Price, Monk team up for night of jazz

Rachel Price, one of the hottest new voices on the jazz scene, teams up with the acclaimed T.S. Monk for an evening of great music at 8 p.m. Friday at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way.

The Nashville native is a jazz studies major at the New England Conservatory in Massachusetts. Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon brought the young singer to the attention of her manager after Freelon heard her in her clinic in Montreux. Now under the tutelage of Dominique Eade at the Conservatory, she is focusing on repertoire, improvisation and style.

In 2003, Price was tapped by the Grammy Foundation as a vocalist with the High School Grammy Jazz Choir, and she was a semifinalist at the Montreux International Jazz Vocal Competition in France. In 2004, Price wowed the audience at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, and the next year brought her professional U.S. jazz festival debut, opening for Joshua Redman.

Her debut CD, a compendium of jazz standards, is titled "Dedicated to You."

T.S. Monk -- drummer, bandleader, composer and vocalist -- was drawn to the drums before the age of 10 and his destiny sealed when Max Roach, with whom he studied, gave him his first drum set. The young Monk joined his father's trio and toured with his dad, Thelonious, until the elder Monk's retirement in 1975. T.S. then launched into the music that had captivated him and his generation, R&B. He first toured with a group called Natural Essence and afterward, with his sister Barbara, formed his own band with which he had hits on two recordings, "House of Music" and "More of the Good Life," where he played drums, arranged and sang.

T.S. received the New York Jazz Awards first "Recording of the Year" and Downbeat's prestigious 63rd Reader's Poll Award for "Monk On Monk," the "80th Anniversary Birthday Tribute to Thelonious Sphere Monk" featuring 20 guest artists including Herbie Hancock and Arturo Sandoval. Shortly after his father passed away leaving a rich legacy, his sister died of cancer. To honor his father's legacy and support the efforts of education, T.S. turned his attention to forming the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. With "High Ground," Monk's new recording, he seamlessly bridges musical worlds. T.S. Monk continues to display his leadership and artistry through his recordings and live performances worldwide, on television and in concert.

Tickets are on sale now at the box office, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. To order by phone, call (847) 931-5900 or order online at www.hemmens.org.