AprilCadence2013

THE BADDEST MONK
ERIC REED
SAVANT RECORDS SCD
2118
RHYTHM-A-NING /
EPISTROPHY / GREEN
CHIMNEYS / MONK’S MOOD
/ ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT* /
EVIDENCE / MONK BEURRE
ROUGE / BRIGHT MISSISSIPPI
/ THE BADDEST MONK. 53:38.
Eric Reed, p ; Seamus Blake,
ts; Etienne Charles, tpt; José
James, vcl*; Matt Clohesy, b;
Henry Cole, d. 12/5/11, New
York, NY.
New Issues
150 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013
The ever-mutable music of Thelonious Monk has
shifted shapes once again to be transformed into
a realization of the Monkish aspects of Eric Reed’s
imagination in The Baddest Monk. The fascination with
Monk’s music continues. Its enabling characteristics
consist of adaptability connected to individuality. The
adaptability of Monk’s music spans disparate styles
from Danilo Pérez to Fred Hersch—and now Reed as
well. Its individuality allows recognition of purely Monkidenfiable
elements and melodies, while inspiring abandon
and soulfulness within the musicians who admire
his music. That unconventionality, originality and impishness
of Monk’s music appear to allow musicians to
discover recesses within their own music. In Reed’s case,
he applies more recent styles to the quirkiness of Monk
music to develop some funk, some swing, some stride,
some blues and even some “cacophony,” as Reed’s
mother calls it. Reed is joined by equally talented and
spur-of-the-moment musicians who likewise delight
in the discoveries engendered during the process of
improvisation. Working with all but one of the
musicians for the first time, Reed relies on the give-andtake
of spontaneous, unexpected ideas to accomplish
his goal of serendipity, and freshness infuses the music.
Rather than restrictions inhibiting the controlled
chaos…and the fun…Reed’s governing arrangements,
such as playing “Bright Mississippi” in seven-four , serve
as springboards for diving into the process of revelation.
In addition, they serve to modernize Monk’s songs
with more contemporary attitudes. For instance, Reed
alternates a minor-key vamp with the familiar melody of
“Rhythm-a-Ning” for contrast between expectation and
surprise.
Eventually, the vamp takes over for energetic
improvisation by the members of Reed’s group. Or after
a straightforward and delicate intro, “Monk’s Mood”
adopts a bolero sensibility, merging the haunting
beauty of the song with an easy rhythm, embellished in
no small part by drummer Henry Cole’s muted
colors and tasteful restraint. The freedom inherent in
Reed’s project appears to have spurred the players to a
heightened level of performance, and the brilliance of
their musicianship is notable, particularly as they