Stetch completes solo trilogy with "Exponentially Monk"

by Susan Higginbotham

VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y. - With two critically acclaimed solo releases to his credit - "Ukrainianism" and "Standards" - John Stetch has delivered an exhilarating third solo piano release, this time boldly immersing himself in the venerable music of jazz legend Thelonious Monk.

The album, characterized by rhythmic momentum, diverse textures and harmonic invention, runs the gamut of Monk's work, from virtuosic tour-de-force playing to some of the composer's more haunting, introspective ballads, while showcasing the warmth and buoyancy of his own exquisite tone. Endowed with technique and deft fluidity, Mr. Stetch breaks new ground with his arrangements, brilliant improvisations and powerful grooves, peppered sporadically with his own quirky humor - a quality Monk himself, by all accounts, never lost sight of.

Incorporating elements of classical, bluegrass and world music, Mr. Stetch occasionally plays inside the piano - strumming, plucking or muting the strings - sometimes using mallets. Here, he manages to push the jazz envelope, avoiding cliches and triteness, while presenting an album that is at once accessible yet familiar, in ways that even the novice listener will certainly enjoy.

Over the course of the album's 55 minutes, comprising 13 tracks, Mr. Stetch dazzles the listener with arrangements of Monk's compositions "Bright Mississippi," "Well You Needn't," "Think of One," "Green Chimneys," "Gallop's Gallop," "Evidence," "Criss Cross," "Little Rootie Tootie" and "Ask Me Now," as well as "Blue Monk" and three ballads, "Monk's Mood," "Round Midnight" and "Ugly Beauty."

With "Exponentially Monk," Mr. Stetch has successfully tapped into the depth and range of human emotion, delivering an album filled with passion, pounce and technical brilliance.

In 2002, Mr. Stetch released "Ukrainianism," the first recording in his solo trilogy for Justin Time Records. "Ukrainianism" celebrates Stetch's Ukrainian heritage by featuring a blend of jazz, classical and world-influenced arrangements of folk tunes that had been part of his life. This was received with voluminous critical acclaim and was hailed by Down Beat as "one of the best solo piano recordings in recent years"; Jazziz called it "a very powerful and truly monumental recording."

His second release, "Standards," featuring "derangements" of some well-treaded material, was released in 2003. This was met with equal enthusiasm - JazzTimes praised Mr. Stetch for possessing "an unlimited imagination, unique harmonic and rhythmic conceptions and the digital dexterity to execute any idea he hears."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 23, 2004, No. 21, Vol. LXXII

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