New York native Rome Neal’s career has spanned some 50 years, including movies, television, stage and popular jazz venues.

KIHEI — Jazz Maui, along with ProArts Playhouse and Mana’o Radio, presents two special tributes to Thelonious Monk in celebration of Black History Month.

On Friday, Feb. 24, renowned pianist Tommy James will perform the music of the jazz great, and on Saturday, Feb. 25, Rome Neal will perform “MONK,” the award-winning one-man play written by Laurence Holder with music composed and arranged by Bill Lee (Spike Lee’s dad).

Both events are being held at the ProArts Playhouse at 1280 South Kihei Road in Kihei.

Tickets are $30 per show or $50 for both shows, and are available at www.ProArtsMaui.org.

Thelonious Monk (Oct. 10, 1917 to Feb. 17, 1982) is one of the most prolific composers in the history of jazz. Many of his compositions, such as “Round Midnight,” “Straight No Chaser” and “Well, you Needen’t,” are jazz standards. He is the second-most recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington and one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time Magazine.

Pianist, composer and arranger Tommy James has been the music director of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for the past nine years. He has performed with and/or recorded with many famous names, including Lionel Hampton, Joe Williams, Cleo Laine, Melba Moore, the Spinners, and the Temptations. He has also served as music director of the international tour of the Tony Award-winning musical “Bring in’da Noise” and for artists such as Dawn Lewis, Doc Powell and Bobbi Humphrey. Tommy’s arrangements have been performed by the Ellington Orchestra, the New York Pops, the LA Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony and more.

For this performance of “Mostly Monk,: Tommy will be joined by Marcus Johnson on bass and Paul Marchetti on drums.

The one-man play “MONK” finds Thelonious Monk in an afterlife state that follows his existence from childhood until his final days. This portrait explores Monk’s obsession with jazz music and the people who influenced him along the way to becoming a legendary modern jazz composer and pianist.

Neal has received numerous awards, including the National Black Theater Festival’s coveted Lloyd Richards Director’s Award, The Triumph Award, a Monarch Merit Award for his contributions in New York Theater, and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from New York City’s Audelco Awards.

His talent showcase, “Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz,” celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2023.

Jazz Maui (www.JazzMaui.org), a branch of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Arts Education for Children Group (www.aecg.org), provides opportunities for participation in high-quality jazz music education and performances. Jazz Maui also presents concerts, classes and clinics throughout the year and edited stream performances on its website.

For tickets and more information for both performances, visit ProArts Maui.org. or call (808) 463-6550.