John Beasley's MONK'estra
Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 8pm
presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

      Artist Sponsor
     James McGaugh

      Media Sponsor

This performance will include a 15-minute intermission.

Conductor/Arranger/Pianist
John Beasley

Trumpets
Ryan DeWeese, James Ford, Brian Swartz, Brandyn Philips

Trombones
Francisco Torres, Wendell Kelly, Ryan Dragon, Lemar Guillary

Woodwinds
Bob Sheppard, Danny Janklow, Tom Luer, Kirsten Edkins, Adam Schroeder 

Bass
Edwin Livingston

Drummer
Terreon Gully

Grammy Award winner and 9-time Grammy nominee, John Beasley, has taken the music of MONK’estra, his smashing 16-piece big band, to over 50 stages around the world.

The feel and sound of MONK’estra captures the spirit of Thelonious Monk’s singular style with its off-beat melodies, humor, strange beauty, and unbounded swing in fresh arrangements flavored with hints of New Orleans, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, contemporary and atmospheric rhythms and colors. 

The International Review of Music described it as “Some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.”

MONK’estra has released a trilogy of albums through Mack Avenue Records: MONK’estra Vol 1, MONK’estra Vol 2, and MONK’estra Plays John Beasley with the first release in Thelonious Monk’s centennial year in 2017. The albums and John’s arrangements have been nominated for two Grammy nominations for each release with an impressive six nominations and one win. It has received 5 starts in DownBeat, Jazz Journal UK, Audiophile Sound, and earned Best Big Band and Best Arranger in many jazz lists.

John Beasley reimagines Monk’s compositions with an eye to the future that pays loving tribute to the master’s music while infusing it with contemporary harmonies, unstoppable grooves, and a contagious sense of fun.

John Beasley is a versatile pianist, composer, arranger who began his career in his 20s backing jazz icons Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. Since then, Beasley has performed with a wide range of artists, including Dianne Reeves, Ivan Lins, John Patitucci, Chaka Khan, Christian McBride, Carly Simon, to name a few. He was music director for international tours with Steely Dan, AR Rahman and Queen Latifah and currently a co-MD for Chucho Valdes La Creation tour.

In 2011, John Beasley was appointed Music Director for the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute (formerly the Monk Institute) which presents International Jazz Day’s annual global gala concerts. Beasley has directed the concerts in Paris (2x), Instanbul, Osaka, St Petersberg, Havana, Washington, DC, New Orleans, New York and Los Angeles. The 2016 Jazz at the White House hosted by President Obama earned Beasley an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction.

Beasley’s work as a composer-arranger extends beyond jazz, with many credits in television such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Cheers, and Fame; and in films scored by 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman 1917, James Bond’s Spectre and Skyfall, Finding Dory, He Named Me Malala, Shawshank Redemption, and Let them all Talk, to name a few.

Beasley also worked as MD for TV specials/series, including Sports Illustrated 50 Years of Beautiful and musical competitions, Duets with John Legend and Sing Your Face Off. Beasley was lead arranger for ten years on the American Idol show with his first year as associate MD ushering Carrie Underwood's victory.

In 2022, Beasley will be juggling several tours including Chucho Valdes, Dianne Reeves, Maria Mendes, El Trio, his own band MONK’estra and conducting various European orchestras (HR Big Band, Bohusulan Big Band, SWR Big Band, Bielefeld Philharmonie) on projects featuring music of Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Charlie Parker, Weather Report, along with a new original project.

Beasley is committed to nurturing the next generation by doing master classes with school and national big bands and orchestras around the world. His commission, "Fête dans la Tête," with Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra was released in May 2022. He also wrote a commission for LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles called "A History of Jazz."

Unlimited Myles
Myles Weinstein, President

Season Sponsor

Venue Sponsor

Corporate Sponsors