Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble

Elegy for Thelonious

Sunnyside

Pianist, composer, educator and now conductor Frank Carlberg continues his ongoing homage and fascination with the music of Thelonious Monk by leading a large ensemble replete with two vocalists on the ambitious Elegy for Thelonious. As alluded to, this is not Carlberg’s first Monk ‘rodeo.” He played piano on the lauded 2017 release, Monk Dreams, Hallucinations and Nightmares, explored Monk on his 2015 duo album with Leo Genovese, who plays the piano and keyboards here, and issues a double piano duo album, 2020’s Gray Moon, upon which he played “’Round Midnight” with Ran Blake. Carlberg also directs the NEC Jazz Composers Workshop Ensemble at the New Conservatory of Music and has helmed several other important projects, including two with Latin Grammy-winning artist Roxana Amed.

Carlberg’s large ensemble is studded with some that we’ve covered on these pages including cornetist Kirk Knuffke, saxophonist and Lyricon player Jeremy Udden, and vocalist Christine Correa in addition to Genovese. Full personnel are listed below. Carlberg does more than simply offer contrafacts of Monk’s tunes. He sometimes marries two of Monk’s compositions in one single piece or goes for rather indirect references to Monk in a few of the compositions too. In each case he chose the soloists specifically, allowing for improvisation as well as structural rendering of the material.  As Monk was a pioneering individual, Carlberg shuns any notions of mere imitation.

Case in point, the opening “Spooky Rift We Pat” is a rearrangement and semi-mashup of “Tea for Two” and “Skippy,” with inspired, explorative solos from tenorist Adam Kilker and trumpeter David Adewumi, with stunningly shifting dynamics and including flowing vocals form Correa at the outset and a blaring wall of sound blend of woodwinds and brass to take it out.  Correa’s bridge into “Tea for Two” faintly evokes Carlberg’s 2010 Tivoli Trio album (yet another Monk precursor). “Out of Steam” is a conceptual lift of Monk’s “Locomotive” with drummer Michael Sarin setting the initial groove for the vocals of Priva Carlberg, the frenetic sonics of the orchestra, and a forceful turn from altoist Nathan Riesling. It charges with fury to blistering, abrupt climax. Monk was famous for his advice to fellow musicians, “Always leave them wanting more.” Thus “Wanting More” picks up on that spirit while mercifully tempering into a mid-tempo piece that features the dramatically conversant trumpet dialogue of John Carlson, who at the end of the piece, true to its title, eases away gently.

The album’s linchpin is the title track which brings together several disparate elements. Corea recites lines by a poem from Yusef Komunyakaa and then harmonizes with Priya Carlberg on, as Carlberg points out in his liners, a joyous raveup of the hymn “Abide With Me.” The latter is significant as it was the opener for the 1957 classic Monk’s Music and coincidentally was not composed by Thelonious but by William H. Monk. Dense and somewhat dissonant passages ensure, imbued by solos from trombonist Bryan Drye, cornetist Knuffke and those wild, whistling keyboard-like sounds attributable to Udden’s Lyricon, a ‘70s instrument that’s a precursor to the EWI, as heard on his 2023 solo album covered on these pages, Wishing Flower. “Scallop’s Scallop,” stemming from “Gallop’s Gallop” is an expressive tour-de-force from Knuffke, a brilliant leader and sideman notable for his contributions to James Brandon Lewis’ Likely Quintet and his standout performance as the “lead actor” in Yelena Eckemoff’s Lonely Man and His Fish (also covered here).  This writer may be biased but is drawn to almost anything with Knuffke’s name on it. Likewise, “Wrinkle on Trinkle” relates rather obviously to Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle” with turns from Udden (on alto), Carlson’s trumpet, and Hery Paz’s tenor. The closing “Brake Tune” links to Monk’s somewhat obscure “Brake’s Sake,” with Paz stepping forward again and Genovese shedding the acoustic for a wild excursion on snyth.

Forget anything resembling retro. To borrow from Monk’s middle name, (can’t help it). Carlberg and the ensemble transport us to the outer spheres with this forward leaning project that keeps pushing the limits throughout.

 

Personnel

Conductor & composer – Frank Carlberg	Tenor Saxophone & Clarinet – Hery Paz
Trumpet & flugelhorn – Sam Hoyt, John Carlson, David Adewumi	Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, & Flute – Andrew Hadro
Cornet – Kirk Knuffke	Piano & keyboards – Leo Genovese
Trombones – Brian Drye, Chris Washburne, Tyler Bonilla	Bass – Kim Cass
Bass Trombone – Max Siegel	Drums – Michael Sarin
Alto Saxophone – Nathan Riesling	Voice (1, 3 &4) – Christine Correa
Alto Saxophone & Lyricon – Jeremy Udden	Voice (2, 3 & 4) – Priya Carlberg
Tenor Saxophone & Flute – Adam Kolker     –           Jim Hynes

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