2025 stock On this new LP, recorded at studio sessions in 2010 and 2015, Duck Baker delves deeply into the thinking of one of our most challenging composers and renders guitar interpretations that are true to the original intent. That Baker's experience playing blues, gospel, ragtime, and swing serve him well on this project goes without saying. Available exclusively on high-quality vinyl and limited to this one pressing, Duck Baker Plays Monk contains solo acoustic guitar renditions of nine Thelonious Monk compositions and new essays by Duck and the late Roswell Rudd.

In a way, Duck Baker Plays Monk is a companion piece to Spinning Song, the CD John Zorn asked Baker to make in the late 1990s devoted to the music of Herbie Nichols. Certainly Nichols, like Thelonious Monk, was a brilliant and significant pianist/composer, and the music of both men presents similar challenges for solo guitarists. But there's an important difference, which is that Baker had never arranged any of Nichols' music when he took on Spinning Song, but had been working with Monk's tunes for most of his musical life when he made the new record. Baker reminds us through his playing that the idiosyncracies of Monk's composing are further dimensions of the Americana continuum (and source musics) that has been his turf for years.

Especially in Monk's centennial year, many will address Monk's oeuvre: Hundreds will in fact interpret the texts, but very few can inhabit this music in the way that the mature Duck Baker can.

Now, the world can hear Duck's take on these nine Monk compositions--framed by Rudd's essay, which may be his last published musical analysis.

We at Triple Point think Duck Baker Plays Monk is his best record yet.