Higher Ground

by Scott YanowDrummer T.S. Monk, whose original background was in R&B, recorded a series of high-quality hard bop releases with his sextet in the 1990s, plus tributes to his father, Thelonious Monk. Higher Ground, his initial release for his Thelonious label, is a bit different. He still utilizes a combo (in this case a septet with percussion) and some of the numbers are hard bop (most notably Kenny Dorham's cooking blues "Philly Twist"), but the music is also open to funk, R&B, and more modern jazz styles. Despite the diversity, the performances stay at a consistently high level, with fine solos from all the principals. Guest singer Miles Griffith takes a particularly crazy scat vocal on Cedar Walton's "Mosaic." All in all, Higher Ground finds T.S. Monk staking out his own musical territory emphasizing new music over tributes. It is well worth checking out.