Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) is one of my favourite composers.
Ruby, My Dear has always been one of my favourite Monk ballads.
Among living pianists, Fred Hersch has, I think, proved the most consistently rewarding interpreter of Monk.
Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard Brian Landrus; I have heard literally thousands of Monk “covers”, but none lovelier than the one which concludes Brian’s new album.
Just occasionally, I hear a truly extraordinary instrumentalist who is not new, but is new to me – someone with their own “voice”, and whose jaw-dropping technique always serves the music.
Such musicians do not feel the need to tediously-pointlessly flaunt their “chops”.
Brian Landrus is a “merely” very capable flutist, but he is a bone fide master of bass clarinet and baritone saxophone.
You are about to hear Brian’s baritone sax, with Fred’s piano:
Ruby My Dear is a Monk tune that has been sitting on my refrigerator door since my daughter Ruby was born. When I asked Fred if he wanted to do that, he said it was one of the only Monk tunes that he’d never performed – he thought it was beautiful but that it gets so cluttered. So Bob Aldridge and Herschel Garfein suggested we just try it as a duet. We played it once and that’s what’s on the record
(the above is from a recent interview with Brian. His website is here. I am about to buy several of his albums. This one’s other Monk cover is an arresting, absolutely solo bass clarinet version of ‘Round Midnight)