(LEE, Mass.) – The Ted Rosenthal Quintet will perform a centennial salute to Thelonious Monk at the Lee Meeting House on Saturday, August 12, at 7:30pm, in a program presented by Berkshires Jazz, Inc. Pianist Ted Rosenthal burst into popular consciousness when he won the 1988 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Since that time, he has recorded 15 albums, including “Images of Monk,” which provides the musical foundation for the concert.

Equally renowned as a pianist and composer, Thelonious Monk was known for his unique improvisational style. Even now, 35 years after his passing, Monk still has a strong and loyal worldwide following, and many of his compositions have become standards of the modern jaz repertoire. Among Monk’s most memorable compositions are “’Round Midnight,” “Straight, No Chaser,” and “Ruby, My Dear.” Monk is believed to be the second most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than 1,000 pieces, whereas Monk wrote only about 70

Ted Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation, actively touring worldwide as a soloist and in various configurations. He has performed with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and James Moody. Rosenthal appears with his quintet, comprising Mike Rodriguez (trumpet), Joel Frahm (saxophone), Martin Wind (bass), and Jimmy Macbride (drums).

The concert is the third of four centennial birthdays that Berkshires Jazz is celebrating in 2017: Ella Fitzgerald (part of the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend in June); Buddy Rich (July 22); Thelonious Monk (Aug. 12); and Dizzy Gillespie (part of the mid-October Pittsfield CityJazz Festival).

The concert takes place at the Lee Meeting House (Lee Congregational Church), 25 Park Place in the Berkshire Gateway town of Lee, Mass., a stunning, historic venue, both acoustically and visually. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the event, and are available at Berkshires Jazz, Inc.