Thelonious Monk Tribute

A 2021 live stream tribute to Thelonious Monk performed by the Chad LB Quartet with Chad Lefkowitz-Brown on tenor saxophone, Steven Feifke on piano, Dan Chmielinski on acoustic bass, and Bryan Carter on drums. The program features Monk compositions alongside a Herbie Hancock piece that connects to Monk's harmonic world. Highlights include a Monk piece in A-flat minor at 192 BPM, a Monk rhythm changes contrafact taken at a blistering 246 BPM, a Monk ballad at a glacial 39 BPM in E-flat minor, Monk's F blues at 230 BPM with solos from all four members, a Hancock piece at 110 BPM, and a Monk original in F at 238 BPM. Lefkowitz-Brown delivers a massive 20-chorus solo on the F blues, while Chmielinski takes 14 choruses on the same tune and Carter matches with 14 of his own. The ballad performance features half-chorus solos from Chmielinski, Feifke, and Lefkowitz-Brown, demanding the slow-tempo patience and melodic clarity that Monk's music requires. The Monk rhythm changes piece generates some of the session's most propulsive playing, with solos from sax, piano, and drums all at high velocity.