Recital: Kristofer Monson '25 DMA, Jazz Bass

NEC: Pierce Hall | Directions

241 St. Botolph St.
Boston, MA
United States

In the course of completing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at New England Conservatory, performance majors present not just one, but three full-length recitals, for which they also write program notes.  It's an opportunity to observe multiple facets of an emerging artist.

Kristofer (Kris) Monson ‘25 DMA studies Jazz Bass with Donald Palma and Ethan Iverson and is the recipient of a scholarship made possible by the Gertrude G. and Malcolm S. Morse Memorial Fund.

This is an in-person event with a private stream available to the NEC community here: https://necmusic.edu/live.

Artists
  • Kristofer Monson '25 DMA, bass
  • Aviana Gedler, voice
  • Lenka Molcanyiova, alto saxophone
  • Mark Tipton, trumpet
  • Keegan Marshall-House, piano
  • Ryan Abdul-Rahim Sands, drums
  • Donald Palma, studio teacher
  • Ethan Iverson, studio teacher

  1. Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer | I'm Old Fashioned

  2. Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein | It Might as Well Be Spring

  3. John D'earth | Sentiment for Kris & Lizzie

  4. Kris Monson | No. 2 Hit

  5. Kris Monson | The Get Down Hoedown

  6. Ryan Abdul-Rahim Sands | Faith

  7. Stevie Wonder (arr. Monson and Sands) | Send One Your Love

  8. Duke Ellington | Come Sunday

  9. Traditional | How Great Thou Art

  10. Dizzy Gillespie | Tour de Force

  11. Donald Kahn/Stanley Styne | Beautiful Friendship

     

    Program notes

    Tonight’s performance marks my third and final recital of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program. I am exceptionally grateful for my teachers and friends at NEC, and tonight’s recital is a celebration of these experiences. The repertoire can be roughly grouped into three categories: music reflective of my personal and musical upbringing, compositions of mine and/or drummer Ryan Sands, and standards from the jazz and Great American Songbook traditions that I particularly enjoy.

    The program opens with two selections come from the Great American Songbook: I’m Old Fashioned and It Might as Well Be Spring. Both songs epitomize the greatness of this tradition with beautiful melodies, clever harmonies, and witty, whimsical lyrics.

    John D’earth is an incredibly important mentor and friend in my life – thanks to him, I fell in love with both jazz music and my now wife, Lizzie. He wrote Sentiment for Kris & Lizzie for us and played it at our wedding two years ago.

    The next two pieces are compositions of mine. No. 2 Hit is inspired by fellow bassist Linda May Han Oh’s No. 1 Hit, particularly in its rhythmic and contrapuntal organization. Get Down Hoedown is a playful nod to the Appalachian folk music and geography that I admire.

    Ryan Sands and I went to grad school together, and we’ve been making joyful noises together since then. Faith is from his debut record, Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow. Our arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s Send One Your Love started during the pandemic and has continuously evolved as we’ve performed it in various settings.

    The next two selections reflect my upbringing in the church. Duke Ellington’s Come Sunday is the only jazz-related hymn in the United Methodist Hymnal, and thanks to my Mom, is probably the first jazz composition that I heard and learned. Just a Closer Walk with Thee evokes memories of my Grandparents’ country church in Central Pennsylvania.

    Tour de Force and Beautiful Friendship are two more wonderful standards that I enjoy playing. Tour de Force will particularly feature trumpeter Mark Tipton, my friend and DMA confidant throughout the program.

     

  12. Thank you to my wife Lizzie, my parents, and the Elfmans for their enduring support of my doctoral studies.

    Thank you to my wonderful teachers here at NEC for their ongoing guidance and inspiration:
    Ken Schaphorst, Katarina Miljkovic, Don Palma, Jason Moran, Ethan Iverson, and many others.

Tags
CollegeJazzDouble Bass