Aside from focusing mainly on Monk's music, what really sets this group apart is that Samantha has gathered lyrics for over 20 of Monk's pieces from a variety of sources around the world. Lyrics to some of Monk's more popular tunes written by Jon Hendricks, Abbey Lincoln and Sally Swisher and Dutch singer, Soesja Citroen and several more obscure tunes with original words written by Toronto lyricist, John Carnes.
Many of Monk's compositions strike fear into the heart's of even accomplished instrumentalists. His use of wide intervals, dissonant harmonies and rhythmic displacement pose even more danger to vocalists, and very few take up the challenge.
But from the cool smoothness of "Blue Monk" to the notoriously difficult "Epistrophy", Samantha Clayton and Brilliant Corners bring the music of Thelonious Monk into the spotlight for a whole new audience. At the same time, singing obscure tunes such as "Light Blue" and "Coming on the Hudson" ensures that even the most die hard jazz fan will hear something new.
