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Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band honors rap and jazz innovators J.Dilla and Thelonius Monk with “Thelonius,” featuring Talib Kweli.  The two-part suite is a reimagining of Dilla’s instrumental “Thelonius” from Common’s Like Water For Chocolate and Monk’s bebop standard “Thelonius.” Summerstage commissioned Thomas in 2016 for A Journey Through The Legacy Of Black Culture, and he debuted “Thelonius” at Rumsey Field in Central Park. Thomas, who is the music director of Lauryn Hill’s touring band, guides the Revive Big Band and Talib Kweli through a lazy swinging beat and a commanding brass section on the second single from the band’s forthcoming album. Thomas explained “Thelonius” in a press release:

“‘Thelonius’ demonstrates exactly how closely related jazz and hip-hop are and how they can once again easily evolve into one another. It brings together the best of two musical worlds… To take the energy even further, I composed an original final section of the song that explodes into a high-octane hip-hop Big Band shout chorus.”

“Thelonius” will appear on Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band’s Like A Tree It Grows album, due to drop on October 25th. The album is a tribute to Megan Stabile, the founder of the Revive Music Group, whose vision of connecting younger rap fans and traditional jazz snobs helped create the Revive Big Band.