Elliott Sharp Reimagines the Work of Thelonious Monk

His current tour celebrates what would’ve been Thelonious Monk’s 100th birthday.by Robert HamThelonious Monk’s shadow still looms large in the music world some 35 years after his death. It wasn’t until guitarist Elliott Sharp studied at Bard College in the early ’70s that he really got to know the pianist/composer’s work, exploring it at the behest of his teacher, trombonist Roswell Rudd. And once he did, he was hooked.“I’ve always kept an ear towa