JOHN BEASLEY'S MONK'ESTRA

2017

Grammy-nominated musician John Beasley created his big band MONK’estra to capture the spirit of Thelonious Monk’s singular music – the off-beat melodies and humor, strange beauty and unbounded swing. Beasley created fresh arrangements flavored with New Orleans spirit, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban rhythms and atmospheric colors to bring out the best, not only in Monk's music, but every member of his 15-piece band. Veteran jazz critic Don Heckman described hearing the project MONK’estra as “some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.” We created promotional videos, with footage left generic for promoters to repurpose with concert info, and customized with "shout-outs" for specific promoters.