Jon Batiste<\/a><\/strong> has released \u201cAlways Know\u201d and \u201cSusu\u2019s Back In Town,\u201d the first singles from two forthcoming albums inspired by Thelonious Monk. Monk Meditations (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 3)<\/i> and Monk Movements (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 4)<\/i> will both arrive August 14, alongside Black Mozart (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 2)<\/i>. The three records are the latest installments in Batiste\u2019s ongoing solo piano series.<\/p>\n The two projects take different approaches to Monk\u2019s catalog. \u201cAlways Know,\u201d from Monk Meditations<\/i>, introduces an eight-track album that pares the composer\u2019s work into new-age-influenced piano pieces, including \u201cMonk\u2019s Mood\u201d and \u201cCrepuscule With Nellie.\u201d \u201cSusu\u2019s Back In Town,\u201d from Monk Movements<\/i>, previews an eight-track set that recasts Monk standards as contemporary classical compositions. Its tracklist also includes \u201cBlue Monk,\u201d \u201cUgly Beauty,\u201d and \u201cBrilliant Corners.\u201d Both albums will be available on exclusive color vinyl, including a limited number of signed copies.<\/p>\n Batiste said his connection to Monk began when he first discovered the pianist and listened to his music for a year. That influence was already present on Batiste\u2019s 2006 recording Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art<\/i>, made while he was a Juilliard student. \u201cMonk is really the master of taking music that\u2019s of the highest complexity and presenting it in a way where anybody can connect to it,\u201d Batiste said. \u201cMonk is for the children, the adults, and the connoisseur.\u201d He added that Monk, Mozart, and Beethoven serve as \u201cthree foundational portals\u201d for the broader Batiste Piano Series.<\/p>\n The series began in 2024 with Beethoven Blues<\/i>, Batiste\u2019s reinterpretation of Beethoven through blues and jazz traditions. The album topped Billboard\u2019s Classical Albums chart for more than two months, according to the release. Batiste later explored the ideas behind Black Mozart<\/i> during a conversation with Terrance McKnight at The Greene Space for WQXR in New York City. During the event, he combined Mozart\u2019s \u201cRondo Alla Turca,\u201d presented as \u201cAlla Turc Movement,\u201d with B.B. King\u2019s \u201cThe Thrill Is Gone.\u201d A clip from the performance has drawn more than 15 million views across platforms. Together, the three August 14 albums extend the piano series from Beethoven and Mozart to two distinct readings of Monk\u2019s work.\n<\/p>\n