Digital Series

‘Round Midnight Reconsidered

One of Jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk’s most revered ballads, ‘Round Midnight was interpreted in spectacular style by Bay Area guitarist and composer John Schott and an all-star group of musicians in a continuous eight-hour exegesis, June 4, 2022 from 9:00 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. PT. The concert was performed live in San Francisco at Light Rail Studios and streamed online as the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by Reboot. Watch the concert here or on Reboot’s YouTube page

On Shavuot, Jews are encouraged to stay up through the night studying holy texts, and in the concert, ‘Round Midnight Reconsidered, the musicians approached the composition as Jews celebrating Shavuot tradition would a Torah passage – as an overnight study session.

The ensemble of more than a dozen musicians used Jewish approaches to textual commentary as a framing principle for their improvisations. Each of the 48 measures of ‘Round Midnight, which typically take 90 seconds to perform, was stretched to 10 minutes length, resulting in a complete performance lasting eight hours. Each note, group of notes, and rest was treated as an object for contemplation and commentary. This extended experience is intended to transform the music into a powerful medium for spiritual realization.

Accompanying Schott were Aurora Josephson and Cecilia Englehart on vocals; Nikita Manin and Cory Wright, woodwinds; Crystal Pascucci, violoncello; Mark Clifford, vibraphone; Scott Larson, trombone; Jason Hoopes, acoustic bass; Kanoko Nishi, koto; Suki O’Kane, Jason Levis and John Hanes, drums and percussion.

Reboot thanks our media sponsor J. The Jewish News of Northern California and our sponsoring partners Noise Pop and Value Culture

‘Round Midnight Reconsidered

Take a peek into the first hour of our all-night Shavuot celebration. One of Jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk’s most revered ballads, ‘Round Midnight was interpreted in spectacular style by Bay Area guitarist and composer John Schott and an all-star group of musicians in a continuous eight-hour exegesis, June 4, 2022 from 9:30 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. PT. The concert was performed live in San Francisco at Light Rail Studios and streamed online as the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by Reboot. Learn more and watch the full show here.

‘Round Midnight – Hour 2 Excerpt

Take a peak into the second hour of our all-night Shavuot celebration. One of Jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk’s most revered ballads, ‘Round Midnight was interpreted in spectacular style by Bay Area guitarist and composer John Schott and an all-star group of musicians in a continuous eight-hour exegesis, June 4, 2022 from 9:30 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. PT. The concert was performed live in San Francisco at Light Rail Studios and streamed online as the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by Reboot.

‘Round Midnight – Hour 6 Excerpt

Take a peak into the sixth hour of our all-night Shavuot celebration! One of Jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk’s most revered ballads, ‘Round Midnight was interpreted in spectacular style by Bay Area guitarist and composer John Schott and an all-star group of musicians in a continuous eight-hour exegesis, June 4, 2022 from 9:30 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. PT. The concert was performed live in San Francisco at Light Rail Studios and streamed online as the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by Reboot.

‘Round Midnight Reconsidered

One of Jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk’s most revered ballads, ‘Round Midnight was interpreted in spectacular style by Bay Area guitarist and composer John Schott and an all-star group of musicians in a continuous eight-hour exegesis, June 4, 2022 from 9:00 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. PT. The concert was performed live in San Francisco at Light Rail Studios and streamed online as the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by Reboot. Watch the recording on the event page or on Reboot’s YouTube page.