In the fall of 1984, legendary jazz musician Ron Carter teamed up with the Kronos Quartet for a unique recording session of Thelonious Monk’s music, arranged for string quartet and bass. Carter is the most-recorded jazz bassist in history, and was famously a member of Miles Davis’ second great quintet — alongside Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams. In addition to a prolific performing career, he has taught at the Juilliard School, received the title of Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France’s premier cultural award), and was honored with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Japanese government. People now simply call him “Maestro.”
ETHEL has been redefining what it means to be a modern string quartet since its founding in 1998. The group’s collaborative ethos has led them to perform across genres, in a dizzyingly wide array of formats, and with almost everyone. Their contact list just might be one of the most diverse collections of talent anywhere.
Carter joined ETHEL’s board during the pandemic, and when it came time for their annual benefit concert, he was asked if he would like to perform. He suggested reviving Monk Suite, the 1984 recording with Kronos, which had never been performed live. Preparations were then made to premiere the work, plus variations on Bach and other pieces, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Malcontent was commissioned to create marketing materials to appear in a variety of music publications: from Chamber Music Magazine, to jazz station WBGO’s digital feed, to a featured poster outside Carnegie Hall. The goal was to create something that captured the warmth of everyone involved; and something that would stand out as much as possible from all other upcoming performances.