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QUESTION METHOD: AMANDA MONACO
 Amanda
Monaco spends most of her time with the
Lascivious Biddies, an all-female
quartet known for their exhilarating live performances
and "angelic vocals, wordy humor, jazz chops
and pop moxie" (Time Out New York). Touring
nationally since 2002, The Biddies have gained
a steady following wherever they go. They have
appeared on CBS Evening News, Fuse TV, and received
press from the Washington Post and MTV. They were
a critics’ pick at the 2005 SXSW Music Festival
in Austin. They continue to perform under the
banner of the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert
Series, which brings music to the five boroughs
of New York City.
Aside from her work with the Biddies, Amanda's
current projects include her own quartet, the
Amanda Monaco 4. Their 2003 self-titled
release achieved critical acclaim in the United
States and Europe. They have toured nationally
and played the JVC Jazz Festival in 2004. All
About Jazz says her playing is "utterly unique,
a breath of fresh air in the cookie-cutter climes
of both mainstream and free jazz.
1. Which was the first record you bought
with your own money?
Probably Kind of Blue. I started attending
a school for the arts in my junior year of high
school, and that was the first jazz record my
teacher assigned. It was also the first jazz record
I had ever heard at that point, and I promptly
wore the cassette out after countless listenings.
2.
Which was the last record you bought with your
own money?
Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise,
by the Vandermark 5. I find Ken Vandermark's music
to be very exciting and creative, incredibly loose
yet structured.
3.
What was the first solo you learned from a record
— and can you still play it?
The first solo I learned from a record was Miles
Davis' solo on "So What," and I can
still play it. It was the first class assignment
I had at the arts high school I went to. We all
had to learn "So What" and then we were
paired off to transcribe the rest of Miles' solos
on the record. It was a really great introduction
to jazz, as it was the first time I had ever had
any experience listening to and playing it.
4.
Which recording of your own (or as a sideman)
are you most proud of, and why?
My quartet CD, Amanda Monaco 4. We rehearsed every
week for six months, then went into the Bennett
Studios in Englewood, New Jersey, and knocked
the whole thing out in five hours. The engineer
set us up in a circle, just the way we’d
rehearsed, and we recorded live to two-track.
We had a blast, and the CD came out great.
5.
What's the difference between playing live and
playing in a studio?
Live gigs have an audience to connect with; studio
playing is where you think more about the product
you'll be delivering to your audience.
6.
What's the difference between a good gig and a
bad gig?
A good gig is when the music really gets you in
that beautiful groove of a way; a bad gig is when
you just don't feel the musicians are communicating
with each other. And of course, it's always an
annoying gig when the audience is disrespectful
— since when is it acceptable to scream
over any musical performance?
7.
What's the difference between a good guitar and
a bad guitar?
A good guitar stays in tune from song to song
and has good intonation. A good guitar doesn't
make you fight it to make music on it.
8.
You play electric and acoustic. Do you approach
the two differently?
Not really, though there are gigs that I play
entirely on acoustic guitar that are very different
from what I play with my quartet.
9.
Do you sound more like yourself on acoustic or
electric?
Definitely on electric, though I don't really
change my style so much from one to the other.
10.
Do you sound like yourself on other people's guitars?
I think I do. Even when it's not my guitar, I
make a point of trying to play how I play, not
really thinking, "Oh, this guitar is different."
11.
Which living artist (music, or other arts) would
you like to collaborate with?
I'd love to collaborate with Matt Wilson. He's
one of the most creative musicians I know. Also,
Ken Vandermark — I love what he's writing
and playing these days.
12.
What dead artist (music, or other arts) would
you like to have collaborated with?
Since my teens, I’d always wanted to play
in Joe Henderson's band. When he died without
that happening, I was sad.
13.
What's your latest project about?
My latest projects are the ones I've devoted a
lot of time to over the past several years —
my all-female "cocktail pop" quartet
the Lascivious Biddies, and my jazz quartet Amanda
Monaco 4. Both involve a lot of room to grow.
With the Biddies, someone brings in a new song
— either original or something obscure —
and we rearrange it, throw in some four-part harmonies,
and make it a group effort. In my quartet, we
play all original music and try playing it different
ways, too.
Web site: http://www.amandamonaco.com/
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