [composer: Thelonious Monk]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), August 3, 2014.

Monk's Music - Pannonica

Full review to follow. Another of the many fluid, intriguing residencies at The Tranzac, Monk's Music was founded by Dan Gaucher and Michael Davidson to explore the compositions of Thelonious Monk. There's no fixed membership, but with a variety of players joining in for any given set, expect to see some of the city's best pass through. (You can keep up to date on their facebook group.) This particular afternoon's set saw a quartet consisting of Ryan Driver (piano), Brodie West (alto sax), Pete Johnston (double bass) and Dave Clark (drums) explore several of Monk's moods. There were plenty of chances for joyful noises, but with West's gorgeous sax tone on hand, it was the ballads that really stood out.

Bonus! Speaking of those wonderful ballads, here's the full performance of "Ruby, My Dear":