This completely refreshing and visionary set of Thelonious Monk interpretations by the FreddieBryant Trio, along with special guests, guitarists Howard Alden, Peter Bernstein, and RomeroLubambo, possesses a wit and deep intelligence I think Monk would have relished.Freddie Bryant seems acutely aware of a telling remark that jazz critic Gary Giddins maderegarding Monk’s music: “Monk heard minor seconds as an opportunity rather than obstacle.” Inall of the unexpected rhythmic and harmonic twists and turns in Monk’s compositions, there arecountless opportunities for creative musicians to improvise. It is very much to Bryant’s credit asan unusually imaginative and versatile guitarist that he has seized those opportunities with élan.One form of his Monkish devotion has been working as the guitarist in an adventuresome group,Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet, where four horns, but no piano, reinvent Monk’s legacy. Thisdisk is yet another example of Bryant’s devoted and innovative reinterpretation of Monk’s music.Using both electric and acoustic, six and twelve string guitars, Bryant creates a shimmeringmusical tapestry, always reverent to Monk’s originals, yet playfully teasing with the themes. Headds a deep blues guitar tone to Monk’s “Light Blue” and “Misterioso.” The latter divides theCD in half acting like a meditation on the Blues with the 12-string guitar. Bryant has developed atechnique on this instrument rarely used in jazz that creates ethereal chords and harmonics andtwangy single line testimonials.Bryant, along with guitarist Romero Lubambo, transforms the Tin Pan Alley mundaneness of“Just You, Just Me” into an exotically sunny Brazilian romp, and an impressive showcase of theircomplementary styles. The duet with Howard Alden captures a lightly fluttery lyricism through abrisker pacing than Monk’s own recordings of the tender ballad “Pannonica,” yet it is just asmemorable. “Round Midnight” marks the first recording released to the public with his longtimefriend Peter Bernstein. They met more than 20 years ago in high school, were each other’s firstroommates and played for years at the famous New York/Upper West Side hang, Augie’s. Theirfamiliarity shines through in this rendition often sounding like a spontaneous conversation whereone might finish the other’s idea.As remarkable as the duets, I find the most stunning achievement of this radiant disk is “BrilliantCorners.” Monk’s own recording involved the producer patching together countless takes sincemusicians on the order of Max Roach and Sonny Rollins could not successfully execute acompletely satisfactory single take in the studio. What Bryant, bassist Gregory Ryan, anddrummer Willard Dyson offer is a streamlined, elegantly concise interpretation of Monk’s mostknotty tune, that seems less labored and more pleasingly listenable than Monk’s originalrecording on the Riverside label.And that compels us to move the spotlight from guitar to bass and drums for a moment. This is arhythm section that moves with fleeting grace to Bryant’s every note. Dyson’s rhythmic shuffleadds a charming (loco)motion to “Criss Cross” and powerfully contributes to the off-kilter humorin “Samba Para Monk.” Ryan’s bass playing is consistently inventive, particularly on “BrilliantCorners” where the listener never knows what musical surprise is lurking around the next bend.This is a seamless guitar trio, rare throughout jazz history, rare even more so in terms of tacklingthis complex a jazz legacy. Monk claimed the piano had no wrong notes. I would second thatassertion, and also say that “Monk Restrung” has all of the right ones.-- Norman Weinstein, author of A Night in Tunisia: Imaginings of Africa in Jazz and a book ofprose poetry entitled No Wrong Notes.Freddie Bryant has made a name for himself over thepast two decades as a highly skilled and versatileguitarist who can play equally well in a variety of jazzand non-jazz contexts: classical, AfroCaribbean, worldmusic, you name it, often combining several genres atonce, as he does with his international-flavored groupKaleidoscope.This new release finds Bryant in an unusually (forhim) straight ahead setting, covering the music ofThelonious Monk. Recorded in 2005 and inexplicablyunreleased until now, the album grew out of Bryant’srole in former Monk drummer Ben Riley’s MonkLegacy Septet and includes a dozen classic Monk titles,along with a pair of Monk-inspired Bryant originals.Most tracks feature the guitarist in a finely honed,hard-hitting bebop trio with bassist Greg Ryan anddrummer Willard Dyson.Bryant’s virtuosity is on display throughout,whether romping through the fast-paced tropical notesof his own “Samba Para Monk” or digging into thedeep blues of “Misterioso”. The trio is particularlysuccessful at navigating the thorny lines of “BrilliantCorners”, one of Monk’s most difficult tunes. Whilethe songs are familiar, Bryant, playing electric, nylonand 12-string guitars, finds fresh avenues to explore inMonk’s quirky, often unpredictable compositions.In addition to the trio selections, the album pairsBryant in duos with some of his esteemed guitarbrethren. He’s matched with swing titan HowardAlden for an exquisite take on the ballad “Pannonica”and with New York stalwart Peter Bernstein for anequally gorgeous reading of “’Round Midnight” onwhich Bryant shows off some of his impressive classicaltechnique. Romero Lubambo joins Bryant for dazzlingBrazilian excursions on “Monk’s Mood” and “Just You,Just Me”.Though reaching the public more than a decadelate, Monk Restrung is sure to be welcomed as a treat byMonk fans and guitar fans alike.- Joel Roberts, NYC Jazz Record (Nov. '16)Freddie Bryant expands on his role in Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet by presenting a program devoted to Thelonious Monk’s music, but in trio and guitar duo contexts. Monk Restrung, Freddie Bryant, essays 11 Monk tunes, a standard favored by Monk, and two of the leader’s originals. On ten of the tracks, Freddie plays with his trio: bassist Greg Ryan and drummer Willard Dyson. They establish sympatico rapport with Monk’s music, seducing us on a pair of opening tracks featuring Freddie’s clean, clear-toned electric guitar. “Criss Cross” winningly blends a shuffle march beat into Monk’s line, while “Think of One” echoes the pianist’s hesitant approach and extended turnarounds as Freddie continually circles back to the thematic material.The 12-string acoustic guitar is featured with the trio on “Misterioso,” done at a haunting, somnolent tempo with washy brushes from Willard; and the trio shows how thoroughly it has absorbed the harmonic and rhythmic quirks of Monk’s approach on a jangly “Ugly Beauty” and a teasingly slow “Brilliant Corners,” highlighted by nylon string guitar.Freddie also features the mellower nylon string on three of the four duets with other guitarists. The Brazilian master Romero Lubambo joins him on the instrument for two duets, the haunting ballad “Light Blue” and, in a bossa nova revision, the old standard and Monk favorite, “Just You, Just Me.” Peter Bernstein adds his electric guitar to “’Round Midnight,” as he and Freddie, on nylon string, carry on an extended musical conversation around Monk’s most famous tune.Howard Alden pairs his seven-string electric guitar with Freddie’s six-string on “Pannonica,” the two speeding up the tempo slightly without altering the hypnotic appeal of the melody. Freddie’s two originals spotlight the trio, one a “Samba para Monk,” the other, “Ning-A-Maryth (Ning!),” a fast, boppish Monk homage. On both the latter and the finale, Monk’s “Played Twice,” Willard’s drums are featured to advantage in both solo spots and with the in-sync rhythm section. Few guitarists have tackled Monk’s gnarly, pianistic music, but Freddie Bryant nails it here. - George Kanzler, Hot House Magazine (Nov. '16)