T.S. Monk - Higher Ground

T.S Monk
Higher ground
Thelonious Records/Hyena/Sin Drome Distribution
2003

T.S. Monk - bandleader, drums, percussion, elecronics, vocals
Willie Williams - tenor & soprano sax, clarinet,, vocals
Bobby Porcelli - alto sax, flute
Winston Byrd - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
Ray Gallon - piano, electric piano, synth
David jackson - bass
Victor See Yuen - congas, bongos, african/brazilian percusion
Miles griffith - guest vocals

Production - T.S. Monk

I feel an almost sadness for Femi Kuti, Ravi Coltrane and TS Monk. All are the children of prophets (Fela Anikualpo Kuti, John Coltrane and Thelonious Sphere Monk respectively) who have since become deified to the point of making it almost impossible to escape their gravity and establish their own path. People whose talent and purpose was so intense that assured any progeny would live potentially under a constant blinding beam of expectations (both of success and failure).

In the case of Femi, he has risen to in some ways continue where his father left off, in an almost fluid continuity, if not quite as outrageous in character. Ravi has exhibited moments of brilliance that bely his struggle to find his own voice (he shares at least a fair amount of his father's technical skill and open mind for new ideas and approaches, but his tone and style leans less to 'Trane and more to players like Steve Coleman and Wayne Shorter). TS Monk is a different animal altogether; after a decade of struggling to come to grips with being the son of Thelonious Monk, as loaded a situation as possible, he has settled into a position of both keeper of the flame for his father (as manager of the Monk estate, he has begun a boutique label bearing the name and has been working to compile archival recordings for release), yet in terms of his own music has crafted his own path.

Whether that path is as innovative, emotional, and just damn astonishing as his father is subject to debate...well, not really. He does not lack in technical skill, but he is not in the same league in terms of composition and arrangement. Let's face it, his father was Theloniuous Monk, a man who for decades was largely misunderstood by the public, but adored by folks like Miles davis and Dizzy Gillespie for his musical insight. He created a lexicon of style that was fully evolved at arrival and was for all intents and purposes -- a singular, perfect, inimitable universe of sound.

Trying to meet that standard is really just damn impossible, so TS Monk has instead opted not to rebel against it, nor fully co-opt it. He simply has tried to navigate his own individual orbit around that giant star. It helps that unlike Femi and Ravi, he does not play his fathers instrument (TS plays drums instead of piano), and that he went through periods playing other styles (including funk/R&B). The result is that -especially on an album like this- he shows a maturity and open approach to delivering his own statements musically. His playing shows a sound understanding of rhythm, and one can hear overtones of his early experiences learning from Max Roach, as well as elements of Art Blakey. He is assertive, but not as ballistic as a Roach or Blakey...maybe like Tony Williams simmering instead of at full boil.

His own compositions bear no real relation to his father, instead carving out a niche in hard-bop traditionalism, and instead prefers digging into older bop classics and obscure gems, as well as contributions from his sidemen (as is the case on this album, with great tunes from Ray Gallon and Winston Byrd being the standouts).

Now, as to this album, Higher ground, we hear an eclectic collection of tracks that seem to fit well together. Even the rather odd vocal track Mosaic is a curious bit of modern bop, replete with aggro scatting and an almost happy jam sentiment. Girl Watchin' has a late Tony William's funky punch to it, Ladera Heights has a distinct acid jazz vibe to it (reminiscent of the more swinging efforts by Groove Collective or Brooklyn Funk Essentials), and Craw-Daddy is the theme song to a quiet day at your front door, sipping tea in the deep south, watching time go by. Happily at that.* There is some humor in Cubano Chant and the closer, Milennium Dance is a weird Vegas big-ensemble feel meeting a more ambitious set of charts.

Now, if it is not apparent yet, do not buy this album if you are looking to hear a clone of the elder Monk. It is never going to happen (the closest you will get is TS's tribute to his father Monk on Monk, which still isn't that close), and I would argue it shouldn't. But if you want to hear a decent hard-bop inflected album, with really good performances and a decent variety of compositions, this may very well fit the bill.

*. particular props to Byrd (his solo on Craw-Daddy is a hot slice of fun