T.S. Monk

Percussionist T.S. Monk has side-stepped the looming shadow of his genius father Thelonious by using his talents to combine the best of the pop and jazz worlds. Instead of watering his music down, he seamlessly combines Funk, R&B, and World music with his feeling for Post Bop. If all Fusion was this good, Fusion wouldn't have earned a bad name during the Nixon and Ford administrations. If you prefer your jazz a little more straight-ahead, then check out his album honoring his father's music, Monk on Monk. This album features so many outstanding guests (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Grover Washington, Jr. are just the tip of the iceberg) that it stands as a primer on modern jazz.