Review: Carmen Staaf’s ‘Sounding Line’

Carmen Staaf’s Sounding Line (Sunnyside, 2025) is the second album recently covered on this site that envisions a conversation between Thelonious Monk and another pianist-composer. Just a few weeks ago, trumpeter Josh Lawrence positioned Chopin with Monk. Here, Staff has Monk conversing with a contemporary, Mary Lou Williams. Just about every jazz pianist and many other instrumentalists, like Lawrence, are well versed in Monk. Despite being a prodigious talent, Williams’ compositions do not appear on albums nearly as often.

Staaf, originally from Seattle, has become a fixture on both the West Coast and in New York. She has held down the piano chair for Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jenny Scheinman, Todd Sickafoose, Allison Miller, and others. And, like others that appear on Sounding Line, she teaches at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Fifteen years ago, Staff began an in-depth investigation of Williams’ work and found a commonality between her music and the idiosyncratic, bold music of Monk. She learned that Williams hosted pianist salons at her Harlem apartment and that Monk was one of the frequent attendees. In other words, each influenced the other.

Sounding Line was born when Bay Area concert promoter and producer Mark Weiss proposed that Staff record an album with Bay Area musicians. The pianist, in turn – bent on exploring the similarities between Monk and Williams – proposed rendering the music in compelling duos. From this, several luminaries came aboard, including trumpeters Ambrose Akinmusire and Darren Johnston, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, vibraphonist Dillon Vado, percussionist John Santos, and drummer Hamir Atwai. Goldberg appears on three tracks while the others grace just one or two of the seven pieces, five split between Monk and Williams, and two Staaf originals.

Akinmusire’s unmistakable trumpet sound imbues Williams’ “Scorpio,” adding to an infectious piano bass line that evolves into a vibrant, contemporary boogie-woogie between the two artists. Listen for the commonality of the bass line to the prior piece in Monk’s “Bye-Ya,” performed with SF Jazz stalwart John Santos on bongos. Williams’ “Libra” dramatically changes the mood to reflective and melancholy, featuring Goldberg in the first of his three appearances. Again, Staaf underscores the linkage between the two piano greats by following with “Monk’s Mood,” where she and vibraphonist Vado sustain the melancholy in a more atmospheric way. Williams’ “Koolbonga” deviates from the duet configuration by having a quintet render the tune. Vado’s tambourine is surprisingly prominent at the outset, meshing nicely with Atwai’s drumming. In another twist, Goldberg holds down the bass line with his clarinet while Johnston – on muted trumpet – and Staff trade off on the swinging melody.  This piece may well be the best example of the commonality between Monk and Williams, as it has tinges of Monk’s famed angularity.

Staff’s two originals close the program, each influenced by one of the pianists. A quartet of Staaf, Goldberg, Johnston, and Atwai converges for “Boiling Point,” inspired by Monk’s “Shuffle Boil.” While the title suggests a heated, swinging affair, the tune carries more of a laid-back, late-night mood. The harmonic blend of clarinet and trumpet gives off a cinematic quality, with Atwai deftly and steadily steering. The bandleader solos brightly and deliberately.  We can infer then that “Steering Wheel” is inspired by Williams. Akinmusire returns for a duet performance, effectively bookending the album. Unlike the opener, however, the closer is a gently flowing piece that accents the nimble and nuanced approach of both players.

Carmen Staaf presents a stirring conversation with varying moods and tempos, one listeners will likely revisit often.

‘Sounding Line’ is out now on Sunnyside Records. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.