Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now" receives a reverent yet inventive treatment on Jonathan Kreisberg Trio's 2004 album New For Now, with both guitarist Kreisberg and organist Gary Versace taking one chorus apiece over the 32-bar AABA form. At a moderate 107 beats per minute in D-flat major, the performance captures the quirky elegance that defines Monk's compositional style, his characteristic use of dissonance, space, and unexpected melodic turns preserved in the trio's interpretation. Kreisberg's electric guitar solo navigates Monk's idiosyncratic harmonic language with fluency and respect, his clean tone and careful phrasing honoring the composition's distinctive character. Versace's organ solo brings a different timbral perspective to the same changes, his sustained chords and single-note lines finding new colors within the familiar structure. Mark Ferber's drumming reflects the rubato sensibility that Monk's ballads demand, his playing attentive to the music's natural breathing patterns. Covering a Monk composition is always a statement of purpose for a jazz musician, and the trio's choice to include "Ask Me Now" on New For Now signals their deep connection to the jazz tradition even as they push the organ trio format in contemporary directions.
