a bit o' history...
The MONKTET began around the late 1980's as the brainchild of L.A. based musician, arranger, educator, and long time alumnus of the Don Ellis Orchestra, John Magruder. (1925-2003)
Then named the Magruder Monktet, John supplied the bulk of the arranging (of Monk's and his own original compositions) as a way to get together with friends and play weekly, plus a few performances around L.A.
After John's passing, his widowed wife Joy, carried on the regular rehearsals in their home in Sherman Oaks, CA (every other WED nite) and later (2020) passed on the name "Monktet" to Larry Williams, who has now brought the music to Orlando. “We are now called simply “the Monktet” though the band goes forward in the Magruders' honor.” ALL of the arrangements are Larry's (with a few of John's charts held over from the original band) based solely on the music of Thelonious Monk.
The album "Joy Bop" recorded by the original Magruder Monktet is available at
FYI- Thelonious Monk is, in the opinions of many Jazz greats, a cornerstone of modern jazz, though he was grossly misunderstood, referred to as a "lesser light" by critics, and underrated for long periods of his early years.
His compositions range from the introspective and beautiful, “Round Midnight” to the borderline insanity of “Trinkle Twinkle”, and have served as models in many Jazz composition classes not to mention being regular call tunes on jazz stages around the world. Monk's music became a period of discovery among higher intellects and the Jazz elites of the 50's -this period extending to present day.
"The piano ain't got no wrong notes."
t. monk
GOING FORWARD...
THE MONKTET 2025 REMAINS A TRIBUTE
a jazz orchestra specializing in and honoring the music of Thelonious Monk. As the arranger, Larry Williams uses Monk’s music as a palette for his own self expression, to explore not only the full spectrum of the Jazz idiom, but also by integrating some rhythms and sensibilities from the popular music idioms of today. ex. hiphop, dnb, techno, etc.
'The possibilities are many…and they are out there.'
