Jessica Williams - In The Key Of Monk

In the Key of Monk Review

 

by Ken Dryden

Jessica Williams' career took off during the 1990s with a series of memorable recordings for the Canadian label Jazz Focus, and this solo piano tribute to Thelonious Monk is one of her best live performances. She establishes her own voice right away with a playful approach to "Bemsha Swing," playing part of the introduction while muting the piano's strings with one hand, making use of the full range of the keyboard in the body of the piece. She throws Monk-like twists into her interpretation of one of his favorite standards, "Just a Gigolo." Not satisfied with just covering Monk's best-known works and songs by others that he enjoyed playing, she delves into the pianist's less-frequently played compositions, such as the discordant "San Francisco Holiday" and his loping "Blues at the Five Spot," while also dedicating pieces of her own to Monk (the reflective ballad "I Remember Monk") and his longest-serving sideman, tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse (the alternately tricky and jaunty "The House That Rouse Built"). Highly recommended.

Jessica Williams The Key Of Monk 1. Bemsha Swing 00:00 2. Just a Gigolo 04:39 3. Reflections 09:10 4. I Love You Sweetheart of All My Dreams 15:13 5. Monk's Mood/Crepuscule With Nellie 18:15 6. Monk's Hat 23:28 7. San Francisco Holiday 28:37 8. I Remember Monk 34:06 9. The House That Rouse Built 38:51 10. Pannonica 44:37 11. Ask Me Now 50:00 12. Blues Five Spot 56:29 Jessica Williams - Solo Piano Recorded May 31, 1997 at the Steinway Concert Hall, Calgary, Alberta