The Still Point - Play Monk (2021)

Play Monk is the second release by instrumental group, The Still Point. The project, led by guitarist Hayes Cummings, features Max Liebman on bass and Alexander Dillon on drums. Committed to creating original music and playing modern interpretations of existing music, the outfit is seen here in duo fashion exploring an unconventional take on traditional jazz material.

At the center of this set of recordings is the music of Thelonious Monk. A jazz pioneer who existed in singularity, his music was foundational to both Cummings and Dillon from a young age. “The origin of this album is a shared love and respect for the music of Thelonious Monk. We set out with the goal of finding a 50/50 relationship between reverence and innovation. We sought to play Monk in a way that both pays respect to the man himself and creatively appeals to our own sensibilities. We are not suggesting that these arrangements are the “right” way to play this music but rather the right way for us to play this music.” says Cummings.

The duo took a non-traditional approach with respect to preparation and arrangement of the tunes. “That’s right...” Says Dillon, “...unlike preparing for a traditional jazz gig, we would play sections of the head (or even the whole tune) again and again and find moments where our ears wanted to add a hit or continue a phrase. There were times when we would find ourselves in a completely different world from the original tune and If we liked those ideas would we have to reverse engineer to spell out exactly just what we did. The “B” section of Light Blue comes to mind immediately. There were moments when it really felt like I was solving math problems, but in a fun way.”

Working as a guitar/drum duo offered both textural challenges and opportunities for the pair. While the group could have added a bass into the mix, as many others would have found necessary, they chose to eschew it all together. Dillon comments, “We wanted to work toward finding a personal sound that struck an even balance between the two instrumental voices and got away from a front man/ rhythm section dichotomy.”

Hayes describes his approach to duo playing, “I made the decision to play fingerstyle (no pick) as a way of incorporating more bass lines and chords in the arrangements and solos. Jazz solos are often full of continuous single note runs but that wasn’t always an effective texture here. On his treatment of the drums Dillon comments, “For me it was about finding that delicate mix between anchoring my phrases in the melody and keeping time when it was called for. I didn’t want there to be a complete vacuum when it came to a quarter note pulse, but I also love these melodies and just wanted to play them.”

The duo choose the title Play Monk for one main reason, “The music is fun!” Says Dillon, “...through and through, it's been a complete honor and privilege to really sit with these songs and have fun with them. I’ve been listening to his music since the age of four and I still find his tunes are just stuck in my head all the time.”

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an innovator with a fierce unwavering commitment to originality. This approach, alongside societal factors - mainly racism and stigmas around mental illness - led to a tumultuous life for the genius. Regardless, Monk’s music has stood the test of time as evidenced by the massive amount of recordings of his music. “We humbly join the ranks of those appreciating and recreating the compositions Monk left behind,” says Cummings, “We hope that this recording will provide a cohesive, enjoyable, and slightly challenging take on these tunes.”

Hayes and Alex are committed to working toward a more equitable and just future in the arts and in the Boston Community. “We are living through an intense moment of social upheaval and we have a strong desire to be an active part of the solution instead of sitting idly by and reaping the rewards of our privilege. We’ve decided that half of all of the proceeds of this record will go to Zumix, an East Boston Charity that empowers young people to build successful futures for themselves, transforming lives and community through music, technology, and creative employment,” says the duo.

We’d like to thank our family and friends for being supportive listeners. Special thanks to Lou and Sue for being great hosts, Eric Hofbauer for being a supportive educator, Rebecca Smith for album design, and Anthrophonic Records for distribution.