Oscar Wilde once said; ‘imitation is the highest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness’. Jazz musicians have always known this and have always done their best to stand on the shoulders of giants. While these three musicians are in no way mediocre they will happily afford every flattery to the great Thelonious Monk. 

Here are three friends getting together to pay homage to one of the greatest Jazz composers of the 20th century, Thelonious Monk.

With a wealth of experience and artistry at their finger tips Dave O’Higgins, Luke Fowler and Billy Pod have set out to pay their respects to the works of Thelonious Monk and to use his compositions to express themselves and display their veracious talents.

Monkin’ Around are in the process of mixing and mastering their first album which will be available by September 2024.

Dave O’Higgins now has 24 albums as leader to his credit. His sound is highly personal and recognisable, with a clear sense of melodic development and adventure.

A popular performer with the public, with an excellent sense of pacing and presentation, he has a wide palette from Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane and Joe Henderson through to Stanley Turrentine and Michael Brecker.

O’Higgins has relentlessly pursued artistic exploration and development always maintaining a deep respect for the tradition of the music. Now with the spotlight on Monk we will get to see yet another feather in Dave’s cap.

“A stunning player in the neo-bop vein, with an apparently effortless flow of coherent ideas, beautiful time and a highly developed harmonic sense.” ( - JAZZ GUIDE)

After spending his formative years in Perth, Western Australia studying at WAAPA until 2005, Luke Fowler moved to the UK where he has spent the last 18 years. He opened an award winning Jazz Venue in South London called ‘The Junction’ which soon became a hub for some of the best musicians in the UK, featuring the likes of Jim Mullen, Dave O’Higgins, Alex Garnett plus some of the new younger sensations coming out of London, including Mark Kavuma, Emma Rawicz and Rob Luft. The Junction was voted in the Guardians; ‘Top 10 music Pubs in the UK’

After recently graduating with his Masters in Jazz Performance at London’s acclaimed Guildhall of Music in 2020, Luke has been busy running a series of projects which he has presented in and around London. He has a strong sound and infectious beat on his instrument having been inspired by Ray Brown at an early age. His extensive knowledge of harmony makes him an engaging and interesting bassist to listen to and perform with.

After exploding onto the UK jazz scene, Billy Pod has worked with a number of leading musicians including; Jim Mullen, Dave O’Higgins and Rob Luft, Vasilis Xenopoulos and Mornington Lockett among others. He has recorded more than 20 albums as a side-man/co-leader and has performed in festivals and venues in EU, USA and Asia. In 2016 he performed at the Tribeca Performing Arts Centre in New York as a finalist of the “Made In New York” International Jazz Competition and in 2019 he was selected in the list of 'Top 10 new and upcoming drummers' by French ‘Βatterie’ magazine.

His debut album “Drums to Heal Society" released in 2019 has not just given him a prominent position among the new generation of drummers internationally but also demonstrated his compelling skills as a composer and music ensemble director. His latest album entitled ‘Quintessence’ was also well received by press, media and audiences during his UK and European tour in 2023.