Some Monsterful Wonderthing—we might paraphrase the album title as: Sometimesbeautiful things arise from ugly situations. From October2012 to January 2014, the management of the Minnesotaorchestra locked out the orchestra’s musicians andcancelled concerts. It was a hard time for the musicians,but they found support in the community through theorganization called Save Our Symphony (SOS—laterchanged to SOSMN after similar groups formed in othercities). During the long dispute some musicians wouldresign from the orchestra. For Peter Kogan, the orchestra’stimpanist, however, the unplanned and anxiety-riddentime off became an opportunity to rekindle his jazzside—composing new tunes and arrangements, puttingtogether a septet and recording two inventive and—giventhe circumstances—surprisingly celebratory albums:Cornucopia, released in 2013 and now Some MonsterfulWonderthing (the mouth-twisting monicker will beexplained more fully below).Peter describes this second album as a series of tributes,beginning with the title of the first track—“SOS Samba”—in appreciation of all the efforts of Save Our Symphony;the lock-out also figures in the title of the second track:“LOMoMO Mojo Jump”; “LOMoMO” is an acronym forLocked-Out Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra. Theseexpressions of support and solidarity with his fellowmusicians are part of Kogan’s wider tribute, begun on hisprevious album, to predecessors from all over the jazztradition. The tracks on the album take us on a tour ofthe jazz universe with stops in Rio, Harlem, New Orleansand Chicago. As composer, arranger and drummer Kogandisplays his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz styles, groovesand tone-colors.SOS Samba honors the harmonic language of AntônioCarlos Jobim that influenced so much of the jazz of the1960s. It features the Brazilian percussionist RogerioBaccata and a lyrically sunny guitar solo by Cory Wong.In “LOMoMO Mojo Jump”, Kogan and company payhomage to the growling style perfected by Duke Ellington’sbrass players like trumpeters Bubber Miley and CootieWilliams and trombonist Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton—andalso, more generally, to the “jungle style” that Ellingtonbrought to the Cotton Club in the late 1920s. That stylehad two different aspects—the primitive (a stereotype thatEllington could either undercut with irony or celebrate)and the modern (think of the importance of African masksto Picasso’s cubism). Kogan mirrors the dualism here bya contrast in tempo. The tune opens Ellington style witha bouncy bass solo a la Jimmy Blanton played by BrianCourage. Kogan’s temple blocks, echoing Ellington’slongtime drummer, Sonny Greer, are followed by a bigband shout. In each solo chorus a walking bass alternateswith African-inspired and up tempo grooves. Scott Agster’strombone stylings recall the full range of Ellington’s famoustrombone section: Nanton’s blues-inflected plunger mutegrowl, Lawrence Brown’s seductive cantabile and JuanTizol’s Latin tinge (most famous from his tune, “Caravan”.)According to Kogan, “Some Monsterful Wonderthing” isa savage tribute in reverse—“an exorcism”—of a songfrom The King and I whose title is appropriately re-shuffled.I hear in its wild and crazy coruscations the clash oftwo formative decades: the button-downed fifties whichoften seemed to drip with Rodgers and Hammerstein’ssentimentality and complacency (the song mocked herecelebrates female suffering) and the rebellious sixtiesas exemplified by the anarchic spirits of Charles Mingus(heard in the blistering opening solo by Brian Courage) andFrank Zappa. Again Kogan gives dualism a musical shapewith two contrasting tempos. Pete Whitman, on sopranosax, Cory Wong, on electronically extended guitar andpianist Sean Turner take the music as far out of Broadwayas possible.“Nola Joe” honors the spirit of the late pianist Joe Sample,founder of the Jazz Crusaders, with a groove that capturesthe spirit of a New Orleans Second Line procession. Thesequence of blowing choruses includes the one extendeddrum solo of the album.The next track, “Gospel Tune” brings jazz back to its churchroots with an original melody that pays tribute to “This LittleLight of Mine” and features a call and response dialoguebetween the guitar and horns.“McKinley Morganfield’s Forever” is a tribute to the artistbetter known as Muddy Waters, father of Chicago Blues(with a nod to the blues infused music of pianists BobbyTimmons and Ray Bryant). This track features Scott Agsteras Muddy’s voice and fittingly soulful solos by guitaristWong, pianist Sean Turner and, on tenor sax, Pete Whitman.“Live to Learn” features Charles Lazarus on flugelhorn. It’sa memorable, mellow tune that Peter composed many yearsago with beautiful lyrics recently written by Jonathan Kalb:As a traveller I must find what to save or leave behindand to greet another day on my way.From the cradle to the grave these are choices that aremade to learn to change and lighten up your way,and live to learn and love another day.Before you came into my lifeI was filled with pain and strife -There were changes I knew I had to make.Now it fills my heart to saythat I smile for another day‘cause I know that in your arms I can stay, and live tolearn and love another day.(When my thoughts start sinking low,I know you’ll shine on me wherever I go.)As the years they come and go in my heart I really knowthat the winds of change have somehow blown my way.With you there by my side I can finally learn to ridethrough the darkest times and find the brightest rays,and live to learn and love another day.©2014 Jonathan Kalb“Question Monk?” is a tune Kogan has been carryingaround for many years; he found it, fortunately for us, in anold notebook. Like such Monk standards as “Straight, NoChaser” and “Evidence”, Kogan’s homage to Monk arrangesand re-arranges pitches so that we are left to ask where thebar lines are—at times the tune sounds like it’s in three,then it morphs into four—and back. Joining in the tribute,Pete Whitman sounds like he is channeling Monk’s longtimesaxophonist Charles Rouse.Now that the Minnesota Orchestra is back in business we canhope that the wonderful somethings of Kogan and companycan continue to flourish even in happy circumstances.By David SchiffDavid Schiff, R.P. Wallenberg Professor of Music at Reed College inPortland, Oregon is a celebrated composer and author whose mostrecent book is “The Ellington Century” copyright 2012