MEMORIES OF T - BEN RILEY’S MONK LEGACY SEPTET
Thelonious Monk’s music stands tall as the most melodically majestic, harmonically sophisticated and rhythmically whimsical of the jazz canon. While next February marks the 25th anniversary of his death, his tunes live on in swinging vibrancy on “Memories of T.” The 11-song outing of straight-down-the-pike septet jazz is piloted by Monk drummer Ben Riley, the pianist’s mainstay beat keeper from 1964 to 1968. Horns and guitar are scrupulously arranged by trumpeter Don Sickler, and the album is impeccably engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, who recorded many of Monk’s great sides. While Monk’s repertoire has been covered exhaustively since his passing, these versions shed a new celebratory light on the maestro’s unique harmonic universe without straightening the twists and turns of the original performances. Riley dances through the proceedings, delivering rolling solos on “Rhythm-a-Ning” and “Bemsha Swing,” while Sickler’s orchestrations make for captivating listening throughout. Billboard
