Continuing the endless tributes to this master, Randy Weinstein has made the most deliciously oddball tribute of them all, one that works on every level. HarmoniMonk (Random Chance Records) has seven Monk gems as performed on harmonica with guitar, tuba, bass, and drums. Weinstein spent seven years blowing the blues in Chicago. It is his goal to ultimately record all 70 Monk compositions on harmonica. He’s off to a good start. This will be on my 2024 multi-genre Top 10. It is, in a word, exquisite.
Goldmine
It’s likely no Monk enthusiast has ever heard anything quite as compelling and fascinating yet off kilter and bizarre as veteran harmonica master Randy Weinstein’s wildly adventurous (and cleverly titled) HarmoniMonk. … Like some of Weinstein’s artful work here, Monk’s quirky (some would say humorous) playing was percussive and sparse, yes, truly angular, with complex and dissonant harmonies and unusual intervals and rhythms. Thus, Weinstein is truly on point making this an eclectic tribute for the ages. It’s also nice to see him play the ballad “Ruby, My Dear” a little simpler and close to the vest, so that we may focus on the beauty of his playing. By the time we get to the end of his bouncy, New Orleans-styled free-for-all on “Straight, No Chaser,” we’re primed for volumes 2, 3, and even more down the line.
The JW Vibe
Weinstein manages to play the chromatic harmonica and sound nothing like Thielemans or Stevie Wonder. He comes from a blues, reggae, and bluegrass background, and he adds all of that to his considerable jazz chops. Weinstein brings a musically interdisciplinary approach to Monk; he finds all kinds of corners for brilliant new interpretations. It brings to mind Hal Willner’s wildly imaginative That’s the Way I Feel Now (A&M), which used everyone from Steve Lacy to Peter Frampton to see how far Monk’s distinctive aesthetic could stretch. Recorded simply and unpretentiously (sometimes in friends’ living rooms) with Weinstein overdubbing on most of the instruments, the album’s clever but non-gimmicky arrangements show how well Monk’s rhythms and harmonies can succeed in different musical contexts. … Weinstein credits an early influence from Chicago blues harpist Little Walter for parts of his technique: “He played double stops and used tongue-blocking techniques to get tongue slaps and flutters, octaves, and swooping saxophone effects. I decided to go for all of that on my Monk recordings because I feel these techniques are completely valid in a jazz context.” …. You may be surprised by the range of textures a master player can coax out of the severe limitations of the harmonica….
the arts fuse
And he can certainly play the harmonica. … Listening to him play on these tracks, he almost sounds at times like someone playing one of those inexpensive portable barrel organs, and I mean that as a compliment because of his extraordinarily fluid technique.
The Art Music Lounge
These performances are not your grandparents’ Thelonious Monk to be sure. They are the product of what Weinstein was up to during the Covid pandemic and represent some of the best time spent during lockdown. Weinstein is a master of the chromatic and diatonic harmonicas, at home playing rock, blues, bluegrass, country, or jazz. When approaching Monk’s music, Weinstein did not think outside the box, he cut the tape, folded it up, and threw it away. What resulted is the freshest take on Monk’s music (or any music, for that matter). On “Bright Mississippi” Weinstein accentuates the “Sweet Georgia Brown” contrafact elements of the piece, producing a blissful, almost intentional low-fidelity reading of the song. This is almost like garage jazz conceived by a mad genius who knows music well. Weinstein fashions “Off Minor” into reggae trance music and “Straight, No Chaser” into a NOLA second-line march. This is innovation and imagination.
Wild Mercury Rhythm
Bonus media tip: An upbeat album flying under the radar: That’s HarmoniMonk, Randy Weinstein’s multi-tracked arrangements of the great Thelonious’s compositions for chromatic harp with drums/percussion, guitar, and bass. Weinstein — who like me some time ago was educated at Chicago’s Jazz Record Mart — draws on Monk’s bluesiness, mixing in Midwestern swing and fiddle romps, Brazilian choro, and Jamaican dub to delightful effect. Believe me! Check it out!
Howard Mandel
Weinstein has brought out the playfulness of Monk’s music. It’s too easy sometimes to think of the old man as some kind of jazz deity. HarmoniMonk puts us in touch with the guy who liked to wear funny hats and dance to his sidemen’s solos.
ink19
The brilliant, buoyant, and jaunty “Bye-Ya” is a must hear. There is dancing written into the nature of this song. For people who have not heard the song before, or are not aware of its history, this could be Weinstein’s original work. But it is not, and that is what makes the tribute even more masterful. Weinstein plays chromatic harmonicas and handles the drum arrangement on this track. Its groove and energy grabs the listener right away. The drum samples are from the “Clyde Stubblefield – The Original Funky Drummer” sample collection.
Lemon Wire
A blend of the blues and too many more genres to list, Randy Weinstein presents a well-listened ear alongside an incredible amount of passion on HarmoniMonk. The devotion to the instrument is impressive, as he plays in such a heartfelt fashion. Moving away from the expected, the songs range from dub-inspired to proper jazz to a mixture of a potpourri of styles. True to the album’s name, he devotes his unique practice to Thelonious Monk, a master of the outsider craft. The songs nicely blend, helping to tell an entire story. Beyond this, there’s a definite fondness for experimentation, with unusual time signatures and strange melodies. His take on Appalachian sound recalls the work of Henry Flynt, as it takes the ordinary and transforms it in unexpected ways.
Skopemag
There are certain projects like this one that will make you smile for a good cause from the very first notes. Indeed, this particularly fun project hides the beautiful complexity from which it stems. …. It’s always fascinating to see what an artist can communicate about a work with an instrument it wasn’t originally intended for. Here, Randy Weinstein manages to infuse a form of blues intelligently and remarkably into these jazz tracks, to the point of turning “Off Minor” into a reggae form. As I mentioned earlier, this album is both amusing and surprising. …
It’s a beautiful adventure that is easily accessible and enjoyable to listen to, for an album with multiple facets that is already indispensable even before its release.
Paris Move
Weinstein performs fresh and memorable renditions of seven of Monk’s pieces, creating inventive arrangements that cast a new light on the vintage work…..
With its emphasis on melodic development (keeping the themes in mind rather than just jamming on the chord changes), colorful arrangements, and surprising moments, there is little doubt that Randy Weinstein’s HarmoniMonk would have been enjoyed by Thelonious Monk.
All About Jazz
I particularly enjoyed the harmonica-tuba-percussion version of the classic “Straight, No Chaser.” Another stimulating addition to the Monk literature.
WTJU Radio
Seven Thelonious Monk masterpieces turned upside down and reinvented on harmonica by Randy Weinstein, who performs on both chromatic and diatonic harmonicas. The album’s a bit of an acquired taste, much like Monk was himself as a legendary pianist with an unorthodox style, a knack for catchy improvisation, and a long list of creative compositions. But it’s worth settling in and listening to what Weinstein’s got.
Toledo Blade
Ringer of the Week! Randy Weinstein comes up with a brilliant idea that almost works perfectly the whole way through the album: Take the tunes of Thelonious Monk and interpret them through both the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas, backed only by the most spartan of teams, in just drums, guitar, or bass.
Jazz Weekly
Weinstein has conjured up a decidedly non-standard reflection on Monk that is likely to seize the attention of any serious listener.
The Rehearsal Studio