If I told you these interpretations sounded like a great concert pianist playing Debussy, would you please also remember that I think Monk would have loved every second? There's very little of the dance on this disc, but there is plenty of the rhythmic dialogue between sound and silence that Monk mined so richly. Hersch's touch creates breathtaking sounds, and his re-thinking of open spaces (never has Misterioso sounded so enigmatic) owes its debt to the master while touching new territory as well. This, along with Steve Lacy's, Bill Holman's, and Bud Powell's tributes, makes my list of essential Monk cover discs.