T.S. Monk, jazz drummer and son of legendary jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, talks to NPR's Tony Cox about his latest projects -- including the new CD he recorded with his jazz septet, Higher Ground. He's also been at work on a new two-disc CD and DVD package of some of his father's previously unreleased live recordings, Monk 'Round the World.
Higher Ground is Monk's first CD released under the label named after his father, and there are echoes of many genres of music -- funk, R&B, hard bop and blues. Monk talks about charting his own musical destiny, but also about honoring the legacy his father left behind.
That legacy is alive and well with Monk 'Round the World, which captures the pianist at the height of his powers. The DVD in particular showcases the senior Monk's unique sense of rhythm, his iconoclastic style -- and his signature hat.
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