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Tony Monaco |
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Tony Monaco’s career was progressive from the start – he played accordion at age eight and discovered jazz organ at 12. Later on, he played in jazz clubs around Columbus, Ohio while mastering the Hammond B-3. Influenced by Hank Marr and Don Patterson, he soon discovered legends Jimmy McGriff, Richard “Groove” Holmes, Charles Earland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Jack McDuff. Jimmy Smith called Tony on his 16th birthday and began sharing secrets over the phone. Smith later invited him to meet jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, who recognized Tony’s talents and offered to produce a CD for him. “Burnin’ Grooves” sparked international attention. Reviewed in Keyboard, Jazz Improv, Allaboutjazz.com, and AMG, the CD was named “Hottest Single of the Month” in Jazzusa.com. Tony’s second national release, “Master Chops T,” climbed into the Top 10 on jazz radio charts. Summit Records then released “Intimately Live at the 501,” which was an immediate success. He continued to perform widely and released his fourth album, “A New Generation,” to favorable reviews. In his home recording studio, Tony made his 5th release for Summit, “Fiery Blues,” outselling his previous releases. He toured the US, Australia, New Caledonia, and Canada in 2005 and came home to record “East to West” on his new Chicken Coup Records. Tours in Jakarta, Indonesia for the JAVA Jazz Festival, Europe, and the US plus being featured on the cover of Keyboard Magazine were 2006 highlights for the jazz musician. Voted a top B-3 player in 2005, 2006 and 2007 in the DownBeat Critics’ and Readers’ polls and JazzTimes Readers’ poll, Tony has gained well-deserved recognition. |