Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band Puts Their Own Spin On A Bebop Classic With “THELONIUS” Featuring Talib Kweli

For some, this may be an anticipated release, but for us, this has snuck up on us in a good way. The future record we are talking about is the debut record from Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band. But before we get into that, who are they, and who are they led by? According to the group’s website, Mr. Thomas is a maestro, trumpeter, and composer, and he put this collection of talent together in 2010. Their first ever show was that same year at the George Wein’s CareFusion Jazz Festival. Since then, they have gone on to perform at some of most recognized venues across the U.S. that are synonymous with the genre. There efforts have been celebrated and awarded a whole bunch too, as they have a total of 27 GRAMMY nominations, with the 13 of them being wins.

However, they have never decided to release an album until now. According to a press release, their first LP, Like A Tree It Grows, will land on DSPs on October 25. This weekend, Igmar Thomas has recruited longtime lyricist Talib Kweli for the tape’s second single called “THELONIUS”. What makes the Revive Big Band unique is that they put their own twist on jazz, hip-hop, and soul classics in addition to their own compositions. In this case, this is a modern reimagining of Thelonious Monk’s most celebrated bebop (subset of jazz) pieces, “Thelonious”. It’s also a tweak of Common and Slum Village‘s collab “Thelonius”, which is on the former’s Like Water For Chocolate. It’s a triumphant and uplifting track thanks to Igmar’s incredible band and we think this is one of the best releases of the month so far.