Barney McAll: Monk Know

One of Australia's most original pianists, composers, conceptualists, Barney McAll is ideally qualified to present a fresh examination of some of the most enduring compositions by the eternally-contemporary Thelonious Monk.

Monk's music is among the most poignant, original and distinctive in all of the jazz canon. Barney and his cohorts (Scott McConnachie, alto sax; Sam Anning, bass; Felix Bloxsom, drums) will pay tribute to Monk in the best way possible: acknowledging his originality, while developing and showcasing their own.

To set the scene, here are some of Barney's favourite Monk quotes.

"I just composed music that fit with how I was thinking...I didn't want to play the way I'd heard music played all my life. I got tired of hearing that. I wanted to hear something else, something better."

"A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the world, it depends on your imagination."

"They tried to get me to hate white people but someone would always come along and spoil it."

"Where's jazz going? I don't know. Maybe it's going to hell. You can't make anything go anywhere. It just happens."