Music Performance Commons^™

The Adventurous Monk: A Discussion Of Eric Reed’S Improvisational Techniques And The Influence Of Thelonious Monk, Vaughn Beaver

Theses : Honours

This dissertation examines the improvisational style of notable jazz pianist Eric Reed, focusing on select performances from the album The Adventurous Monk. As is common for contemporary artists, Reed has not yet been the focus of academic study, despite the fact that his vast experience – particularly with jazz luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis – warranted such investigation. The endeavour of this research was to discuss the observable influence of Thelonious Monk on Reed’s improvisational style through musical transcription and comparative analysis of the two pianists’ solos on the Monk compositions ‘Work’ and ‘Nutty’. Complete Monk transcriptions were initially analysed …