Sphere was an American jazz band which began as a tribute to pianist Thelonious Monk, whose middle name was "Sphere".[1]
The band, which was formed in 1977, consisted of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and two members who had been Monk's bandmates, drummer Ben Riley and saxophonist Charlie Rouse.[2] After Rouse died in 1988, Sphere disbanded but reunited ten years later with Gary Bartz taking Rouse's place.[3]
Sphere recorded its first album, consisting of Monk tunes, on the day that Monk died, February 17, 1982.[3] The band recorded several more albums which included jazz standards and original compositions.[3]
According to Riley, an interesting group dynamic resulted from the fact that the band included two musicians who had played with Monk and two musicians who hadn't. He reflected: "It was good for the other guys... to hear the music in a way Monk would have written it and orchestrated it. It made them think of the music in a different way. It was also good for us to hear their interpretations of Monk's music. The music was always fresh."[4]
