Recital: Kristofer Monson '25 DMA, Jazz Bass
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 Don Palma and Jason Moran 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.
- Kris Monson '25 DMA, double bass
- Nadav Brenner, guitar
- George Maclaurin, piano
- Donald Palma, studio teacher
- Jason Moran, studio teacher
Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein | The Song is You
Program note
John D’earth, one of my first jazz teachers and a hugely important mentor in my life, explained to me
early in my development that the repertoire for the jazz tradition generally falls into one of three
categories: the blues, the Great American Songbook, and compositions by jazz musicians themselves.
One could even go so far as to say that the third category is roughly a derivative of the first two. The
Song is You is a wonderful composition that exemplifies the importance of the Great American
Songbook.Duke Ellington | Warm Valley
Program note
Duke Ellington’s Warm Valley, Oscar Pettiford’s Tricotism, and Thelonious Monk’s Ugly Beauty are bound together in their personal and historic connections; Monk was greatly influenced by Ellington, and bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford was in Ellington’s Orchestra before later working with Monk.
Warm Valley is a beautiful Ellington ballad that originally featured his longtime alto saxophonist, Johnny Hodges. Tricotism is a bebop-bass tour de force that I’ve been playing arco in my studies with Don Palma. Ugly Beauty, Monk’s only composition without a 4/4 time signature, was a subject for deep harmonic analysis in Ken Schaphorst’s wonderful class on Thelonious Monk.Oscar Pettiford | Tricotism
Thelonious Monk | Ugly Beauty
Jaco Pastorius | Three Views of a Secret
Program note
Moving forward in history with another hugely important bassist innovator, Three Views of a Secret by Jaco Pastorius demonstrates his underrated compositional pen.
Kris Monson | Don't Measure Your Spices When You Cook
Program note
The next two pieces are original compositions of mine. Don’t Measure Your Spices When You Cook was
inspired by a conversation with my sister-in-law, Hannah, in which she recounted how she carefully
measures the amount of salt, pepper, garlic, etc. in her cooking. This is my free-spirited, improvisatory
response to her meticulous precision. Seasons Pass was originally an assignment for Ken Schaphorst’s
History of Jazz Composition course. The melody has stuck in my ear, and I love its solemn, hymn-like
accompaniment texture.Kris Monson | Seasons Pass
Leonard Bernstein | Some Other Time
Program note
Some Other Time is a beautiful song by Leonard Bernstein that I discovered earlier this semester through leading the Jazz Department Jam Sessions. Originally written for the 1944 Broadway production of On the Town, this rendition is particularly inspired by the interpretation of contemporary saxophonist, Mark Turner.
John Coltrane | Bass Blues
Program note
And finally, we conclude with John Coltrane’s Bass Blues, as recorded in 1957 by John Coltrane, Red Garland, Art Taylor, and Paul Chambers.
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, and many others.