Performance begins – 8:00pm
Tickets from £15 | Complimentary Tickets for Patrons
Choose Table Seating & Dinner Service tickets to order from Pollini’s Jazz Set Menu directly to your table in the Sunbeam Theatre.
We recommend arriving before 7:30pm to give you plenty of time to settle in and place your food and drink orders.
Standing tickets available at door.
Monkin’ Around brings together three friends to pay homage to one of the greatest jazz composers of the 20th century, Thelonious Monk. With decades of experience between them, Dave O’Higgins, Luke Fowler and Billy Pod celebrate Monk’s music while using his compositions as a vehicle for their own distinctive voices and formidable musicianship.
Dave O’Higgins is one of the UK’s most respected and recognisable jazz saxophonists, with 24 albums as a leader to his name. His sound is highly personal, marked by strong melodic development, adventure and a deep respect for the jazz tradition. Drawing influence from Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine and Michael Brecker, O’Higgins combines sophistication with a strong sense of pacing and presentation that connects effortlessly with audiences. His career has been defined by constant artistic exploration, and this Monk-focused project reveals yet another facet of his creativity.
Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Luke Fowler studied at WAAPA before relocating to the UK in 2005, where he has since become a vital presence on the London jazz scene. He founded the award-winning South London venue The Junction, which quickly became a hub for leading UK musicians and emerging talent alike. The venue was named one of The Guardian’s Top 10 Music Pubs in the UK. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (Master’s in Jazz Performance, 2020), Fowler is an in-demand bassist with a powerful sound, infectious time feel and a deep understanding of harmony. Inspired early on by Ray Brown, he is both an engaging performer and a highly musical collaborator.
Since bursting onto the UK jazz scene, Billy Pod has worked with many leading artists including Jim Mullen, Dave O’Higgins, Rob Luft, Vasilis Xenopoulos and Mornington Lockett. He has recorded on over 20 albums as a sideman or co-leader and has performed extensively across Europe, the USA and Asia. In 2016 he was a finalist in the Made in New York International Jazz Competition, performing at the Tribeca Performing Arts Centre. In 2019 he was named one of the Top 10 New and Upcoming Drummers by French magazine Batterie. His debut album Drums to Heal Society (2019) established him internationally as both a drummer and composer. His most recent release, Quintessence, received strong critical and audience acclaim during his UK and European tour in 2023.
Roberto Tarenzi began studying classical piano at the age of eight and later trained with leading figures including Ray Santisi, Franco D’Andrea and Enrico Pieranunzi. He graduated in 1999 and soon established himself as a major force in European jazz. His career has included work with Enrico Intra’s Big Band, recordings with James Cammack, Dave Liebman and Nat Su, and extensive performance activity in New York following his move there in 2006. On returning to Europe, he was selected as one of twelve pianists worldwide to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. Tarenzi has collaborated with many of Italy’s leading jazz musicians and recorded on projects including Rosario Giuliani’s Images alongside John Patitucci, Joe Locke and Joe LaBarbera. He also contributed to the soundtrack of Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning film La Grande Bellezza (2013).
“One of the most talented pianists I have encountered in recent years… disciplined, deeply knowledgeable about the jazz legacy, with great ears and a burning desire to be a great musician.”
— Dave Liebman
Ladbroke Hall Jazz brought to you through our curator and long-standing partner Evgeny Strigalev.
