Sphere was an American jazz band which began as a tribute to pianist Thelonious Monk, whose middle name was "Sphere".[1]
Sphere | |
|---|---|
| Origin | 1977 |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Years active | 1977–1988; 1997–2002 |
| Labels | Elektra Musician, Verve, Red |
| Past members | |
The band, which was formed in 1977, consisted of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and two members who had been Monk's bandmates, drummer Ben Riley and saxophonist Charlie Rouse.[2] After Rouse died in 1988, Sphere disbanded but reunited ten years later with Gary Bartz taking Rouse's place.[3]
Sphere recorded its first album, consisting of Monk tunes, on the day that Monk died, February 17, 1982.[3] The band recorded several more albums which included jazz standards and original compositions.[3]
According to Riley, an interesting group dynamic resulted from the fact that the band included two musicians who had played with Monk and two musicians who hadn't. He reflected: "It was good for the other guys... to hear the music in a way Monk would have written it and orchestrated it. It made them think of the music in a different way. It was also good for us to hear their interpretations of Monk's music. The music was always fresh."[4]
Discography edit
- 1982: Four in One (Elektra/Musician)
- 1983: Flight Path (Elektra/Musician)
- 1985: Sphere On Tour (Red)
- 1986: Pumpkin's Delight (Red) contains all tracks released on Live at Umbria Jazz (Red)
- 1987: Four for All (Verve)
- 1988: Bird Songs (Verve)
- 1997: Sphere (Verve)
References edit
- ^ Tesser, Neil (November 6, 2003). "Sphere". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ Cordle, Owen (January 1, 1999). "Sphere: Sphere". Jazz Times. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Sphere". AllMusic. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ Blangger, Tim (August 30, 1998). "Ex-Monk Drummer Ben Riley Helps Infuse Sphere". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 29, 2022.