John Beasley Monk'estra Big Band at The Baked Potato

MONK'estra is a 15-piece BIG modern jazz BAND

John Beasley captures the spirit of Monk's unique quirkiness, offbeat accents, punchy dissonances, in his fresh arrangements of Monk's and other classic and original compositions.

3 WEDNESDAYS: March 27, April 02 + 09
2 sets: 9:30p + 11:30p

“Some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.”-- Jazz Critic Don Heckman
Media RSVP: [email protected] | 310-200-8388

MONK’estra musicians
SAX: Bob Sheppard, Danny Janklow, Justo Almario, Tom Luer, Tommy Peterson
TRUMPET: Bijon Watson, Jamie...

read more

MONK'estra is a 15-piece BIG modern jazz BAND

John Beasley captures the spirit of Monk's unique quirkiness, offbeat accents, punchy dissonances, in his fresh arrangements of Monk's and other classic and original compositions.

3 WEDNESDAYS: March 27, April 02 + 09
2 sets: 9:30p + 11:30p

“Some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.”-- Jazz Critic Don Heckman
Media RSVP: [email protected] | 310-200-8388

MONK’estra musicians
SAX: Bob Sheppard, Danny Janklow, Justo Almario, Tom Luer, Tommy Peterson
TRUMPET: Bijon Watson, Jamie

Hovorka, Brian Swartz, Gabriel Johnson, Mike Cottone, Rashawn Ross
TROMBONE: Wendell Kelly, Ryan Dragon, Eric Miller, Steve Hughes
BASS: Rickey Minor DRUMS: Gary Novak KEYBOARDS: John Beasley

YouTube: http://bit.ly/monkestra

Concert Reviews MONK’estra:
Beasley’s envelope-stretching arrangements, his extraordinary orchestrating abilities, imaginative soloing from players: a net result of some of the most mesmerizing big band music –individually and collectively– of recent memory. Don Heckman, International Review of Music

Five Stars: Spectacular! The ultra-hip, ultra-cool, ultra-swinging John Beasley’s MONK’estra rocked the house at Vitellos.’ Supersize figure in the jazz music world, Beasley led a dazzling assemblage of players. – Cynthia Lum, Examiner.com

Beasley is a real genius. His imaginative, modern arrangements are artistic charts colored outside the lines of traditional big band music arrangements. – Paul Edelstein, Sounds of Timeless Jazz

John Beasley is one of the best pianists and improvisers on the jazz scene today. He is a master musician, with total command of the jazz language, and his playing is always intense in both emotion and technique. -All About Jazz

show less