With Thelonious: Fred Hersch Plays Monk, the noted pianist, composer, and arranger Fred Hersch examines works by one of the jazz world’s most legendary keyboard innovators, Thelonious Monk, with a dozen tunes by the enigmatic genius. The conservatory-trained Hersch brings a wealth of insight and experience to the material, shedding new light on Monk’s legacy.

Opening with the classic “Round Midnight,” Thelonious presents a wide range of Monk masterpieces, from the dissonant balladry of “Crepuscule with Nellie” to the playful stride of “Let’s Cool One.” Hersch cites Monk’s “sense of structure, his sense of the beat and his sense of humor” as being influential. Hersch believes that making a solo Monk record, of which there are few, other than those by Monk himself, allowed him to be much more personal with the music.