“You've been making the wrong mistakes.” 
― Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk has been one of my biggest influences since I was 12 years old. When I met Wynton Marsalis around 11 or 12, he told me to go home and study Monk's music and learn it on the piano. My mother found an affordable upright piano for me to play and learn Monk's music on. It wasn't long before hearing Monk's writing style and Unique approach that it all made sense to me and I fell in love with all of his music. After learning that his birthday is the day before mine on October 11th, I knew that there was a deeper tie to his music for me then some other people may experience. 

After forming The IAMKHEMESTRY JAZZ ORCHESTRA, I wanted to dedicate a project to the legacy he left behind and began working on all of the arrangements listed above. Writing the music was such a sacred and introspective process for me. Monk's music has a way of taking the listener to some deeply personal space because of how much honesty and intention is embeded in his music. My only wish is that my writing pays the right amount of respect Thelonious Monk's music truly deserves.