Milli Häuser: Monk

In the organizer's words:

An unconventional homage to bebop legend and musical architect and pianist Thelonious Monk awaits you. The special feature: Milli Häuser has rearranged the originally instrumental pieces for her quartet in France and sings Monk's works with mainly her own lyrics in English and German. And of course there are brilliant jazz improvisations by the musicians as well as biographical and poetic moments about Monk's life.

The African-American pianist Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) is considered one of the most important innovators of modern jazz with his idiosyncratic piano style and unmistakable compositions. The Monk sung by Milli opens up to the audience in a wonderful way. In addition to the musical forms of expression, Thelonious Monk the man appears again and again - a quirky bird, one could say, never quite landed in the everyday. But this was precisely the prerequisite that the artist needed for his attacks of genius.

Press excerpts from Milli sings Monk:
The band's music exudes that certain bebop flair, playing with high motivation and skill.
Milli Häuser sings light-footedly and virtuosically - and quite sensually too. Her multi-faceted voice is like the icing on the cake of the pieces of the musical architect Monk. - WAZ Bochum
A musically effective evening that always knows how to surprise. Milli Häuser's vocals and stage presence make you want to sing along. - WAZ Herne
The Milli Häuser experience was breathtaking. A beautiful, expressive voice rang out, every note was just right and the rousing bel canto tempo slows had the audience almost audibly holding their breath. - Osnabrücker Zeitung

Joint profile of the quartet: The musicians got to know each other at Tatort Jazz in Bochum. The series has been initiated and organized by singer Milli Häuser since 2006. It plays at Bahnhof Langendreer and the Kunstmuseum Bochum as permanent venues. There are also guest performances with Tatort Jazz on Tour at other venues. Tatort Jazz also led to a collaboration with the TOJ house band Matthias Dymke, Alex Morsey and Uwe Kellerhoff and their Monk project. Over the past 19 years, the TOJ house band has regularly accompanied hundreds of regional, national and international guest soloists.