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Thelonious Monk
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Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) was one of jazz's greatest and most enigmatic figures. As a composer, pianist, and bandleader, Monk both extended the piano tradition known as Harlem stride and was at the center of modern jazz's creation during the 1940s, setting the stage for the experimentalism of the 1960s and '70s. This pathbreaking study combines cultural theory, biography, and musical analysis to shed new light on Monk's music and on the jazz canon itself. Gabriel Solis shows how the work of this stubbornly nonconformist composer emerged from the jazz world's fringes to find a central place in its canon. Solis reaches well beyond the usual life-and-times biography to address larger issues in jazz scholarship--ethnography and the role of memory in history's construction. He considers how Monk's stature has grown, from the narrowly focused wing of the avant-garde in the 1960s and '70s to the present, where he is claimed as an influence by musicians of all kinds.
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Thelonious Monk was among the true giants of jazz. His idiosyncratic piano style, sublime compositions, thrilling “live” performances and eccentric personality secured him a place in the pantheon of American music legends. Now with the advent of Thelonious Records (founded by Thelonious Monk’s son T.S. Monk), a treasure chest of never before released concert recordings from the Thelonious Monk archives will be released for the world to hear for the first time ever. The debut of the series, Monk In Paris: Live At The Olympia, documents a historic concert performance from March 7, 1965 in Paris, France. Monk’s legendary quartet with Charlie Rouse on saxophone, Larry Ridley on bass and Ben Riley on drums is featured, while Monk classics such as “Bright Mississippi,” “Epistrophy” and “Well You Needn’t” are treated brilliantly in rousing renditions.
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Pianist and composer Thelonious Monk had a keen sense of his appearance as a celebrity. A bear of a man, he wore fur hats, silk hats, a black beanie from Chinatown, sunglasses with bamboo rims, green suede shoes, and other distinctive attire.
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Thelonious Monk grew up in New York, started playing piano when he was around five, and had his first job touring as an accompanist to an evangelist. He was inspired by the Harlem stride pianists (James P. Johnson was a neighbor) and vestiges of that idiom can be heard in his later unaccompanied solos. However, when he was playing in the house band of Minton's Playhouse during 1940-1943, Monk was searching for his own individual style. Private recordings from the period find him sometimes resembling Teddy Wilson but starting to use more advanced rhythms and harmonies. He worked with Lucky Millinder a bit in 1942 and was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra briefly in 1944 (Williams recorded Monk's "Epistrophy" in 1942 and in 1944 was the first to record "'Round Midnight"), but it was when he became Coleman Hawkins' regular pianist that Monk was initially noticed. He cut a few titles with Hawkins (his recording debut) and, although some of Hawkins' fans complained about the eccentric pianist, the veteran tenor could sense the pianist's greatness.
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Although Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Thelonious Monk's home became New York at the age of four. In the early 1940's he worked as a side man in jazz bands and became house pianist at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem. In this position he had a hand in formulating the bop style by backing up such musicians as Don Byas, Roy Eldridge, and Helen Humes. In 1944 Monk recorded as a member of the Coleman Hawkins Quartet. During this same year his tune 'Round about Midnight was recorded by Cootie Williams. In addition to these recording ventures, Monk was ... playing at the Spotlite Club as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra.
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This previously unreleased live album features Thelonious Monk on piano, Charlie Rose groovin' the alto sax, Steve Swallow, playin' bass, and Ben Riley on drums. Also features The Monterey Jazz Festival Workshop: Buddy Collette—director, saxophone, flute; Lou Blackburn—trombone; Jack Nimitz—baritone saxophone; Bobby Bryant, Melvin Moore—trumpets. Produced by Jimmy Lyons, this album was recorded live at the Monterey Jazz Festival on September 20, 1964. All proceeds from this recording go to Monterey Jazz Festival-supported jazz education programs.
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