Monk [First Edition] 1569247404, 9781569247402

Table of contents :
Contents
1. Youth
2. Minton's
3. Rhythm Section
4. Women
5. Producers I
6. Piano Solo
7. Producers II
8. Saxophones!
9. Full-length Portrait
10. Rouse, the Big Bands
11. Columbia
12. Fade to Black
13. Death

Citation preview

AURENT DE WILDE

$22.95

A

tour-de-force by the acclaimed

jazz pianist Laurent de Wilde,

Monk

personal,

a

is

anecdotal

biography of one of the greatest,

most controversial pianists/composers in

modern music. To penetrate of Monk's

mystery

idiosyncratic

universe,

one needs the

an

and the rigor of an

artist

Laurent de Wilde's

the

sensibility

Monk

of

analyst:

combines

the triple perspective of musician,

and jazz historian to

cultural critic,

portray the peculiar genius of Monk's

music and capture the alchemical

New York jazz fifties,

and

scene of the forties,

sixties.

Laurent

captured the everydayness of his

has

Monk,

bearing, his eccentricities, his

stubbornness and isolation, and the

of women around him.

narrow

circle

Monk

reminds us of the master's

authority, soloists

which reduced the immense

accompanying him

to the

roles of acolytes. Laurent writes of

Monk's

distinctive fingering, of his

producers, engineers and agents, of

money and tours, of the importance of the rhythm section, of saxophones, drugs, and Pannonica, of Nellie, and

of madness.

I

(

\

/[

\

0/^

e

Laurent de

Uf lid

Translated by

Jonathan Dickinson

Marlowe

& Company

New York THOMAS HACKNEY BRASWELL MEMORIAL LIBRARY ROCKY MOUNT, HC 27804

Published by

Marlowe

&

Company

632 Broadway, Seventh Floor

New

NY

York,

10012

Originally published in French as

©

Editions

GALLIMARD,

©

Translation by Jonathan Dickinson

No

All rights reserved.

Monk

Paris, 1996.

1997 by Marlowe

&

Company.

book may be reproduced

part of this

in

any

form without written permission from the publishers, unless by reviewers

who wish

to quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

De Wilde,

Laurent.

[Monk. English]

Monk

/

by Laurent De Wilde; translated by Jonathan Dickinson. p.

cm.

Translation of:

Monk.

ISBN 1-56924-740-4 1.

Monk, Thelonious.

2.

Jazz musicians I.

States

— Biography.

Title.

ML417.M846D4213 786.2'

(paper)

—United 1997

165'092—dc21 97-36668

[B]

CIP

MN Designed by Kathleen Lake

Manufactured

in the

United States of America.

71

Contents

Youth

1

Minton's

Rhythm

14 Section

31

Women

46

Producers

63

I

Piano Solo Producers

II

85 101

Saxophones!

1 1

Full-length Portrait

141

Rouse, the Big Bands

154

Columbia

1

Fade

196

to Black

Death

7

210

n ew York, New York. Man, the place the whole world

was coming

is

to town.

crawling. Like

One

room. Glass, stone, cash, noise, neon,

living

great big fire sirens,

And plenty of jazz. Lookboat when you're coming in

potholes, sweltering summers.

ing at

Manhattan from

from the south of the

the

island,

you

see

something

solid,

lanky and proud. Narrow, muscular shoulders, leanwaisted,

feet

firmly planted.

sprawling and bottom-heavy like Dallas.

tan's

more

No, like

man

New York

like L.A.,

— seen from

street level,

a long-distance runner, or

tears

it's

down and

into the future.

like

eats

And

being backstage.

up the it's

past,

hard

fatso,

or muscle-bound

It

Manhat-

maybe

vaulter. That's just the front, the outside, but

step inside,

no

is

a pole-

when you

shakes, builds,

and crashes headlong

to see

how

this

got the unlikely nickname "the Big Apple."

place ever

An

apple

something nice and sweet, with big round cheeks, stem sticking out innocently.

An

is

its

apple comes from the

Monk

sticks

—

modest and unsophisticated. But

it's

The

just the opposite.

up with

when you come

the nickname; because

you better be sure you're ready, or

play,

lump

New

York's

came

jazz musicians claim they

there to

you'll feel a

your throat you can't swallow, a big Adam's

in

apple.

Coming

to

The

start.

Monk

town was something Thelonious

He was

never had to do.

a

New

Yorker almost from the

biographies, after a few chronological

official

back

backfires, finally trace his birth

North Carolina, on October

10, 1917.

Rocky Mount,

to

While the Russian

Revolution was exploding in the Old World, the United

was quietly celebrating

States

its

And when

birth of a jazz genius.

packed up and moved

to

New

Black October

he was four,

—

York, where they settled

midtown neighborhood of Manhattan known

in the

San Juan

Hill.

Monk

shared

this privilege

adventure Charlie

—

The

Powell.

other pioneers in the bebop

Parker,

Oscar

Art Blakey, all

had

to

Pettiford,

make

middle of

it

from the

He was

the bands of Duke Ellington or Fletcher to

New

live in

York, you

you were missing out on something. So

felt

right

start.

you played jazz and didn't

always

Kenny

the trip to the

Big Apple to prove themselves. Not Monk.

If

Max

the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis,

Clarke, and scores more,

in the

as

of living in the

jazz capital of the world with a chosen few, such as

Roach and Bud

the

his family

when

Henderson came

your town, you dropped whatever you were doing and

down

raced

the nerve

to try

say,

ever get to

York

.

.

.

And

get in backstage.

and were lucky enough, you got

that night with

might

and

some of

the band.

if

to

you had

jam

Then one

later

of them

"You know, you

don't play bad, kid. If you

New

me

York, give

See Harlem

at

last

.

Laurent de Wilde

.

a call." .

.

.

.

Get

to

New

because Harlem meant

class

.

Harlem Rag, Harlem

.

.

Harlem

—

tresses, its pastors

Monk You

Hill, his

masters and mis-

its

move

him

— he was already Before,

it

neighborhood was known

243 West 63rd

in

— he knew. He grew up

became Lincoln Center.

that later

San Juan

only, with

and prophets of jazz.

didn't have to

couldn't fool

gle."

and

the one

Harlem Hunch,

Stride,

Street.

Xanadu.

in the spot

was

called

as "the Jun-

Right next door to the grand

old jazz masters of New York, such as James P.Johnson,

"The Lion" Smith and Stephen "Beetle" Hen-

Willie

derson. Picture Thelonious as a

boy

neighborhood and hearing James working out the chords on

come

his

house

many world money that goes

fires,

the

all

of his

make him

life,

Symphony."

own neighborhood. Two

along with

it

that separates

The home

or

from

to the other shore

Weehawken,

was the

the

end of

and he stopped and away from

—

across the river

New Jersey. Ko-

New Jersey,

has huge bay

that give the visitor a splendid postcard view of skyline.

When

you've spent time in the

of the beast, and you stretch back and view

afar,

you

start to sigh.

more ambiguous than

Nothing can be stranger

seeing

New York

ing room. Born a Rothschild, and with a

nonica,

could

it

of his friend, Baroness Pannonica de

Manhattan

bitter belly it

Toward

into himself

Manhattan from

enigswarter, in

the

— none of

the urge started to fade

moved

the world, he

windows

renown and

tours, international

when he withdrew

playing,

First-class

leave his neighborhood, for there

when

his

through a window

P.

source of his energy and inspiration. his

around

piano of what would be-

"Harlem

famous

The sounds

sounds.

his

strolling

she

was

predestined

to

from her

name

become

like

the

liv-

Panfairy

godmother of the unrecognized geniuses of jazz. Being

Monk

in her

home an

tainly

is

like

skyline

from her windows

is

cer-

aristocratic experience. Just cross the bridge,

and you're back to the cool

in the furnace.

Then

You

Lemonade

in the

innumerable

cats

smoke and

its

on what

reflect

good

—

spirits in

the Baroness's

the

come

Pannon-

just relax at

summer, hot chocolate

winter, always a bottle of grass to

you return

invite musicians to

and rehearse, play Ping- Pong, or

and some

later,

banks on the other side and

you've just seen or heard.

ica's.

And

stepping out of the struggle.

Manhattan

seeing the

in the

cupboard

home, with

grand piano by the window,

its is

a haven of luxury for social outcasts.

Monk

But

came

is

ill,

both physically and mentally.

He

to live with his friend, the Baroness, not to recover,

but to

die.

Twenty-five years and twenty-eight days separate his first

recording for Blue Note, and his final record ap-

pearance with the Giants of Jazz. His musical

begun well last

before,

and would continue long

life

after, his

public appearance taking place in 1976 at the

port Jazz Festival. But twenty-five years

is

had

New-

a good round

number. Twenty-five years that shook the world of music.

Twenty-five years of visionary sounds,

elliptical re-

marks, passion, and patience. Let's take a look.

Laurent de Wilde

1

youth

Thelonious Monk grew up

in the

San Juan

Hill section

of Manhattan, with his mother Barbara Sphere Batts, his older sister

Marion and

his

younger brother Thomas.

His father, Thelonious Senior, returned to the South a

few years

had moved up north, following a

after they

serious illness, or so the story goes.

He dropped

sight completely until his death

nearby Long Island

hospital in 1969,

Juan in

unbeknownst

Hill contained

New

York,

to his son.

one of the

much

in a

Back then, San

largest black populations

bigger than that of Harlem, and

remained a fashionable area up I.

out of

As might be expected, the

houses were in sordid condition.

to the

end of World

several

War

dozen blocks of

More than twenty

thou-

sand blacks lived there, and the neighborhood was shaken by numerous violent revolts in 1905.

San Juan

War

Hill

battle site

diers of the

was named

which was

after the

Spanish-American

valiantly taken

American army

by black

in the struggle for

sol-

Cuban

independence. In

who now

memory of the

populated

this section

Theodore Roosevelt decided newal project

to

efforts

of these veterans,

of Manhattan, President

launch a vast urban

low-income

to provide standard, quality

housing in the area.

The Monk

family

re-

moved

into a

ground-floor apartment in one of the buildings. As the lucky recipient of one of the rare democratic gestures on the part of the ious,

New York

from an early age,

real-estate promoters,

lived in

an

Thelon-

oasis of dignity,

and

modest but welcome comfort, which raised him above the poverty level of most of his fellow blacks. For a long time, this area of

New York

was a center of vital

in the black civil-rights struggle

and

for the recognition

of black culture as an integral part of American

Monk was

gifted with a bright

math and

among

He became

musicians).

life.

mind and was an

ceptional student, particularly in ten the case

activity

ex-

physics

(of-

one of the

very few black students to be accepted into the highly competitive Peter Stuyvesant High School. But he like

something of an outsider.

Of

first

name

your

is

Thelonious,

middle name, Sphere,

is

like

like

when your

course,

and your

father,

your mother's middle name,

and you have aunts and uncles on your with names

felt

Lorenzo and

father's side

Squalillian,

it's

hard

to

go incognito.

The

other kids must have given

school.

trucks,

Hill.

and was adopted

And

nized on

him

a hard time in

stood out early, and long remained a popular

around San Juan

figure

house.

He

all

as

He was

fascinated with

mascot by the

his talent as a basketball player

the local playgrounds. So, by

local fire-

was recog-

all

accounts,

who was perfectly adapted to life in neighborhood. And it was there he soon encountered

he was a boy

Laurent de Wilde

fire

the

the

of his

loves

My

("Ruby, to

become

He

—

Ruby,

first

his

Dear"), and then Nellie, the

and

his wife

when

girl

friend

who was

companion.

lifelong

dropped

im-

it

the family purchased a player piano.

five-year-old

was fascinated by the keys that moved

A player

by themselves.

best

sister's

started off with the trumpet but

mediately

The

life

piano was also the best possible

piano teacher, as you could hear the music while watching the keyboard play

end

goes, that

it

at the

speed you chose. As leg-

was how Art Tatum learned

to play,

adapting player-piano music written for four hands into

music for two hands. This could also explain Thelonious's early taste for "stride" style,

the time,

As

and

available

on player-piano

at

rolls.

in all respectable families, the big sister gets the

piano lessons, and the Later

which was popular

Monk

told of

his sister's shoulder,

little

how

brother learns along with her.

he learned to read music over

but at the age of eleven, he started

taking private lessons from Marion's teacher, Mr. Wolff,

and completed

mony the it

boy only had

to

some people are born with

It is

He

quickly put

by playing

for

neighborhood

and Thelonious

what he learned parties,

knew would be

That was the secular

side of

mother,

The these

St.

Cyprien's Baptist

who

cer-

into practice

and began

practic-

his future profession.

Monk's music. For the

cred, as early as age nine, he spent his

organ of

that

a well-known fact that

this gift,

tainly was.

ing what he already

was soon obvious

hear a tune once to be able to play

on the piano.

effortlessly

with courses in har-

his apprenticeship

at the local conservatory. It

Sundays

sa-

at the

Church accompanying

his

sang in the choir.

only direct allusion

Sundays

in

church

Monk makes is

in his

music to

a brief, 53-second cut on

Youth

Monk's Music ative

albums on

Among

carts.

cording to

is

The cover shows Thelonious

Monk

the

classic

on the

the musicians featured

Coleman Hawkins,

have given

re-

great jazz figure

first

an opportunity, fourteen years ear-

This album could very well be seen as Monk's hom-

lier.

age to his the

his past.

with total nonchalance in one of those

sitting

kiddy

one of the most inform-

(Riverside, 1957),

little

terpoint,

own

past.

And

hymn, arranged is

"Abide With

ler's favorite).

Who

may

if I

for the

Me"

take

even further,

(which was also Fats Wal-

wrote the hymn?

nineteenth-century composer

it

piano in perfect coun-

named

None

other than a

— Monk.

Monk's playing of the organ pedals was a habit he picked up early, and

an integral and

this

kind of foot

movement became

irreversible part of his

even when he was

at the piano.

another bass voice

when you

body language,

You can Monk's

see

complicated figures on the floor while he

is

almost hear feet

making

playing. For

the piano has, at the most, only three very limited things called "expression pedals."

down

there?

the only one

By

An

A-flat?

who

What

A low

could hear

G?

is

that he's playing

Unfortunately, he was

it!

the age of seventeen, with the concerned but con-

fident support of his mother, he

come a

professional musician.

was determined

He

actually

to be-

began with

church music. For nearly two years he toured the States with a traveling female evangelist and gospel singer.

band

that

The

backed up the wandering preacher's sermons

consisted of trumpet, saxophone, drums,

and piano. As

Monk

"Rock

himself said, with laconic humor,

or rhythm and blues. That's what

now

they put different words to

healed,

An

we were it.

'n' roll,

doing.

Only

She preached and

and we played."

unlikely beginning for the

Laurent de Wilde

man who was

to

become

one of the chief

of the bebop revolution!

instigators

Monk didn't have to dream about making the journey to New York, for he was already there. And he didn't set his sights

band.

on finding a place

Monk was

in the

sun with some big

neither pushy nor impatient.

This was certainly an essential episode in Monk's apprenticeship.

And

there

nothing surprising about the fact

is

that he started his career in church.

That

is

the well from

many black American musicians first draw their musical inspiration. One could do a musical analysis of Monk's style, and its connection to the common core rep-

which

so

ertoire of

church music. For example, the almost

simplicity of his voicings,

which are new yet

which

shift

And

there

familiar.

herence of these chords to the melody dictate the

harmony,

biblical

according to rules is

the constant ad-

which

lines

so often

as in the majority of hymns.

But to go off on tour with an evangelist for such a long time

much

is

and of considerable importance. So

rarer

has been written on

this

type of music

—

classified,

according to the instrumentation, as either "soul music," "gospel," or to

"Negro

under the

"church music"

spirituals,"

broader,

—

that

and more

more

little

easily referred

heading of

colloquial

can be added.

We

Europe-

ans hear something different in that expression: at worst

"Nearer

My God

to

uiem. However, for in particular

Thee," or

Monk,

it

at best,

was Baptist church music

he played, music of a

much more

and physical experience. This music

movement.

It is

the very

bond

Mozart's Req-

calls for

intense

dance and

that joins the congregation

together in their elevation toward God.

It is

the

rhythm

of mystical ecstasy.

For the jazz musician, playing

some

this

kind of music raises

interesting points, particularly:

For

whom Youth

is

the

music played?

A

simple question, but

an entire world of

asmuch

as the jazz player

answer

its

attitudes, aesthetics,

and

an improviser, he

is

entails

lifestyles.

sets

In-

him-

apart from most other musicians of classical, pop,

self

rock, or traditional forms

a composition, and play

who

it

"one" version of

cling to

same way from one con-

the

cert to the next. If they try to

change something

routine during a concert, the audience will

known

pleasure

— they don't want anyone

make

in the its

dis-

violating their

certitudes.

Furthermore, the

musician has to confront

classical

the delicate problem of interpretation, which brings

an

infinite

science.

number of

professional

The rock musician

decisions

up

of con-

confronts the problem of en-

ergy (the secrets of which range anywhere from diet to

numerology, according to the depth of

his convictions).

But they are both freed from the obligation which

re-

quires the jazz musician, in each of his concerts, to attain

improvisatory excellence, while maintaining the constant

renewal of the means for reaching improvising

And

is

to

it.

The

challenge of

be ever new, and always good.

then, usually, a musician will play music for

someone

else:

the

symphony member

for

the

prima

donna, the pop player for the lead singer, the dance band for the dancers.

But jazz as

it

was played

in

Monk's time

wasn't for any one group to the exclusion of others. it

referred back to

self,

for

it

is

itself.

The jazz musician

only within that world that he can find the

necessary inventiveness for each also plays for the other

what he

And

vital for

10

delivers takes

finally,

him

First,

plays for him-

moment. Second, he

members of

them

in

the band, because

one direction or another.

he plays for the audience. Their attention to

is

reach the right degree of concentration,

Laurent de Wilde

and

enthusiasm

their

the only true index of shared

is

pleasure.

Some might classical type

say the problems are the same for the

known

of music

that case, the musician

chamber music. But

as

from the

is,

start, at

in

the service

of an ideal version which he must submit to and toward

which he

At home he practices a phrase twenty-

aspires.

times to give

five

it

the proper dynamics, precision,

emotion. In jazz, there

to turn out. Aside in a solo

and

roll,

is

no

know how

former does not

ideal version,

sees

what happens. The only references

And

lets it

to cling

band, and perhaps the

the major danger consists of closing your-

only plays for himself

is

isolated

from the group,

and becomes hermetic. The one who only plays ers will

who

going

from one of these references. The jazz musician

self off

who

is

from a few basic conventions, nothing

to are yourself, the rest of the

audience.

and the per-

the present version

prepared ahead of time. The player

is

and

become

dull

only plays for the audience

will estrange

for oth-

and impersonal. And the musician

himself from his

—

art,

slowly but surely he

because he

have

will

sold his soul along the way.

When you come

don't

illustration

are playing church music, these problems

up.

The band

is

of one aspect or another of the sermon. But

the most important function

becomes the sermon the

spirit.

The

no longer an tion.

Of

there to provide a musical

—

is

that the music eventually

the music embodies the faith

issue.

Everything

is

blended in a

single

emo-

course this type of music does not encourage

daring improvisation; nevertheless sician to take

hymn

and

musician, the band, and the audience are

an

instinctive,

it

requires each

mu-

improvised approach to the

being played. Each player has to find the most

Youth

11

appropriate expression of while he

The

is

communal

this

playing.

essential part this

musical education

is

music plays in the jazz musician's

obvious.

It

awakens the sense of com-

munity which alone can prevent him from of improvisatory music.

pitfalls

from the beginning the ing

for. It

experience,

vital

falling into the

enables

It

him

imposes that balance which

is

can hear so

I

Not

much

in the

Bobby Timmons does

rest.

manner

And

very na-

exhibitionism.

of, as

Horace

making

it

Silver or

much

Monk's way of

single note, or of

deeper,

solidifying a

speak by a single

then there are his melodies, both swinging and

simple, repeated twenty times, like a mischievous

This

is

mu-

"churchy" chord, or a

so well. Rather, in a

radical sense: namely,

band with a

its

of the church in Thelonious's

in the stylistic sense of a

rhythm repeated

more

play-

so difficult to find in

among hermeticism, convention and

jazz

sic.

it

is

supports the ego, opens out onto the world, and

awakens a person's sense of the mystical. By ture,

to clarify

question of whom he

hymn.

not to be confused with the traditional sense of

Milt Jackson's standard quotation, "Everybody wants to

know where my it

style

comes from, where

comes from the church." Thelonious

I

get

Well,

didn't get his style

from the church, but rather the very soul of

By touring

it.

his music.

the States extensively with an evangelist, he

witnessed the constantly renewed spectacle of the lan-

guage of

faith infused

with music. Music that speaks.

Music that makes people dance. Music ear to the regions where the soul too,

more

unshakable

serene.

That

is

is

that

elevated, wilder, and,

the music of Thelonious.

faith in himself, in his

work, and in

that guides him, shines forth each time he

the piano. ism, 12

He

draws the

sits

An

a power

down

at

has a strange and characteristic magnet-

and a way of

getting attention with just

Laurent de Wilde

one note.

To me,

this reveals

a mystical belief in his art which he

acquired quite young. According to

And Monk had

religion

on

all sides. First

of

all

from

mother Barbara, who became a Jehovah's Witness

the 1940's. His younger brother

blue uniform, but he

one of

kill

his

left

Thomas

NYPD

the police for fear of having to

own. Converted by

became a Jehovah's Witness.

So,

his

mother, he too

on the one hand, from

mother and brother there was the unquestioning

in the sacred texts,

and on

which caused

from the family horizon.

to disappear completely

Sadly, even today, fathers' disappearances families of

modest circumstances

nately, the scenario

is

often

or else he went out for a the case of the

Monk

faith

the other, his father's mys-

terious illness, a carefully-kept family secret

him

in

toyed with the

and then put on the

idea of boxing professionally,

his

accounts, this be-

emerged full-blown when he was only an adolescent.

lief

his

all

much

stroll,

family,

is

from black

common. Unfortu-

simpler

— Dad's

in jail,

and never came back. In

where moral strength and

a belief in one's dignity were taken for granted, the father's

absence remained a question mark.

And

the chil-

dren could guess, by the embarrassed silence of the aunts

and

uncles, that the mystery of that absence

heavily

on

would weigh

their destinies.

Youth

13

inlon's

i

.onk

left

adolescence and approached adulthood as a

jack-of- all-trades piano player.

panied singer Helen Albany,

New

Humes

He

for

said to have

is

accom-

two years (1936-37),

in

York, where Prohibition, and the presence

of a corrupt mayor, had paradoxically encouraged people to indulge themselves, and, in so doing, to listen to jazz.

At that time, Thelonious must have seen

of the wild to

side.

He would

have learned what

be a black youth in a violent and

He

surely

racist

saw the police working hand

his share it

meant

urban context.

in glove

with the

gangsters they were supposed to be prosecuting. Friends

of his being beaten up because they opened their mouths at the

wrong

time.

right in front of

him while he got small change

night's work. This

ticeship

if

Thousands of dollars changing hands

was

you were

to

without getting in too

all

for a

part of the required appren-

make

much

it

through your twenties

trouble.

— And

1939 he turned up as piano player in a Chi-

in

nese restaurant next to the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.

According

Mary Lou Williams who heard him

to

in

Kansas City when he came through there with the evangelist,

Thelonious

—who was only eighteen

already had a style

own.

all his

He was

not even twenty,

but was already determined to follow his

sound of his own. But the

find a style

— he

made no

from "playing the

many

— never prevented

him

never talked much, but

years later, he briefly mentioned this period:

of things in

lot

Monk

own path and

originality of his playing

concessions

gig."

at the time

always

remember

the

bad

landed at Minton's in the

Monk had

remember

are hard to

life

stuff."

.

.

"A

but you

.

But by the time he

late 1930s,

he was experienced.

been around.

Minton's Playhouse was a Harlem jazz club located

210 West

at

18th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Av-

1

enues, a few blocks from the mythical Apollo Theater,

where so many black

won

ious

first

artists

prize at the

began

Thelon-

their careers.

famous Wednesday amateur

night so often that he was eventually barred from entering

it.

With

his usual

good

fided that this rebuff convinced professional. Minton's

ideas

which made

musicians. the food sician

The

was

acts.

him

it

sets

But Henry Minton had two great

was

with Harlem jazz

to provide a free

said to be excellent) each

who was

to turn

each night, interspersed

his club a favorite

first

was time

con-

had the usual jazz-club format,

with a concert in several with various other

Monk

sense, years later

playing at the Apollo

Every Monday, on their day

off,

the

dinner (and

week

down

to

any mu-

the street.

cream of the

jazz-

—

men would come by from the bands of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, and so many others. Little

Minton's

15

by

many

little,

of them got in the habit of stopping by

on other nights

after their shows, thus

adding to the

little

club's prestige.

The

other great idea was to organize an

session after the house

band had played

a very clever commercial

came by

jam

to

wound up

free.

This was

who

the musicians

The proximity

of the Apollo

these first-class sessions. Saxophonist

renowned band leader Teddy monies, and he chose

Hill

was master of

Kenny Clarke

Kenny brought

band.

—

its sets.

started off eating for free, but then

playing for

made

naturally

move

jam

official

in

Joe

cere-

house

to lead the

Guy on

and

trumpet, bassist

Nick Fenton and, on piano, Thelonious Monk.

For a jazz musician's development, playing vital:

when

playing music which

provisation,

it's

essential to

and your mind on the

ear,

many

are

things

is

so

in a club

is

dependent on im-

sharpen your

reflexes,

spot. In other

your

words, there

you can only learn on the bandstand.

At home, you can practice a phrase, a tune, or a chord as

much

as

you want. But when you're on the bandstand,

any number of outside

factors

can

affect

prepared work. The band might choose

the house piano

you have the

same

to find

it

in a

is

out of tune in one octave and

another spot on the keyboard to play

Maybe the trumpet player has indigestion down a hasty dinner and skips a line in the

idea.

from wolfing

The drummer might be

distracted for a

moment by some girl's smile and turns And that means trouble. Or the bass is

the beat around.

opening

quality

The

16

to play

key or tempo than the one you've practiced.

different

Maybe

your carefully

bars.

and pitch of the accompaniment

list is

endless.

Laurent de Wilde

too is

soft,

and the

compromised.

So,

when you

young musician with sharp, new

are a

you must find a club where you can

ideas about jazz,

same band, a place

play on a regular basis with the

which

a kind of laboratory for your ideas.

will serve as

makes

Practice

why

perfect, as the saying goes. That's

the jazz clubs play such an important part in the devel-

opment of this music. And can, go

that's

and hear a jazz band

why

I'd rather,

in a club rather

when

than

in

I

a

concert hall where some of that essential spontaneity can

be

lost.

But what were the oppportunities for jazz musicians to play in 1940?

There were hotel ballrooms and dance

which usually had big bands. These were

halls

great, but

was written out and highly arranged. There

the music

were radio broadcasts, usually direct from these

from the

had

its

constraints, too, as

to give the listeners shorter versions, with

solos.

A

thing.

And

go,

This had

studios.

good

and

exercise,

trying out

new

work, what counts

when

the player

is

material.

It is

And

you

abridged

maybe, but not quite the

then there was the club.

or

halls,

real

ideal for letting

even

if it

doesn't

And

then,

not afraid or holding back, he

starts

is

to just

jump

right in!

playing better and coming up with ideas

like

never be-

fore.

So there was

magnet

for

Monk

at Minton's.

whomever was

would be a mistake

The

club was like a

New

playing in

York, but

it

to think that, at that time, the club

was offering a completely modern and abstruse music which broke with contemporary standards. That was from the

case.

But the players were looking, hunting, and

experimenting without knowing where

A

far

trumpet player

like

Joe Guy,

for

it

was

all

leading.

example, wasn't

Minton's

17

revolutionary.

Hot

among Minton's

Lips Page or Herbie Fields,

who were and

regulars, weren't modernists

didn't

consider themselves as such.

One circle

of the only indisputable innovators in that inner

of club musicians, aside from Clarke or

the guitarist Charlie Christian.

embelished a

new and

paniment

The new instrument

to step out of the standard

for

which he was known and

his solos like a hit

New

al-

rhythmic accomto start phrasing

trumpet or a saxophone. As soon as he

Goodman

York, Benny

The problem was

band.

mastered and

very simple technical idea: the

amplified, or electric, guitar.

lowed him

He had

Monk, was

invited

him

Goodman,

that

to join the

the clarinetist,

even though he hired certain members of the black musical elite

of the day, was primarily using them for his

advantage, leaning on them to highlight his as

own

talent

an instumentalist and improviser.

The

hierarchy was obvious and, though

the best-paid jobs around,

Benny's way. As a certs

ended,

where he could play

as

was one of

no musician could ever

result, as

Christian

it

get in

soon as one of Benny's con-

headed

many

straight

solos as

for

Minton's

he liked without

having to worry about upstaging anyone.

The Harlem

sessions served a crucial purpose:

when

a musician finished his work, he could enjoy himself

without worrying about losing his forgotten that these were

should not be

gig. It

young musicians, who were

try-

ing to earn a living in the touring bands, the leaders of

which were more preoccupied with making ends meet than with musical innovation. But Monk's position was special as his gig at Minton's

and was not

just

an

earned him

outlet for letting off

his livelihood,

steam

after the

constraints of conventional bands. So, with the (

18

ilarke quartet,

he was

at the

Kenny

very heart of this laboratory

Laurent de Wilde

of musical research. And, contrary to

all

from other bands who stepped up

guests

Monk had

to give his

work

all

the visiting

to the stand,

and con-

the seriousness

centration required of a steady musical job.

A A

few recordings of these nights

young student

Columbia University named Jerry

at

Newman was lucky enough and playing

mime like

act.

to

own

a device for recording

which he used

records,

in the club for a

His performances to recordings of celebrities

Roosevelt

pleasers.

Minton's survive.

at

were

Churchill

or

definitely

But Jerry was well aware of the quality of the

He

music being played around him.

took advantage of

and recorded a number of nights

the situation

ton's (as well as in other clubs), recordings still

crowd-

on

surface regularly

world (claiming that

it's

at

Min-

which now

pirate labels throughout the

Monk you

can hear behind

Charlie Christian, although, unfortunately, they were

never recorded together). According to those

who were

do not do

justice to

there at the time, these records

Monk's "troubling" modernism. But

some idea of what was going on

it is

possible to gain

Minton's during the

at

developing years of the young pianist.

What

strikes

me

the pulse of these recordings. In

first is

the early 1940s, the killer grooves in

and the

from Kansas

City,

sas City, too:

Ben Webster,

Charlie

Parker,

and

It

swung,

"clock time," and

it

It

was the "in"

to

thing,

wanted more. This rhythmic idea served soloists

of

all

styles,

young or

Basie.

Basie's

any swing band any-

grooved.

made you want

it

sweep second-hand.

Count

finest in

rocked,

it

came from Kan-

Lester Young, Jo Jones, soon

especially

rhythm section was the where.

killer soloists

New York came

old,

They played

jump

like

the

and everybody as a basis for

classic or

modern.

Minton's

19

They

in

all fitted

by the hour,

wanted

that never

Like

and the red carpet seemed

music

to stop.

Monk

the others,

all

to roll out

inviting everyone in to the kind of

adopted

approach, and

this

on the records he plays the piano accordingly, "in the

meant

old style," as he often later did in solo. This

"pump"

ing the

with the

play-

hand, in the pure

left

stride

tradition (a bass note alternating every other beat with a

maximum

chord), for

swing. But the advantage of this

technique,

if

you have an open-enough mind,

hand

is

free to

right

into this

do whatever

opening and

built

that the

Monk plunged

wants.

up and over

and

creating colors, rhythms,

it

is

hand,

his left

hand

figures with a right

as free as the breeze.

The

hand was

left

Take away

the

back

and the

hand and

left

of twenty years

classic,

later.

to the jazz of

there

Remove

right

would be the

and

the right,

twenty years

was modern.

it

The

earlier.

heard somebody using a similar technique, Pullen, shortly before he died.

On

would be time

last it

Monk

was

I

Don

a standard type of

composition, with a repetitive rhythmic figure, he beat out the regular pulse of the tune with his

improvised compeletely "free" with effect

left

hand.

his right

was unforgettable: comfort and

hand, and

The

combined;

surprise

sweet and sour; the sun alongside the moon. But, wasn't the

or technical performance

stylistic

immediately captivating. contrary,

it

It

wasn't mere flourish.

was magical and

it

was so

that

On

the

that combination released

unsuspected dynamic powers. But

it's all

hell to control!

Better not play at sorcerer's apprentice with magic like that or you'll be in so

watch your

of the reasons

step!

deep trouble quick.

why Monk

later

big family of free-jazz players.

20

It's like

This early technique

Laurent de Wilde

charmed

From

is,

so

I

voodoo;

think,

many

one

of the

his early days,

he

had found a way and

to get

ing brand-new sounds.

new

One man

And

He

was

it

the one

is

who

and

disturbing.

and people come out

new

may have owed

political.

and

He was the man who spoke. He

things

says

hear the

to

talk

is

pre-

new,

are

that

Then, good

articles get writ-

new

music.

musicians had an agenda, as well.

nothing to Lenin, but

With the jazz of the

bop," there appeared a contract: blacks

he wasn't camera-

someone who can

when he

especially

This army of It

"Dizzy" Gil-

theorized, staked the claim

link with the press, as

for a journalist,

interesting,

ten

He

the scattered troops together.

was usually the

cious,

there, at Minton's,

times: John Birks

ambassador of the "new ideas," the

And

mak-

for

stood out in the midst of these innovators.

who brought

shy.

— good and red

was simmering.

recipe

embodied the voice of the lespie.

lava to flow

His was a new energy; a machine

telluric.

that the

new

new

it

was

definitely

1940s, quickly labeled "be-

deal in the

were beginning

New York

social

speak out and to de-

to

fend certain positions. America was at war, and in order to

send

had

to

men

to the front,

some of the pressure

home

at

be relaxed. Under the aegis of their mouthpiece

Dizzy, whose verve as an orator was equaled only by his

instrumental dexterity, a mass of black individuals gath-

who

ered

reflected

growing discontent.

jazzmen of the day, however, be the only ones

ken

protest.

spoke so

Max

—

officially

Monk and

— not

Parker would

certitude: their art

intellectual of

Blakey, Oscar Pettiford or all

the great

louder than words. But whether

Roach, the most

another they

all

to join in the outspo-

They shared a profound

much

Of

Kenny

them

all,

Clarke, one

it

was

or Art

way

spoke out against the unbearable

or

official

racism that existed at the time.

Minton's

21

But

of

to return to the birth

known

that the majority of

this

new

music,

it is

well

bebop tunes are based on a

paraphrase of compositions that already existed. By using the

harmonic

lines

of the hit tunes of the day, the hop-

much

pers did not really compose, as

as they pirated. In

response to the flourishing "variety music"

whose success was indebted

wound up

profits

his followers figured they

and whose

to black music,

in the white

industry

man's pocket, Dizzy and

were only getting

own

their

back. For example, none of Charlie Parker's compositions,

except for perhaps Confirmation, was based on an

original

chord progression. This

Monk, but

we'll

come back

not the case with

is

that later.

to

The

over-

arching system of Bird and Diz's chord substitutions enriched the original material and supported

all

kinds of

musical diversity, the fluid strangeness of which exploded the conventions of improvisation.

The

titles

new

themselves of these

celebrate the advent of a

new

tunes seemed to

music which

spirit in this

America (and Europe of the time) would only accept in its

danceable, hedonistic, and most basic form.

eysuckle Rose" or

"On

the

Sunny Side of

"Hon-

the Street"

would be replaced by "Evidence" or "Now's the Time." I

at

always loved Bird's cynical irony in naming "Relaxin' Camarillo," the blues he wrote while he was a patient

at the California psychiatric hospital

of the same name.

But whether iconoclastic or innovative, called

bebop became,

lectuals.

Up

at the time,

an

this

affair

to then, the appeal of jazz

new

of the

had been

jazz

intel-

its

im-

mediacy and body -language. Now, ideas were becoming part of the music as well.

As a matter of fact, some tem-

pos were too hard to dance

encompass them

to,

to the exclusion

tobiography, Dizzy Gillespie 22

and only the mind can

Laurent de Wilde

of the body. In his au-

insists

on the

intellectual

and musical authority he

trumpet player acquired

as a

by being familiar with the piano, the most instruments.

all

Throughout

his life

intellectual of

he taught the mys-

of that orchestra of black and white keys to

teries

ever would

The

listen.

whom-

generation of melodists would be

replaced by the proud and exclusive club of harmonists.

And nothing was spared to keep this To protect themselves from the older were always ready

jam

to give lessons in the course of the

tempos, which

them back

filtered

out undesirables and sent

to practice their instruments.

complex range of

more treacherous

as

here

made

And

and

flatted ninths, fifths,

passing and substitute chords,

And

who

musicians

boppers took refuge behind the speed-

sessions, the

of-light

club exclusive.

the vast

thirteenths,

the terrain even

for the uninitiated musician.

Monk

stepped in as "High Priest of Bebop,"

he was so elegantly baptised when, around 1946,

this

music acquired a name, a body of tunes, leadership, and articles in the

ideas

had

strongest.

to think. It

Kenny when

Of all his contemporaries, his And to play Monk's music, one

newspapers.

were the

is

no accident that he was, along with

Clarke, the author of an early bopper anthem:

they wanted to get rid of somebody, they went into

amazing "Epistrophy." The tempo was not impos-

the

sible

and a But

lot

much of that new

of tunes at the time were played

contained

all

the idiosyncrasies

school of playing, from

its

melody with strange

faster.

to

its

it

harmonic structure based on

intervals

This was

half-steps.

not a rhythmic repellent, but a harmonic one.

your head, not your

step!

At the time, America considered ideas into music as nothing short of

the

mind had been banished from

great genius

Duke

Watch

Ellington

this

invasion of

new

impudence. Not that

jazz before

bop

had been making

M

i

n

t

o n

his

'

s

—

the

mark 23

— mention only one other, Art Tatum

for years.

And,

had been

thrilling the

to

most eminent musicologists,

in-

cluding pianist Vladimir Horowitz. But these were individuals,

and not

and even respected on

assimilated, pers,

They were

schools.

on the other hand, were a

accepted, tolerated,

own. The hop-

their

tight-knit

group held

together by a compact and incendiary agenda.

Monk, with

his strange silences,

enigmatic smiles, and

Ham-

of what Dashiell

his general attitude reminiscent

And

mett referred to as "the other side of a half-wit," em-

bodied irony and protest more than anyone

Dizzy

else.

always expressed his positions on subjects concerning black

life

with verve and brio.

own

developed sense of

his

criticism of a cruel

and

strike the fine line

sician of genius

He

could combine a highly

affairs

with an outspoken

which enabled him

and an

He was

racist society.

to

able to

be both a mu-

entertainer, without

becoming a

made

buffoon. His exuberance had charm, but never

him appear

ridiculous.

Monk,

too,

had a head

exuberance, with his wild hats, his glasses, and

comments. But to

Monk

charm

himself.

So the

first

thing about

wasn't a charmer.

him

recalled the spoken word, the magical

his lips.

when he

made

his desire to

when he put

His entire appearance changed

he expressed himself with his later,

was playing

savory

only sought

voice you heard belonged to Diz. Every-

chant. His cheeks swelled out amazingly

trumpet to

He

his

of

full

the

when

horn. And, a few years

twisted the bell of his trumpet up, he

in the

speak even more

visible.

Cab Calloway band, he

Diz the Whiz, a swinging hip

cat,

When

he

sang, "I'm

Diz the Whiz!"

He

was already "rapping"; the forefather of acid jazz Dizzy could

And 24

I

talk the talk.

he was also the link between Parker and Monk.

Laurent de Wilde

For, not far

from Minton's,

at

same thing was going

the

a place called Monroe's,

The Monroe

on.

Clark and Jimmy, had opened a club

had the

by law, had aged

to

flocked to

when

A.M. As clubs,

The word was

Of

in!"

sit

—

at

Bird's playing with Diz,

the next day.

made

a huge leap forward in only a few years.

many

call

a healthy

jam

war,

to the scene,

the

not really what

clubs, a set at one,

ambassador.

things started to settle

were well on

that the boppers

On

lifestyle.

at the other, like a jazz

when

it's

between the two

Gillespie shuttled

a

till

not surprising that the music

musicians died far too young, for

when you add drugs you'd

it's

sleep

dusk and went on up

noon

So

make

out: "Let's

nobody got much

course,

back then. The music began

other hand,

man-

they'd finished playing their gigs,

Monroe's Uptown House

and we can

at 4:01

an "after-hours" place that jazzmen of all

or jamming at Minton's. it

Minton's which

to close at four A.M. they ingeniously

to create

styles

"opening"

particularity of

like

brothers,

And

after the

down, people could

their

way

to creating

see

some-

thing totally new. But here again, something exceptional

was happening. Logically, the

Monk

movement, and wound up

body

else.

when he

1947 playing

like

every-

However, he had been composing. And

in '47,

cut his

had about

should have followed

as

first

much

in

record for Blue Note, that

to

do with bebop

as

company

Louis-Ferdinand

Celine did with the Surrealists. Andre Breton and Celine

were only two years apart, but what a difference! side,

a charismatic individual

who

and network; and on the other, a dependent

major

artist.

difficulty

As music

with Monk's

critic first

young musicians who could play others were swept

up

started a

On one

whole school

totally solitary

and

Paul Bacon says,

in-

"The

recordings was in finding his

music." While

all

the

into the exalting constellations of

Minton's

25

Monk dug in and cut his own path.

Bird and Diz,

Diz hired him for

Monk was

his

band, but

In 1946,

and

didn't last long,

it

soon replaced by John Lewis.

And yet ... it is impossible to imagine bop without Monk. He was there when it all began, and yet it's as if, at a certain

moment, he decided

on without edly, this

me

I

had been

time passed,

his attitude

became

it

he'd go round from one

He

long.

to say, Later fellas;

you can go

got another scene to make.

clearer:

jam

Undoubt-

from the beginning, but

door was always open

his

Still,

—

Monk

was on

own.

his

to other musicians,

session to the next

all

as

and

night

wasn't sitting alone in his corner, just mulling

over his tunes; on the contrary, he was at the heart of the action.

came ell.

He was

to

his

in

Harlem knew who Thelonious Monk was,

name was

character in

uttered with respect. But just like the

Rudyard

Kipling's Just-So Stories, he

The Cat That Walked by

And

got what from

flatted

minor

fifth

been asking about

whom? Was

Diz

it

chords to Bird?

Monk's material? Was

was

Himself.

the big question that musicologists

torians have always

Who

man who

be known as the real bop piano player, Bud Pow-

Everyone

and

the spiritual big brother of the

Max Roach

and jazz

this

who

And

his-

period

is,

taught the

did he steal

influenced by Blakey?

Did Bud push the music further than

Bird,

and was Bird

jealous of him? Concerning this period in the history of jazz, the question of genealogy local

is

hobby club was awarding a

inevitable.

As

if

the

prize for the "inventor

of bebop." What's the point? There's always someone else.

When

speaking of Charlie Christian, Dizzy says he

was nothing compared

to

John

Collins,

more harmonically advanced. And

who was much

there

was no better

judge than Diz. But then you could also ask John Collins 26

I

Laurent de Wilde

who gave him

And

the spark to start playing like he did.

so on. Jazz, like

all

the other arts, has always encouraged

healthy competition. This cat's better than that one; so-

So what? Because

and-so's better, et cetera.

you wind up

The

sad thing

that's the

Be ner.

is

all,

when you begin

and

that's

what counts.

choose just one, for

to

beginning of dogmatism and the end of

that as

may,

it

Monk was

writing

away

of hip Harlem

art.

in his cor-

And, from the moment he was admitted

select circle

as

them

listening to

in the end,

into the

musicians, he was recognized

an unparalleled composer. The other musicians spent time working on improvisation techniques

their

— on

playing the complex harmonies that were substituted for the ones

you usually heard, with speed and

Monk. In to the

fact,

he developed

tempo

his improvisation

chosen tune and tempo.

same type of phrase

The

tune.

He

for a ballad as

their

Not

according

wouldn't play the

he would for an up-

boppers, on the other hand, would

practice a phrase slowly, then faster

worked

dexterity.

way up

to the desired

and

faster, until

tempo.

they

A funny thing

happens, then, in the "up-tempo" tunes, for you are tening to music that's going too fast for your ears.

lis-

The

boppers' dexterity consisted of stringing phrases together in a steady

cadence

intelligence that after

—phrases

that are

gems of musical

all

can only be appreciated a few seconds

you've heard them.

It is

a sort of cascading ecstasy.

Like a necklace of rare pearls, strung together one by

one

at top speed.

Which

memorable interview was

listening to

some slow point, for

solos it

in

led Thelonious to say, in a

Downbeat magazine, when he

an Art Pepper record,

sounded

"It

speeded up, to me." This

is

an

like

essential

once again brings up the question of impro-

visation in general,

and

and harmonies of each

its

relation to the specific

tempo

tune.

M

i

n

t

o n

'

s

27

Word was lot

was

getting around: Thelonious

raising a

of questions. Well, not verbal ones, as he wasn't ex-

actly talkative, but

ferent

from

wanted

to

all

by

his highly personal music, so dif-

do was

to disassociate him,

the

make

he was the

all

hard

as

it

is

young musicians who were

the

and new harmonies,

about the only one offering

just

something new and unique.

now, but a tune

just as

it is

wave of boppers,

use of new tunes

and

first,

first

So

he

because they're the ones he raised

the questions for. For so anxious to

later said himself, all

to write nice songs.

him with

to associate

As he

the trends.

It

may be hard

"Round Midnight" was

like

imagine

to

unbeliev-

Not from a

ably difficult for an improviser back then.

technical point of view, but because of the effort required just to get it

it

to

sound

Miles Davis confessed that

right.

took him years to be able to play

Monk swamped

his

let's

way he wanted.

the

contemporaries with atypical tunes,

forcing the improviser to

Okay, hold on;

it

see

sit

how

down and

say to himself,

thing works.

this

Whereas

the other tunes of nascent bebop seem to favor reflexes,

and

symmetries,

ready-made

Monk's tunes are

like

own

its

sake

—

you want

tunes,

trouble

far

way

a roadblock barring the

And

routine, systematic improvisation. for

most

progressions,

from

to play

it.

them

As soon .

.

.

and

to

not difficulty

it is

as

of

you hear the

that's

where the

starts.

The boppers soon invaded 52nd there were the

become an

Street. In the

1930s,

"uptown" clubs of Harlem which had

essential center of black culture,

and the

"downtown" clubs of 52nd Street. This was the standard split in

the jazz world between "black" clubs

clubs. In short,

downtown was

tourists, artificially

28

I

the showcase of jazz for

condensed into a

Laurent de Wilde

and "white"

single street

where

connoisseurs, curiosity seekers, or

celebrators,

sailors,

was the

journalists could take their ears for a treat. This

Disney World

and the upper

signs,

you had the

knew what was going

Up

on,

there, the average listener

and was

mu-

familiar with the

bands, the various influences and the history

sicians, the

Harlem adopted

of jazz.

But uptown,

crust out slumming.

real stuff.

neon

Street hawkers, flashing

of jazz.

went down

to

52nd

the hoppers long before they

and

Street,

why

that's

they are

still

talking about Minton's, Monroe's, the Apollo, or the Sa-

When

voy Ballroom.

you're black,

You go down

you go

to school.

money,

to get seen

by the

big wheels, the agents

to

uptown 52nd

the place

is

Street for the

journalists, get

heard by the

and the record companies. Harlem

wasn't off-limits to white musicians; there were just very

who were open

few of them

And

bop.

as the general trend in

that white culture

the

business

wanted it

to

new music known

to the

which had

Harlem was

for so long

and commercial aspects of

make

you

it,

really

had

should be added that segregation,

York

in the

damn good mentality

bloom

—

it

you earned your But earning a

him

whom with

Club

living living

who

you

if

in effect in

Max

New

Roach, a

sort of caste

52nd

Street,

by playing. was never a major preoccupation

at the Spotlite alongside

Kenny Clarke

On

didn't join the others in their in-

he would make

in

jazz;

encouraged a

vasion of that famous Swing Street. see

still

In Harlem, you played.

for Thelonious,

monopolized

a hothouse in which black culture could

like

freely.

Harlem

to reject

to dig in. In closing,

1940s, was, according to

thing: in

as

his first

Of course you would

Coleman Hawkins

recording a year

at Kelly's Stable, or

even

(with

later);

at the

or

Onyx

August of '43 with the Dizzy Gillespie band. But

never with a band under his

own name. He was

Minton's

too 29

young, too introverted, and

He

his

wasn't playing the game.

music was too

He

difficult.

already had his

own

voice and he was perfecting a style in which he was de-

veloping not only an extremely

but also nothing

30

less

than a

modern

idea of harmony,

new approach

Laurent de Wilde

to

rhythm.

Rhythm Section

hen you're

mer It's

strolling

a hillside street on a sum-

night after a few drinks, you just feel like singing.

almost automatic: momentarily released from the pull

of gravity, walking start to sing is

down

is

effortless,

—whatever comes

resonant, jazz

if it's

to

worries fade, and you

mind: opera

dark, or the Beatles

if

if

the street

you're really

drunk. Having had their sleep disturbed so often, people

who

live

on a

hillside street are well

aware of

this

phe-

nomenon. That life is

feeling of rich

simple and

all

and natural

sounds are in tune

closest thing to the feeling

section.

When

you have

the

rhythm

A passable

section

slip

rhythm

is,

I

where

believe, the

you get from a good rhythm is

to climb, carrying a big

arm, being careful not to stones.

weightlessness,

bad,

it's

like

a

hill

package under your

on the rain-soaked cobble-

section

is

bordered by orderly rows of plain

road

like

a long

trees

—you keep on

flat

walking, striding regularly, straight ahead to your destination.

When Monk was

in the

began

piano player, jazz

his career as a

midst of inventing a

new

instrumental color:

and piano.

the close combination of the bass, drums,

That's what you saw in it's

bebop bands. Since

the

all

become such a standard format

imagine that anything 1940s,

might

that

it's

difficult to

ever existed. Yet in the early

else

was brand-new. But what about Basie? one

it

he had a guitar player, and not just any

say. Well,

human

guitar player, but Freddie Green, the

nome. In

in the late

dropped the drums,

like

metro-

drum combos

piano, bass, guitar, and

fact,

were everywhere

Some groups even

1930s.

Nat King Cole or Clarence

but not having a guitar was unthinkable.

Profit,

then,

Its

rhyth-

mic and harmonic contribution, which blended marvelously with both the piano syncopation

was too precious

Twenty But

to

like

Jimmy

.

.

.

who

its

pedigree thanks to

Blanton and Milt Hinton.

longer content just to relieve the

the bass

yet

instrument had been developing rapidly,

and by the 1940s had received

player,

And

be abandoned.

left

hand of

became

a solo instrument,

Kenny Clarke from having

now

bass drum, could

the piano

As

and joined the grand

The drums,

freed

more and more com-

for the piano,

it

continued

harmonic evolution which progressively drew guitar.

Ask a

faithfully as possible It's all

strument. In 32

guitarist to play a

and you

happening too

fact,

the guitar

will see

it

Monk

its

away

tune as

him frown and

fast for that stringed in-

was acquiring the

Laurent de Wilde

by

on the

to play all four beats

take off into

plex rhythmic patterns.

grimace.

No

did not have to play the roots of the chords,

family of improvising instruments.

from the

lines,

years earlier, even the bass was rarely used.

this critical

musicians

and the bass

status of

— a hybrid, for

opment of

it

encroached on the imperialistic devel-

guitar at the heart of the

and when

that a

section

were numbered,

had

the scene, pianists

and

—

and drums.

a right and a

like

to in-

that of the trio.

It's

often thought

good bass player and a good drummer

good pair

loafer if

—

started with the bass

It all

a

rhythm

Monk came on

new sound

vent a

and drums. The days of the

the bass, piano

shoe. But

left

will

an

make

Italian

an English riding boot don't go together, even

they are the same

won't get very

size.

You'll soon have blisters,

The moral of the

far.

and

story? Find the right

pair.

more mov-

In a lighter vein, there's nothing funnier or ing than the shotgun marriage of the bass

and drums,

the two heaviest portable instruments in the band, ex-

On tour,

cluding the piano. to think heavy,

ophy. Special

it's

a whole

tickets,

and drummers begin

way of life, an

double bass can open up or humid, or can

split like

stablemates from the

make matters

entire philos-

extra seats, wider stairways

and proper temperatures are

doors,

to

bassists

like

all

an old shoe

a log

Ranch of

if it's

if it's

too hot

too cold.) They're

the Heavyweights.

worse, bassists and

like

full

of

tools, gadgets,

women's handbags,

Once

there

is

spread

all

who knows what

and grounded, with

around (with an authority that can

come from weight and

size),

you'd better not to

mess with them. They've come to work, and

enough

And

as

have

always a surprise inside.

they're onstage, plugged in

their stuff

only

medicine,

And,

drummers never

travel light. Besides their instruments, they always

bags

and

required. (The

it's

hard

it is.

when

The

lights

dim, the house goes quiet, and there's one instant

when

that's

the miracle takes place.

Rhythm Section

33

nothing has happened late, for

the clock

A moment

yet.

wound

is

later

and time

tight

it

be too

will

will start tick-

but here, for the moment, there's nothing, simply

ing,

the promise, or the threat, of time. Then, suddenly,

everything changes, and the bass and drums, with furious joy, lay out the route to

which each instant leads us

closer

our death.

Once

heavyweights

many

is

enormous, and

spare parts

than time

itself.

—

for they

This

that's

have

why

Not

the

nothing

less

a far cry from the sadistic and

is

No

— they make

hand on

the ticking of the second

face; rather, a

they need so

to create

fastidious expression of keeping the beat. time.

two

they're onstage, the responsibility of these

the watch

deep pulse which has always throbbed

marrow of our

in

bones, and which helps us to forget

the other Time.

In the course of the concert, the Pair ters

And

of Time!

that

is

no simple matter.

always take at least two people to

because when rest

you're alone,

of the world, and that

When you

is

it

is

make

is

church that mystical

is

the music

and communal

Why

lost the beat),

exhilarating

when

facility.

It's

does

time? Surely

it's

it

it's

the beginning of a itself,

and which

itself.

is

faith in a

Creating time

experience.

is

What we

a truly blindly

— poof!—

you're together, you find

an act of

god

worshiped in a

seek alone, with disarming fragility (you sneeze

you

Mas-

the beginning of fanaticsm.

are two together,

the original pulse,

the

your word against the

shared experience, a faith expressing

which

become

it

with

opposed

love, as

to

masturbation. I've

and

always believed that rhythms existed before man,

that they floated

around

virtually within

each of us.

Those who create time are merely placing themselves unison with that primordial frequency 34

Laurent de Wilde

—

like

in

putting your

an

fingers into

them away. For the pulse

pull life

span

born into is

down

a voyage

is

and we

it,

Glory be

that force!

all

around

to

Our are

and wise

channel and transmit

who awaken

to those

rhythm which speaks within

How powerful

it.

us.

We

a river of rhythm.

upon

die

there

is

who knows how

the person

then not being able to

electrical outlet,

us. All

us to that

God's children got

rhythm!

When you

see a protozoa through a microscope,

at

78 rpm.

tiny

And

in science class I couldn't help

cymbals or drums

at the

vibrating hairs, as they

made

What hear yourself think. And

microscopic music.

You wouldn't be able to how is mankind conceived? To

mattress springs! Life

itself

the rhythms of the

means rhythm. From

ular contractions of the mother's fetus, to the infant's first

imagining

ends of the Parameciums'

a band! just

it

dancing to a James Brown record played

looks like it's

womb

as

it

the reg-

releases the

experiences of sleep and feeding,

everything happens in rhythm. Small or large; short

rhythms that

last

a

split

second, or long ones that

last

ten years; ones that crisscross or echo each other, ones that prevent that inflate

you from spinning your wheels, or others

you

of rhythms any

a

like

ball.

You

can't choose these kinds

more than you can choose

born, because you can't be

the day you're

one beat ahead of the

rhythm. Yes, indeed! Glory to those ingenious

who can

organize this rhythm, spin

up, capture

box,

like

That's

the

and tame first

how

men

it,

and put

it

once did with

it

handymen

around, wind

in their

little

it

music

fire!

important the bass and drums are! Bring

on the crown, the purple robe, the incense and precious stones!

awe, in

Show them fact.

Any

the respect they deserve; the fear

ill

will or reluctance

the whole night of music

is

ruined.

on

their part

and and

With a sad saxophone

Rhythm Section

35

an out-of-tune piano, you can wing

player, or

off but that won't spoil the show.

little

player and the

You

apart!

falls

drummer

like they're

the time.

You

get

part of the furniture.

Now

and

band

maybe

the

drummer can

just

happens

There

how

is

pet player

and you're surprised

stops

play with finesse. But

no

out;

when

pull! It

and

into free is

to cancel!

easy to see

The trum-

show must go

on, even it.

know

It

too,

be

like

ing

—

and you

can't hold

it

against them;

that's just the

power

way

it

is.

of gravity.

They hold There

would

sounds

it

laws of the treble, so

like the

human

ear:

thing for the

who

These are the

is off.

to

The

is

all

to

there

it.

is

to

bass player

it.

drummer: along with

the bass, he's

and amplifies the

The

establishes

time.

sketches out time with a primordial pulsation,

drums draw

it

in India ink.

the ride cymbal.

wrong

you hear sounds from bass

you better get used

always right, and that's

Same

piano player

hands

in their

no one beneath

is

the bass player, so he must be right. If he plays a

the one

They

reproaching the sun for coming up in the morn-

the absolute

note,

late

is

without them. But without a bass player, forget it,

fall!

or the pianist

lost his front teeth,

the use of his right hand, the

to

that

one of them

the bass player

—without him, you have may have

if

band goes

cord to

rip

nervous the band gets

for the gig

all

the bass does have a soul,

to stop playing, the

no way

a

don't pay attention to the two heavy-

then, the rest of the

discover that

It's

it.

the bass

if

don't do their job, everything

weights because they're playing

used to them,

But

The

The shrewd and

bass

and the

crystalline precision of solid

comments of the

snare and bass drums. Depth, contour, innuendo, doors that

open and

drummer

36

I

close as the

decides to play

drumskin

is

struck.

"Summertime"

Laurent de Wilde

And

if

as a tango,

the

you

can always curse him out afterward, but there

have

go along with him.

you

just

the

lemming phenomenon

drummer, the

to

that's

when

It's

—when you dont

follow the

The

you're in trouble.

drums are the instruments which keep us

The

with the ancient beauty of rhythm.

and the stretched

pluck,

more

from

strike

and

in contact

—what could be

that? guts,

drums

bones make decent drumsticks, and you

skin, the

is

you

bass

gut string you

can be made from the

goat: strings

can eat the

skin

more animal, than

carnal,

Take a

ing

in concert,

the opposite of

A whole band on four hooves, and nothHow many movable parts are there on a

rest.

wasted.

And how many bends between the mouthpiece and the bell of a trumpet? And how do all those keys on

piano?

a saxophone work?

can understand

you

pull,

you

ple, the guts

since the

It's

how

to say!

a bass or a

and the

skin,

in fact, that

gether. If they play

They must

to take

them

a Zen

Gone were

the

warm

for the bass player

to get along well to-

one against the other,

it

just doesn't

play one within the other in order for

the music to be at

its

best,

experience.

creates the yellow, icent

This old cou-

we tend

way

These two heavyweights have

It's

pluck,

drummer.

lighten the load for the

pen.

starts.

You

But with the advent of bebop, they were

chords of the guitar to light the

work.

works.

have been around for so long,

sudddenly out there on their own.

and

But a child of three

drum

and the music

strike,

dawn of time

for granted.

hard

and

that doesn't always hap-

One

creates the red, the other

and together they produce a magnif-

and sacred shade of orange. Color gradation

is

for-

bidden, as are half-shades, yellowish streaks, and sloppy drippings.

A

good rhythm section

orange, smooth and even.

It

is

a fine pure shade of

should never

skid.

Time

Rhythm Section

is

37

drummer and

a river and the

down

right

bass player control

One on

to the smallest drop.

either

its

flow

bank of

the river, they are the ferrymen of time.

And

to music,

and harmonic,

your

at

the king of the jungle. This diabolical

it's

away with

absorbs them and,

It

family,

them what

tells

And what

around.

like

to

and

the other in-

the intellectual of

a piece of furniture: hammers, pedals,

True

ivory.

all

do and bosses them

dampers, wood, cast iron, leather, screws,

bulk. This

which the musician doesn't tune

is

steel,

springs,

It

The piano

whole family by

a

feeds

felt,

the only instrument

himself.

vides a livelihood for furniture movers, tuners, anists.

A

fingertips. Percussive, melodic,

invention enables you to do struments.

relatively recent arrival

an engineer's nightmare of complexity.

it's

whole orchestra

the

A

then there's the piano.

itself.

pro-

and

A

pi-

noble

instrument: complicated, generous, and imposing. It

took awhile for the piano to join up with the bass

and drums. to

its

It

began

classical

as

somewhat of an

When

background.

rhythm and harmony had

outsider

be expressed, a technique

to

was used which had been developed by

Romantic period, and which "stride."

But by Monk's time,

it

rhythm down

the piano

upon a

proved once and

to

its

pianists of the

became known

later

had

jazz sound was emerging. First of simplified

all all

changed.

as

A new

with Basie,

who

quintessence and placed

thick, luxurious carpet

for all that

owing

a steady, dancing

of sound.

He

you could swing more with

fewer notes, by letting the bass, drums, and guitar do the

work.

Then

the boppers required the piano to perform,

which propelled the music

The modern with his

drummer and

hammers, 38

I

it

to

new

heights.

pianist has a very special relationship his bassist.

As

his

instrument has

resembles the drums; and as

Laurent de Wilde

it

has strings,

rhythm

the bass. His position in the

like

it's

more detached, and more ambiguous than and the drums.

partners, the bass

If

can stop playing for a few bars and the

harmony and

directions,

then break away a

soloist,

He

opens or he

that of his

feels like

let

the bass define

fall

moment

closes.

legs.

into step with a

later.

On

again, off

He's present at the heart

watch

his feet

As

physically flows.

stir

The

pianist doesn't

body speak

possibility of letting his

of skin, he can

it,

like the

continuously express the rhythmic pulse

with their arms and

time. Just

he

he

of the rhythm, then suddenly he's gone. Nothing

two others who

is

drums ensure the rhythm. He can

new harmonic

suggest

again.

the

section

—

have the

in order to express

the only place

where time

for the hands, with ten square inches

up an object

that weighs a thousand

pounds.

Monk comes

That's where

in.

very few piano players are capable is

a

full

rhythm

section

method which enables beneath osity.

all

all

by

For he can do what of:

himself.

when he

He

plays,

he

invents a piano

us to hear a continuous

tempo

the unpredictable flights of his piano virtu-

He's three-in-one.

Many

years later, his son re-

how he began his career as a jazz drummer in his father's band. He said it was like floating on a magic carpet. Dad set up the tempo, he said, and you were called

carried along father's

by

his playing. It

was only when he

band and found himself

left his

in less exceptional cir-

cumstances that he realized that a band expects the drums, and not the piano, to keep the beat.

To

accomplish

this,

Thelonious perfected an original

technique. Seeing

him

at the piano,

quickly: he is

you understand

makes no wasted movement, and

amazingly diverse and dynamic.

caressed, while another

is

One

note

pounded or crushed.

this

his

touch

is

barely

How can

Rhythm Section

I

39

he be so upredictable and precise

same time?

at the

It

seems impossible on the piano. In

fact,

player.

He

Monk plays

doesn't physically play like a piano

more

a vibraphonist.

like

A pianist

sits

perpendicular to the instrument, with his arms moving sideways and his hands curved over the keys in order to

maximum

attain

thumb

speed of phrasing by enabling the

pass under the

to

The

fingers.

The

looks at the keyboard.

seldom

pianist

vibraphonist leans over the

instrument, constantly crossing his arms for obvious technical reasons (he only uses

Thus, he uses other,

mallets, or, at most, four).

weight to accent one note or an-

all his

which he chooses

The

ity.

two

for

rhythmic or melodic qual-

its

mallets are held straight out, parallel to the

metal, bladelike keys of the instrument. If you watch

Monk play lotte

(if

only for that, the excellent movie by Char-

Zwerin, Straight,

cassette), you'll

No

Chaser,

be struck by the

dominate the keyboard with

someone

to

like Bill

fact that

all his

on video-

available

is

he seems to

weight, as opposed

Evans or Glenn Gould, who keep

their foreheads practically glued to the keys. I

for

have to admit that seeing

Monk play was a revelation

me. After innumerable attempts

of his tunes or his characteristic

to transcribe

lines, I

was unable

capture the soul of his music, simply because ing the sound. Also, his phrases the

I

proaching the problem ticular, I

couldn't

way he did in

it.

seem

some

I

was miss-

to accent

That's because

to

some of

I

was ap-

an academic manner;

in par-

kept trying to play with one hand what he plays

with two, by crossing his arms or by passing the phrase

from one hand

when he

to the other as

he plays

strikes the keys, his fingers are

are extended like mallets. This position

it.

And

not curved, but

may

cause him

to lose speed, especially for the passage of the

40

Laurent de Wilde

finally,

thumb,

but

it

opens the door to new and innumerable percussive

And

possibilities.

when

time

at a

practicing in order to play with

all

the pianists were

maximum

speed,

and

were creating a new piano academy under the inspiration of Art

Tatum and

the aegis of

was inventing a new approach

Bud

Powell,

to the instrument.

Monk Many

witnesses have confirmed that, at the beginning of his career,

Monk had

perfectly satisfactory piano dexterity

for the high standards of the times. Griffin

him play

that he heard

which

Monk

entire phrases of Art

relationships

— they were forced

to

were with

hear in

something which encroached upon their own. to

them

after

an imitation."

how ambiguous Monk's

accompanists

his

Tatum,

immediately added, "But I'm not interested

in playing like that. It's just

That's

even claims

to find their

own

his style

It

was up

place in order to complete his

music in a personal and pertinent way, without having to

change

their style. This as a big challenge: to

the difficult balance

between extreme attentiveness

and the immediate expression of

pianist,

sonality.

Monk

colleagues,

and

maintain

their

to the

own

per-

always enjoyed teasing his friends and his subtlety

made

it

all

the

more

formi-

dable.

Saxophonist Steve Lacy

tells

of being at Monk's

home

one day and of suddenly seeing a white rabbit run across the

room

(obviously one of the children's pets).

"Hey, a rabbit," he

"What "That

"What replied

said.

rabbit?" said Thelonious. rabbit, there!"

are

Monk

you

talking about, there's

no rabbit there,"

boldly.

Lacy realized that

Monk was

no more and waited nothing happened.

to see

Monk

pulling his leg, so he said

what would happen. But

simply continued to ignore the

Rhythm Section

41

— rabbit's existence.

Monk

Lacy

really sure of yourself,

joke. In

was the kind of

said this

He

loved to play.

tested

and

you

on

rarely let

Monk's presence, you had

to

trick

you were

to see if

that

it

be pretty

was a

damn

self-confident.

That

is

one of the

of Monk's

earliest characteristics

music: the delicate combination, required of his sidemen,

of confidence and finesse.

mers

And

to play in his bands:

Kenny

he picked the

Max

finest

drum-

Roach, Roy Haynes,

Clarke, or Philly Joe Jones.

The same

is

true for

the bassists: Oscar Pettiford, Wilbur Ware, Percy Heath.

In music as in love, for reasons which remain less

more or

mysterious, a particular affinity develops between

two musicians which to explain

it

is

deep and

after the fact. It

always hard

lasting. It's

depends

as

much on

the

music as on the personalities, on the shared adventures in short, all

on

life.

you want, or

ways come back

mad

That's the

way

it

is.

You can

analyze

numerous coincidences, but you

list

to the

al-

same evidence of perfection. Ah-

Jamal-Vernell Fournier. Miles Davis— Philly Joe

Jones.

John Coltrane-Elvin Jones.

Roach: the

list is

endless.

The

Clifford

Brown-Max

musicians to be pitied are

who go through life alone, never meeting the kindred spirit who can reveal them to the world and to themselves. Those who are already complete, who don't need that little spark, the ones who are condemned to parthenogenesis it's sad! And as dense, modern, and those

—

unique as Thelonious's contribution ifying to see that the

to

music

is, it is

rhythmic expression of

this

grat-

genius

was shared generously by Art Blakey.

Art was tough. Born after

in Pittsburgh

two years and a day

Thelonious, at the age of twenty he escaped from

the proletarian nightmare of the Carnegie Steel Mill to

42

Laurent de Wilde

go with the Fletcher Henderson band that could have

happened

And

to him.

was cornered by two cops

the worst thing

happened

similar thing

in

—

if I

to

New York

had

came

may

was already a

star

band. This wild Street,

Bud

to

galvanizing

in late '42,

effect.

had a

couldn't have

And when

he

confides, he in their

of the drums arrived on 52nd

from

also

so

however,

and everybody wanted him

man

,

Powell, which

Max Roach

backing up the great pianist

who was in

—a

94 1 he

steel plate set in his

tragically affected his destiny. In Blakey's case, it

1

and beaten up

in Atlanta

badly that he said he had to have a

A

the best thing

on tour through the South

as well, for while

skull.

—

Pittsburgh.

Mary Lou

Williams,

The young Blakey

better credential. In 1942, mainly

Kansas City with the Andy Kirk "Clouds of Joy"

Band, her reputation had grown and she began her

own

trio.

She brought her protege

her and they

wound up

to

to lead

New York with

playing at Kelly's Stable which

was, along with the Three Deuces, the Onyx, and the

Famous Door, one of street that

the pillars of

never slept," as

it

was

advertised.

drummer was

a sensation, and that

he met Monk.

And

the heart of the

bebop

is

from 1944

then,

52nd

most

Street, "the

The young likely

to 1946,

when

he was

revolution, in the Billy Eckstine

band. Over the months, one great trumpet player

lowed another: Dizzy varro,

Parker, son,

at

Gillespie, Miles Davis, Fats

and Kenny Dorham.

On

fol-

Na-

saxophone: Charlie

Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Lucky Thomp-

and Leo Parker.

On

piano and arrangements,

Vaughan. What a band!

bass,

Tommy

Potter,

Tadd Dameron.

A beehive!

and on

Plus Sarah

They were

all

there.

Bird playing scales from the back of the bus, Miles looking for the sound which

would make him famous, each

of them furiously seeking to discover what fate had in

Rhythm Section

I

43

store.

Blakey was one of them, and his association with

Monk was just

He

a matter of time.

hadn't played in the

Minton's sessions with Charlie Christian.

He had

accompanied Coleman Hawkins, the master he hadn't payed the dues

history; like

Max

like

Tadd Dameron. He had

that

pilot

of jazz

and

studios

in the clubs

Roach; he hadn't orchestrated the new music simply

come

and

to town,

was enough: he was Art Blakey, jazz drummer.

didn't challenge

Kenny

ming

style

new drum-

which played the four beats on the cymbal

the bass

left

He

Clarke, his fellow Pittsburgh

compatriot, five years his senior, about the

and

never

moment. He

drum

free to

"drop bombs"

at the right

didn't have the brilliant percussive concepts

Max

Roach, or the calm and precocious wisdom of

Shadow

Wilson. Art Blakey, jazz drummer. Brand-new,

of

had

fresh out of the gate, he

musicality.

As saxophonist Ike Quebec

drummmers make was

in big

a thump," but Art goes

demand. And

some unbelievable for Blue

fantastic swing, energy,

Note

that's

tracks with

in 1947.

It is

said,

their

"other

POW!" He

how Monk came him on

and

to

make

his first recordings

first official,

documented

meeting.

By

a chance of fate (and thanks to producer Alan

Bates's intuition), Blakey his last trio in

London

a magnificent pause

brought

to

laboration.

was there when

in 1971 for

in

the

Monk recorded

Black Lion Records:

form of da capo which

an end a quarter century of superlative

Something magical, and palpable,

col-

existed be-

tween these two men. They shared the same sense of

immediate authority, and of fit

together, like a puzzle.

One

story in particular reveals the ferocious but affec-

tionate relationship

between Art and Thelonious. The

Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, of whom 44

They

instinctive percussion.

Laurent de Wilde

we

shall

— more

learn

later,

As a good

lie.

had never met Thelonious's

wife, Nel-

came

friend of Blakey's at the time, she

hear him in a club where his band was playing, with

to

Monk on

who had come and

herself

down

piano. She sat

to listen to her

husband. She introduced

was pleased

said she

at a table with Nellie,

to

hear that there were

no more money problems. "How's that?"

said Nellie,

astounded. "Yes," replied the Baroness, "this arrange-

ment must be working out okay you say?" answered talked

it

and

over,

turned out that Blakey had con-

vinced Pannonica of the fact that Monk,

mad lie,

him

(you just had to see

brought the money

home from

to believe

always brought his

him

to

block, then get

it

in a

He would

on him when I

back

just take a

in the car, thus

few minutes.

against him,

flict

was a

subtle

who

Monk's place each night

he could, according to him, hand the over to Nellie.

little

only rarely

it),

the gig. This

a

money home. Blakey had persuaded

the Baroness to drive

pay

who was

Thelonious was one of the few musicians

for

did

even more surprised. They

Nellie, it

"What

for you."

Monk

liked

money

directly

walk around the

doubling

his night's

him too much

to

hold

and from then on would just keep an eye it

came

to

money

ever heard of between

matters.

The

only con-

them concerned Nica

Thelonious reproached Art for not treating her with

due

so

all

respect.

They were exemplary and

writer

journalist

friends.

In the early

sixties,

Joe Goldberg described Blakey's

apartment on Central Park West as that of someone

had made a taste.

The

sician's

lot

of money, and

who

spent

only detail which revealed that

home was

the wall

it

it

by the telephone:

ered with photographs of Thelonious

who

with good

was a muit

was cov-

Monk.

Rhythm Section

45

Women

There were

also

women

in Thelonious's

was surrounded by them,

him from

like

life.

In

fact,

he

a tight fence that protected

the hecticism of the world.

The

cliche

image

of the jazz musician as ill-shaven, trying to pick up some chick in a bar in Cleveland, while wondering where he's

going to get the

money

to

pay

his third wife's

doesn't apply in Thelonious's case.

who

The

brief list of those

protected his vital privacy includes his mother, Bar-

bara; his sister Marion; Nellie, his wife; his patroness.

limit there

women

—

to

nized,

and Pannonica,

biographer's nightmare, for beyond this

far

from

man.

to the

it.

And

that's

Monk was probably

surrounded him with such special

There are where

A

was no access

a womanizer

had

alimony,

else, so

never

why

his

affection.

many women in the jazz world as anywhy is it we never hear about them? There

as

have been a few whose

talent finally got recog-

and of course there were

the singers, but that's

not the point here. Surely in jazz there must be some

Cosima Wagners, some George Sands or some Anna Magdelana Bachs

is

who were

either

compan-

muses, harlots, or precious treasures. Either there

ions, is

—women

a lack of biographies in this

we tend

or the world of swing

macho (why more than

particularly

fact,

field,

elsewhere?). In

to think of jazz musicians' wives like the

A

flash of love, followed

by the nesting

wives of

sailors.

instinct;

then some more-or-less gifted children, and for

their husbands' other needs, there are places that specialize.

In short, jazz

men

clean

at that.

is

the business of men,

The

wife only

and not very

comes out of hiding

claim her just dues, and to

after the great genius dies, to

prevent a band from using her husband's name. very exciting, nor very exact sip,

and then

It is

—but people remember women

again, dignified

don't usually

not gos-

make

headline news.

And

as for dignity, Nellie has plenty of

made

lonious once in public of

it.

She and The-

a mutual agreement to never speak

one another, either

alive or dead.

This was

both a token of esteem and an awareness of the media's capacity to meddle in their private

life.

So ever

since

Thelonious's death, she hasn't given a single interview, she

isn't

forbid

writing any sensational memoirs,

anyone from doing anything. She now enjoys the

honors and privileges of a

when

age of twelve,

began It lie's

and has never

to

move

quickly,

seems that family

on 62nd

she

it all

well-filled first

and

started

had just moved

Street

it

life.

Ever since the

met Thelonious, her

on a basketball

into the

— and her big

life

has never stopped. court. Nel-

neighborhood

brother,

— over

who was Monk's

age, started looking for friends to play in the street with.

One

night he

came home and

said, "I

met

this kid

63rd Street who's a great basketball player."

Women

from

"Oh, 47

yeah?"

replied

Nellie.

player."

"Yeah

?"

.

.

.

"And

monster piano

a

he's

"And you know what

name

his

is?

Thelonious Monk!" Nellie just had to go over and check

him

them

for

A it

out. It to

come

but

at first sight,

sounds fact,

like

she finally hooked

more

looks

it

terested

in

proper.

And

like

her.

took fifteen years

you put

If

him

in 1947.

that way,

it

after years

of trying.

he hooked her, and for

was too young

the time, Nellie

it

were married

together, as they

example of perseverance.

fine

In

was love

for

In any case,

life.

At

Thelonious to be

in-

wouldn't have been

it

Marion had

then, his older sister

who were undoubtedly more tempting

girlfriends

young

for the

Thelonious. So nothing happened between them for a

long time, which enabled them to become friends. As she was his buddy's first

sister,

they got to

know each

as friends, not as lovers. Gradually, their

attraction

other

mutual

grew stronger and deeper, and by the end of

the 1930s, they were together

—

for good.

Their separate roles were quickly established. Thelonious

made

music, and Nellie did

Which meant

rest.

it's

true, wasn't very big); the

in the fall of 1953); their

lonious,

who

in

the rest

—

literally all

taking care of the house (which,

the

Barbara (born

all

mother-in-law (who died

two children Thelonious and

1949 and 1952), and her husband The-

played piano, watched

TV while eating ice

cream, or lay on the couch and argued with friends

who'd stop

by.

She had

to bring in

money

for this

little

brood, as he couldn't feed the family with his Blue Note or Prestige royalties. Don't forget, either (we'll to this), that after

Monk had

his cabaret

come back

card revoked in

New York City left New York,

1951, he was forbidden to play in 1957.

And

not gig lie

48

as

money

Monk that

hardly ever

would keep

his family going.

it

until

was

So Nel-

did housework, took in sewing, and did overtime—

Laurent de Wilde

— sometimes working three jobs a day

— and never com-

plained.

Now,

just

imagine a

woman whose good

we happened

weighs her love for her husband. If eavesdrop on the

Monk

1952, here's what

we might have

heard:

I'm sick and tired of your mother.

2.

The

only thing you ever do around the house

drink beer with your

You

card

you

can't get a job 'cause

— and

just so

in the gutter

is

so-called friends.

you could protect

lost

that

who'll never be anything but trouble,

up

to

family one night, back in late

1.

3.

sense out-

your cabaret

Bud

Powell,

and who'll wind

anyway.

We already have one child, and here I am pregnant again. How are we going to feed them? 4.

Your records

5.

about.

and even

Your

little

money.

rious

can't

because you won't make the

friend Dizzy's

Miles Davis

is

name

name

in the

in all the papers,

make some

one they

all

se-

respect

papers they can't even

straight?

Meanwhile I'm wasting the

and breaking

is

starting to

How come you — the

make a dime, and

get your 6.

sell

concession to your Art, which people couldn't care

least less

don't

my

best years of

my

life,

back so that Mister Cool can play the

cult hero. 7.

I've

had

it.

I'm going back to

my

mother.

This typical scene must have been played out in any

number of jazzmen's homes;

their

life

expectancy as a

couple rarely went beyond the arrival of the second child.

But

this

could never be the case in Monk's home, be-

cause Nellie understood from the beginning what her love for,

and confidence, m,

^9^ w^^ost )RiAl LiBtfARYn e n

her.

III

49

Perhaps she was more convinced of his genius than even he was, and knew the

make

he'd have to

sacrifices

to

gain the world's recognition. So, simply, she just went

on doing what had aware of

be done. Thelonious was well

to

and devoted himself

this,

entirely to his music.

This was serious teamwork in the fight to come.

On my

right,

ings account

York

weighing in

— Mr.

320 pounds, and no sav-

at

On my

and Mrs. Monk.

City, the crusher, the destroyer of

New

15-round main event, the odds were

In this

tinies.

left,

dreams and des-

stacked against them. Nellie

knew

all this,

and did every-

thing she could with dignity and patience to achieve a victory.

She always stuck by her husband,

at

were tough, and on the road when take

tall,

lean, willowy

concerts,

packed

his bags,

worried about being

and dubious packed

picked out his

and

organizers,

money

turned

late,

unpacked

down con men

propositions, paid the extra charges

She took care of

his bags.

times

his bags, sent postcards, called for

cabs, dealt with the producers

to

woman

ordered his meals, kept track of the gig

clothes,

and

This

off.

home when

his career started to

it

all.

and

re-

Everything had

go through her and whoever was near Thelonious

knew

it.

His confidence in her was absolute and blind,

and the idea of leaving

New York

without her was un-

thinkable. If she didn't go, then neither did he.

And

he gradually became

as

because

now

son

of what

who

tells

was

she had to protect it

felt like

couldn't recognize his

action

is

to flee this vision

to get

reality.

them

to

As young

I

the pressure increased,

him from

himself. His

standing in front of a

own

children.

The

man

child's re-

of horror. But Nellie's problem

understand that they had to face that

as they were,

after their father, just as

50

ill,

it

was up

he looked

Laurent de Wilde

after

to

them

to look

them when he

was able

to.

A

huge amount of love and confidence

is

needed to counterbalance that ever-threatening storm-

And

cloud.

was

Nellie

Today, there

is

"cigarette boats,"

just that balance.

new

a

generation of motorboats called

whose motor

is

much

too powerful for

the hull of the boat. Because of their high speed

tenuous balance, they can sea.

it

it.

So they are equipped with a movable

balanced. The whole

And

that

was

trick

to aft in the

enormous

ballast

boat to keep

creative

power on an even

a power carrying the whole family headlong to-

herself exactly,

a

to set

on deck and constantly

wards either success, or catastrophe. She had

It

mech-

knowing just where

is

Nellie: always

trying to keep that keel,

a second in a rough

flip in

anism which moves from fore

and

and every

was more than

little

"weird."

instant

difficult, for

was

critical.

Thelonious

Some policeman,

for

southern state would see him walking with his arms spread out

like

to position

Monk was

example, in a

down

the street

an airplane, and

call

him

over. In cases like this, Thelonious didn't say a thing,

and

grassroots

racist

heavyset black ious,

And what does the see? An imposing,

just rolled his fearsome eyes.

from Mississippi

man

with a strange look in his eyes, obliv-

seemingly borderline crazy, wearing a bizarre hat,

and who suddenly

refuses to

make

ment. At best, the cop pulls out

which happened draws

his

to

the slightest

his club

move-

and whacks him,

him more than once. At

worst, he

gun and shoots him. That's the catastrophe

scenario that Nellie was forced to anticipate every day,

and

it

was exhausting. Daily

life is

lived

Thelonious could always step over

The

trouble with

Monk was

it

that

against aggression, he physically

on the edge, and

much too easily. when he came up

withdrew into himself

with a sort of violence in reverse, which was as dangerous

Women

51

as if

he used

was a huge

to

it

throw a punch or shout an

responsibility for Nellie, as she

the dual roles of

mother and

defuse,

had

mind on only two

sic.

Which

ceived

why

is

Nellie

precious

the

Pannonica.

It

to act in

Each day she had

to

and protect the man, Thelonious, who

justify,

his

wife.

This

insult.

had

was

all

was

too

little

when

so relieved

assistance

a

and

things: his family

and

much

mu-

his

she re-

friendship

for

of

one woman.

Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter was certainly out of the ordinary. As the daughter of Lord Rothschild— the English branch of the family

—

and

of privilege and honor.

sisters,

And

was born

into a

life

she, like her brothers

there wasn't the slightest doubt that a magnificent

and noble marriage would perpetuate the Rothschild However, her

acy.

first

to destine her to a life

for

And

it

was her

an unknown

central

father, a lepidopterist,

Europe known today

to his daughter.

as

When

name both

to the butterfly

the time came, she married

young

W ar T

were made

II

for

Yet, there ilar at

the

who, discov-

Hungary, but once called

officer in the

Baron Jules de Koenigswarter, who,

World

her.

species of butterfly in the region of

a dashing aristocratic the

seemed

of originality and eccentricity, a

Pannonia, decided to give the

and

alone, Pannonica,

which her family would constantly reproach

yet,

ering

life

name

leg-

period,

seemed

French army, in that

destined for glory.

pre-

They

each other.

was never a couple more

same

time.

Born

into the

alike

and dissim-

same

aristocratic

background, their union seemed natural enough, but everything drew them apart.

and

responsible.

martial variety,

He was

and

his

He was

konneur held sway over

of humor. By marrying Nica, 52

stern, dour, serious

only interested in arts of the

Laurent de Wilde

this

fine

man

his sense

entered a

world which

at first

seemed

familiar, but

was

in fact

com-

pletely foreign. She was imaginative, artistic (a talented

painter

and

pianist),

unconcerned with convention and

propriety, the youngest of the family,

disposed to

bit

and not the

which her

the social functions for

fulfill

least

upbringing had prepared her. In short, she was an original.

He was

bored

at concerts,

parties tedious. Yet, the

them and was enough

and she found dinner

profound love they shared united

to transform their differences into

mutual adoration.

Then came

the war.

Young Jules answered

the call of

General de Gaulle, and the young couple moved gland. Jules then took part in the African

head of an armored

the

unit,

En-

to

campaign

and Nica was

at

said to have

joined the maquis, driving ambulances, following her

husband

into

combat, and working devotedly for the Re-

sistance as a nurse. as

it

I

couldn't verify the story, but as long

seems plausible, why not accept

it

without quib-

bling?

After the war, Jules entered the diplomatic corps.

and Nica had

six

children

and everything seemed

promise an exciting and cosmopolitan things

began

life.

He to

But, sadly,

to crack.

While stationed

in

New York

on assignment, Jules no-

ticed that through Nica's love of art

and music, she was

adopting some of the behavioral habits and vices of those

he referred to as "her Negro friends." She was not exactly the ideal wife for a diplomat. carelessly,

and detested having

crowd of superficial and

to

She tended

to dress

receive a constant

self-seeking people.

She smoked

marijuana, and conducted herself in the most unbecoming

way

for the wife of

of their families

felt

an

official in

the public eye. Both

sorry for poor Jules,

who was

then

faced with the choice between his wife and his career.

Women

53

— He

made up

finally

and continue

his

mind

to leave his wife, remarry,

Nica stayed

his diplomatic career.

New

in

York, where her passion for jazz kept her riveted.

It

goes

without saying that because of her inadmissable behavior,

her family prevented her from handling the family

portfolio

and cut her

millions.

Even

off

from much of the Rothschild

you are a Rothschild, you

so, if

still

get

to keep two Bentleys and a Rolls-Royce, buy a magnif-

icent

home on

the

New Jersey

side of the

Hudson River

with a panoramic view of Manhattan, and take care of

two hundred or so

cats.

For a jazz musician, who spends half to

keep

gally,

head above water, both

his

time trying

his

financially

and

le-

you can imagine the impression the Baroness made

when her

limousine quietly pulled up to the Village Van-

guard, and invested that holy place with an exquisitely luxurious perfume. Because that's to

remind these great

why Nica was

who had

artists,

there

devoted their

to their instruments, that there exists a splendor

lives

and a

standing which genius deserves. Charlie Parker spent the

end of

his

life

street corners

ing for him,

going between clubs, standing on sordid

where

dealers, or cops, or both,

and the pawn shop where he'd hocked

horn a score of times. The door the Hotel Stanhope

he could die

was

was the

in peace,

almost his whole it

life

where he and

last

and not

to

Pannonica's

one

left

open

in the street.

to

— but

this

time in

his

room

at

him, so

Monk

in a tiny, cluttered apartment.

also to Nica's

spent

And

Weehawken

Nellie decided to go into a ten-year exile

some peace and

to get

were wait-

quiet

which Manhattan did not

afford.

Nica had

class.

Whoever met her was immediately im-

pressed by her aristocratic temperance, humanity, and elegance. She was a breath of fresh air in that stifling 54

Laurent de Wilde

New York jazz

jungle. For the musicians, she provided

a sense of dignity, and the hope of being recognized as

someone

useful

and admirable by a

which was

society

either indifferent or hostile. In short, being with like

Nica was

being in high society.

And

some

she gave Thelonious and his family

Nellie never could: a

whole army of lawyers

when

regain his cabaret card

it

was

things

to help

him

revoked for

briefly

a second time, in 1958; the top floor of a huge house

where he and

could spend their older days; a

his wife

Steinway piano to compose and practice on; the use of her Bentley.

And on

top of

friendship of infinite affection

all

and

that,

she gave

respect.

him a

There was no

question of a rivalry with Nellie. Nothing even

like that.

She simply offered her time, her money, and her pa-

when

tience,

Nellie

had

difficulties

dealing with the at-

from

tacks of silent agitation that Thelonious suffered

more and more

ommend to

Nica was always there

doctors, or hospitals, or treatments

worry and Let's get

You

frequently.

—

to rec-

to watch,

to advise.

one thing

straight: I don't see

Nica

as a saint.

don't go directly from the international aristocratic

set to the

anyone

jazz clubs without getting a few scars.

in the

know, she must have looked

chetype of what

we now

call

realities

somewhat

of

many

Her

of the

and occasionally made her seem

life,

ludicrous.

for

like the ar-

a "bourgeois hippie."

privileged upbringing surely blinded her to

harsh

And

Many

times

when

the pressure

was

on, because of her great admiration for Thelonious, she

would with

try to take care of his affairs.

little

success, as

But her

might be expected.

there were the drugs,

efforts

And

met

then, too,

which ravage even the

loveliest

women. Nevertheless, she was a flamboyant personality

Women

who 55

shone over her contemporaries with unequaled passion

and

She was a kind of pixilated

generosity.

god-

fairy

mother, whose mere presence was a reminder that music is

and

beautiful,

that

honor

not in vain

is

— an

but benevolent sign of some kind of divine

was a benefactress, a patroness of the

eccentric

She

justice.

who came

arts,

from a world devoid of need and worry. But

was misleading,

this

and with heavy

spiritedness,

she paid for this free-

as

interest.

She paid

for

with

it

her marriage (although she remained close to her hus-

band

right

up

family and friends.

committed

off

Through her devotion

social suicide.

cially well-off,

and was cut

to her death),

Even

from her

to jazz, she

she remained finan-

if

her position must have been a daily re-

minder of the exclusion she shared with her musician

They were profoundly

friends.

grateful,

and proved

with the only form of wealth they possessed sic.

Monk

And

others, including the subtle "Nica's

Gryce (one version

exists

with

Tommy

"Nica's

Tempo" by

Monk on

is

Silver.

no counting the number of musicians and

musicians' families she helped, understood, ported. She was

much more than some

character in the

mad drama

many

survival.

in the integrity

New York jazz

scene:

and

faith

of the

Monk

fam-

she seemed to have found the exact equivalent of her aristocracy.

Their values were so

yet so similar. Thelonious de

56

of the

and sup-

kind of eccentric

people she represented love, hope, or simply

But

European

the

Gigi

piano), "Blues

Flanagan's "Thelonica," and the famous

Dream" by Horace

There

ily,

many

there were

Nica" by Kenny Drew, "Tonica" by Kenny Dor-

ham,

for

mu-

their

dedicated his magnificent eponymous com-

position "Pannonica," to her.

for

—

it

Monk

spirit.

Laurent de Wilde

—a

different,

and

true aristocrat of

And

it's

strange to see

how Nica

has gone

down

in

history: two of the world's most famous jazz musicians,

Charlie Parker and Thelonious Reality

infinitely varied

is

and often only

less

and

Monk, died lively,

at

her home.

but history

woman

trying to help a

There was not the same

desperate.

The

was one

man who was same

intensity or the

Monk. Bird died

respect as in her relationship with

her place almost by accident;

ruth-

people and

registers the graves of

events. Nica's relationship with Charlie Parker

of a generous

is

Monk, by

at

affection.

perfect illustration of Monk's relationship with the

Baroness can be seen in an anecdote told by saxophonist

Barney Wilen who played on the soundtrack of Roger

Vadim's movie, Les

had been

down

called in as bandleader,

and he and Nica drove

to the recording session in

the pouring rain.

Monk

liaisons dangereuses (1960).

When

her Bentley, through

Monk

they reached the studio,

was disturbed that he hadn't received any of the preliminary contracts for the session, the car until he

and refused

had them. Nica went

to get out of

in to talk

it

over

with the producers. She returned, in the rain, and explained to Thelonious, ensconced in the Bentley, that the

problem was being worked out and everything would be

He

all right.

and

forth.

kept refusing, and she kept running back

Soaked

to the skin,

Nica pleaded through the

window, "I assure you, Thelonious, the me, please come

to

went

in

in."

As

it

turned

and played, but the producer was never able

get the rights to the soundtrack,

record

man looks honest out, Monk finally

made

of

it.

It is

and could not

now known under

the

Art Blakey. Nica was well-intentioned, but

to

get a

name

of

Monk was

right. It is

By

unjust to call Nica the jazz musician's gravedigger.

a strange stroke of fate, even her

own

death coincided

Women

57

who was

with that of another person Charlie Rouse. But like

see her

I

whom we

Lion and Wolff

something

in

United

sign of

meet

will

later,

who, hears

is

something ambiguous

where nonconformity

States,

is

often the

something new, potentially interesting and prof-

But

itable.

Monk,

as a foreigner

Monk's music which the American ear did

not seem to pick up. Normalcy in the

very close to

more

it

often takes the eye of a foreigner, a Euro-

pean, an ancestor, to recognize genius in originality, and

beauty

in strangeness.

The

contribution of jazz, and of

black culture in general, to American civilization subject

is

a vast

which has been studied and described by numer-

ous scholars. But one thing

is

certain:

America has trouble

accepting the existence of jazz unless digested

and cut

melting-pot

off from

illlusion.

its

roots.

watered down,

it is

This

is

part of the old

Nica (along with a few others) was an

outsider to this problem, so her sense of national pride

was

not involved, and her vision of the young Thelonious was

not clouded by any racism whatsoever.

I

She

know is

Street, fifty

very

little

the one

who made

where the

years,

even

woman who the start,

about Thelonious's mother, Barbara.

Monk

after

the

move

to

243 West 63rd

family would reside for almost

her death. She was a strong-willed

raised her three children

by

herself.

From

she believed in her son's musical talent, and

encouraged him

to

pursue a career which

many mothers

would have considered too unstable and immoral

to

guarantee a decent future for a family. In midlife she

decided to convert to a demanding, extremist religion

and became a Jehovah's Witness, and converted Thomas, her other son.

I

see her as a

viction, with a sense of honor,

58

I

Laurent de Wilde

woman

who

of great con-

instilled

two values

which would guide the members of her family throughout their

very

Thelonious was

dignity.

mother, and he was her favorite.

close to his

likely that

and

those of love

lives:

her death in late 1953 opened the

mental problems he began to

way

It is

to the

beginning in 1954.

suffer

Her memory was perpetuated by Monk's daughter Barbara

who was born

named

time and

at that

for her

grandmother.

More

is

known

Boo and was to play

an

of this Barbara. She was nicknamed Boo-

perpetuated the

who knew

all

spirit

her, she

and had inherited

common his

woman

the only

of a younger generation

Monk's world. Her name

influential part in

of her grandmother. According to

was always very

close to her father,

his gift for music.

She had more

in

with Thelonious than simply being able to play

compositions at an early age, for she soon revealed

herself to be just as intense as he, conic,

and able

to stun

by a

and

as brusque, la-

single remark.

She saw and

—

definitely her

understood everything, but said nothing father's daughter.

One example comes family resemblance. his introductions?

mind which

to

Have you

Most of the

usually plays before the

noticed

illustrates their

how Monk

plays

time, the few bars a pianist

band comes

in

can say a

lot

about the man. There's the "standard" method of playing the end of the tune, in order to prime the "swing"

pump, and the subtle

to get the

method of

band

off

on the

right track. There's

creating a tastelful cadence, which

sketches the color of the tune in the background. there's the percussive

Then

approach, consisting of playing a

small rhythmic phrase, repeated over four bars, as an

appetizer served before the

main

feast

of the tune.

Women

Or

59

there's the austere

approach

—just two or three notes of own way

a chord. Each piano player has his

of intro-

ducing the music.

But you don't often hear

odies are angular though familiar, refers to a

it

(but

You might

why

by the ear and lead us step by step

He

of the matter.

Monk

up,

it

special

still

little

into

cuts right to the heart

one phrase, the

carefully chooses the

most abrupt and hermetic one

its

some-

like

think he should take the edge off

musical world. But no,

serves

sound

it

should he take the edge off anything?), take

us diplomatically his

and even when he

well-known tune, he makes

thing new.

Monk's. His mel-

intros like

whole tune and

in the

wrapped and fastened with a knot on

plate. It's a small creature

definable shape that crawls

with an un-

up your eardrum, and

tickles

a part of your brain you thought had been asleep for the past million years. Slip over to your stack of records listen to the introduction to

Gryce to set

(Nica's

"Gallop's Gallop," with Gigi

Tempo, Signal, 1955)

your teeth

on edge. Or

else "I

—

it's

abstract

enough

Go Out of

Let a Song

My Heart" (Monk Plays Duke Ellington, Riverside, which, by grabbing the

tail

and

1955)

end of the melody and running

Monk mixer, he turns it into something totally enigmatic. With age, Monk gradually abandoned the it

through the

pleasure of these biting introductions, but right up to the early sixties, they are a true feast for the ears. I'll

never cease to marvel at his opening to the arch-

standard "I Should Care," where he the

way

for singer

is

supposed

Kenny "Pancho" Hagood

to lead

(With Milt

Jackson, Blue Note, 1948). This introduction always re-

minds

me

friend

by

natural 60

I

of a scene from a Buster Keaton film in which

swimming pool and he wants

he's at a

his

moves on

movement

to impress his girl-

the high diving board.

(like

The

diver's

that of the pianist introducing

Laurent de Wilde

a tune)

is

to

launch

and continuous

body

his

a progressive

(the music) in

But Keaton, reaching the end of

thrust.

the board, suddenly terrorized by the height, breaks his fluid

motion down into a dozen contradictory and almost

simultaneous movements, creating a ballet which blends his

momentum and

his fear

of comic brilliance, and

I

of

falling.

The

effect

is

one

must have played those two or

three seconds back in slow motion at least twenty times in order to study the scene that

on

he surely had to work

for days.

The

intro to "I

Don't forget that

and the

scratch,

bearings to refer

Should Care" works the same way. such a case you are starting from

in

listener has

no rhythmic or harmonic

That's what the piano

to.

is

supposed

to provide. Well, instead of peacefully stating a

a tempo,

Monk sticks

absolutely

key and

ambiguous chords

most incomprehensible places, and the

in the

vocalist's

en-

trance then seems nothing short of miraculous. Practically speaking, here's

what must have happened: they

agreed on a four-bar piano intro, counted off a tempo, then Thelonious just took

off.

Too bad

listened to him, instead of concentrating

for

anyone who

on the infamous

four bars! If you got dazzled by his unpredictable acrobatics (which in

change with each

take),

you wouldn't come

on time! And without the snap of the

off the

tempo before

fingers counting

the tune starts, the listener

is

thrown

headlong into an angular and complex world which both shocks and charms the ear. So

Monk

played so

enough they'd hell

on

to

still

little

it's

with vocalists.

not surprising that

An

intro like that

is

put half of them in a psychiatric ward where

be wondering in their padded

had happened. With Monk, you

cells

really

what the

have to hang

tight.

Nothing

in these introductions better represents

Women

what 61

Monk"

"basic

from the very

Monk down his

is

than the way he shoots out sideways

start

— he

And

signature.

intact to his

just can't help

that

is

it.

That

the signature he

daughter Barbara

is

the

handed

who was made

image and molded from the same

clay.

in

They were

both eccentric, but had the same imposing presence and cast

was sic,

The

of mind.

wanted

to

surprising thing

is

become a dancer, then gave

twenty-five.

From then on

and her brother

ginning, she

had a

still

that it

Boo-Boo

up when

she concentrated on

remembers how, from

gift for

and the

future

An

writing tunes with harmonies

me-

enchanted royal path lay ahead,

seemed

She died of cancer

mu-

the be-

strangely like those of her father, with an instinctive lodic confidence.

she

to

be

at the

hers.

age of twenty-nine. Follow-

ing her father to the grave, Barbara's only satisfaction

was

to

have spared him the pain of her

own

death.

Thus

Thelonious's near-double died at practically the same

time as he, leaving behind an acrid taste of defeat and

memory. Of

all

these primordial

the only ones alive as

Marion, and

62

I

women

in

Monk's

life,

write these lines are his sister

Nellie, his wife.

Laurent de Wilde

Producers

There was lonious's

another

woman whose

to see that those doors

remained

shut. Thirty years old

under

own name? How

and

could

raine Lion couldn't understand. ful

enthusiasm for The-

music helped open doors for him, a

who was amazed his

I

had

still

this

woman

for so long

no recordings

be possible? Lor-

So she put

her youth-

all

energy into getting the pianist recognized by an

industry which ferent

had always ignored him. But she was

from the

women mentioned

dif-

held

earlier, for she

a big trump card in the record game: she was the wife

of Alfred Lion who, along with Francis Wolff, cofounded the Blue to play

Note record

label

which a few years

later

was

a major role in the history of jazz. Lion had fled

Nazi Germany, and

company

in the

recording Albert

in January 1939,

United

founded

States, with the sole

Ammons and Meade Lux artists

record

Lewis

boogie-woogie piano players whose music had with enthusiasm. Gradually, other

his

purpose of

— two

filled

in the

him

same

vein began to appear in his catalogue; however, Lion

hadn't yet acquired a taste for the music

known

as be-

bop.

At a time when the whole planet was crumbling under the

bombs of World War

II,

the jazz scene in

And

was undergoing a

similar upheaval.

med

bebop war took place on a

listener, the

which was Lion,

still

difficult to delineate.

who had meanwhile

interested in a

to

the

name

of Ike

them. That was a foot

make up

and who would quickly make the

on the jazz

in 1944,

joined Wolff, was becoming

to record for

who were soon

sicians

battlefield

But already,

Quebec introduced Lion

in the door.

for the uninfor-

"modern" saxophonist by

Quebec, who began

New York

to a host of

mu-

"the Blue Note team," label

one of the hottest

scene.

Thelonious was one of the

first

musicians introduced

Lion and the producer was immediately enchanted.

to

He

loved Monk's music, and gave him a five-year exclu-

sive contract. In so

to recognize

doing he was

and promote

Despite the passive

sicians.

that their

man was

tury's great geniuses. In the business,

that their artistic policy cide.

The

future,

mu-

and Wolff continued

Monk, paying him out of their own

They were convinced

promise

contemptuous

or, at times,

indifference of the critics, Lion

stand up for

fullfilling his

the talent of exceptional

would lead

to

pockets.

one of the cen-

people were saying to

commercial

sui-

however, proved the Blue Note pro-

ducers right, but at the time their only capital was their convictions.

They were,

There have been

all

indeed, truly great producers.

kinds of jazz producers: the cou-

rageous, the business-minded, the crooked, the visionaries,

the jazz

ruined,

and the

lovers,

the cautious,

millionaires.

I

suicidal,

We've seen them

haps we should take a closer look 64

the

Laurent de Wilde

at

all!

the

Per-

them. For without

them, nothing gets done, and

would be a mistake

it

to

ignore them.

There are

several different types. In the early 1950s,

there were the executive producers, the producers,

then the famous

An

A&R men

executive producer

is,

money, which means that certain funds profit)

when

above

which he expects

since he provides the

is

an

to get

repertory").

concerned with

all,

to record

the recording

and

(for "artists

artist,

he invests

back (and make a

Which means

sold.

and

money, he reserves the

The

choose the musicians and the context.

that,

right to

producer,

then, takes care of the other requirements, such as book-

and making sure

ing the studio, contacting the musicians

they get to the right place on the right day, ordering pizza for the break; in short, doing everything possible to

make

This

is

sure the session goes as smoothly as possible.

a very important stage, because a jazz record

nothing more than a fleeting instance of the sic,

captured on one single day of his

or

later

There are magical

And

it

is

sessions,

possible to set

different

and there are

up a magical

mu-

One day earlier

life.

would produce completely

artist's

is

results.

also total flops. session,

by the

choice of the musicians, the tunes, the sound engineer,

and the

rest

—

this

is

all

the producer's job.

quires a great deal of intelligence

and

also re-

It

intuition during a

session to bring out the full potential of the music.

The

producer has to make suggestions with discretion and tact,

know when

the session

is

to

getting

go on to the next tune,

bogged down

find a last-minute replacement

feel

in a tricky

when

number,

necessary (often the

case in the history of jazz), keep everybody cool

technical do)

problem

— "Sounds

second,

I

want

like

to

arises,

(and

when

God knows

when

a

they alway

a problem with the mikes; hold on a

check something.

." .

.

—just when you

Producers

I

65

were about record the perfect

natural enemy: the

Then

there are the

and

A&R is

made

he has

their

music that they

labels,

offer to

between the

and the majors.

small independent labels have a dozen

whose work

sells fairly well.

indi-

here another distinction

(the last one, I promise)

independent or small

name

both the choice of musi-

for

And

the label employing them.

The

men. As

for the color of the

should be

all

to portray the artist's

money man.

cates, their responsibility

cians

And above

take.

most diplomatic way

to find the

They aim

dience and produce a hit every

artists

at a specific au-

now and

then.

The

prof-

are small, considering the extent of the catalog. In the

its

early

fifties,

sified

a major was usually a profitable and diver-

branch of a large company (Columbia or

Victor), or a label

instrumental jazz

which had big name

RCA

of vocal or

stars

— Capitol had Nat King Cole,

Sinatra,

and George Shearing; Decca had Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

panies acting as

You

A&R men

find the

artistic directors.

on

the operation, as they are

They

companies

for the small

don't invest in

They have

to be, in order to

if

sell.

like

Blue Note, the

executive producer and the producer are the son.

com-

but they are fired

salary,

the records they're in charge of don't

However,

in these

same per-

keep an eye on their

investment each step of the way, and to supervise the quality both in the studio

makes a huge

and

difference in

in the front office

some

category of independent producers

and who or,

more

receive a percentage

I'll

veil

66

round

at

who

on the

often, the bigger labels, as

Macero, Monk's producer

Then

cases.

— which

there

is

the

are contracted

sales for the small

was the case

for

Teo

Columbia.

off this gallery of portraits

by removing the

of mystery which surrounds the agent. His job

Laurent de Wilde

is

to

— look after the

and defend

business

artist's

his interests

finding, then negotiating contracts for clubs, or record

companies, talking to the press for him, and in general serving as a kind of screen between the musician

of the world.

rest

(Monk took on an

Once

later, in 1955.)

again, one

man

can be both pro-

Norman Granz

organized concerts and tours (the famous "Jazz at

and recorded

the Philharmonic"),

obvious that

It's

make music,

on one of

men

two

the other to

depend on how well

sell

— one whose job And

it.

this relationship

portant to understand

this, for

works

out.

economic

He

flexible.

trouble convincing those

ducers

lives

It's

im-

Thelonious did not have

constraints, but chose to ignore

He

pattern.

who

them when-

always had a very precise

what he wanted, and,

And he

to

understood perfectly the various

ever they got in his way. idea of

re-

is

both their

what would be considered a "normal" behavior wasn't

his

masks a much simpler

this listing

Basically, there are

ality.

artists

Norgran, Verve, then Pablo).

several labels (Clef,

He

was

agent, but that

ducer and agent, as was the case with

who

and the

like all visionaries,

he had

weren't already on his

side.

rarely tried. His rapport with his different pro-

a perfect illustration of the gap that existed

is

between

his genius

and

his ability to sell

it.

Thelonious's recording career began with brio. In five years

and seven

two months), fred

sessions (the

Monk

first

three spread over only

recorded thirty-three tunes for Al-

and Lorraine Lion which came out

fifteen

78

records.

rpm

The

records,

and three

collections

turning

tunes

out

twenty-three original compositions.

And

either.

on

on 10-inch

label certainly didn't cut corners.

And Monk was ones

at the time

They included

"Round Midnight,"

"Straight,

future

No

abundantly not the lesser

classics

such

as

Chaser," and "Ruby,

Producers

I

67

My

Then

Dear."

corded again

there were others which he never re-

— "Humph,"

"Who Knows,"

"Skippy,"

"Hornin' In," and "Sixteen." Without even mentioning the ones he most likely wrote in that period, then only

recorded

such as "Bye-Ya" and "Rhythm-a-ning."

later,

You can imagine how this

A meteorite

musical monument!

The

garden!

Monk's a

excited the Lions were to discover

session for them, as

first

was a

job,

first

had

fallen into their

mysterious stone, the star of wonder!

of Thelonious's

often the case for

confused. That was

little

fault,

is

than Ike Quebec's,

less

because

mentor

his

at

Blue Note. For Quebec used the session to insert two of his

own

compositions, half of the four tunes they re-

corded that day. Don't forget the ing

is

for free, those

Monk

into the studio.

same

integrity as

.

.

his

That means a

as noth-

pay

to

starts

lot

and missed

cording experience,

it

is

just asking for

of people in the studio, a

count-offs.

When you

his usual, ever-present

and aplomb. He was sure of himself, first

note of the

was so strong

first

that

brought along were

ness,

of the

68

first,

"Humph

And

lot

of

lack re-

first

Monk

led

confidence

right

from the very

session.

His presence

eclipsed the confusion reigning in

And, what's more, the two compositions he

the studio.

title

tune of his it

lot

only makes things worse.

But none of that was a serious problem, for everyone along with

go

.

of musical conventions to be respected, and a

wrong

to

own, but when you think

then starting off with a sextet

trouble.

And

played Quebec's tunes with the

he played

of what he had in store

And

royalties.

were the dues you had

that

is

brilliantly original.

he grumbled, with

When

his usual

asked the

loquacious-

." .

.

how

that

onomatopoeia became

Laurent de Wilde

classified

Monk

Thelonious

as a

was already

title

composition. For the second, the

"Thelonious." There was his very

set:

signature on the record.

And

the

band was made up of first-rate musicians: Art

who

Blakey, his buddy, five

joyfully inaugurated his twenty-

years of recording with Thelonious;

Gene Ramey on

who had come up from Kansas City with Charlie Parker in the Jay McShann orchestra; trumpet player

bass,

Sulieman

Idriss

and saxophonist

Danny Quebec West,

nephew

the

Even

Smith.

Billy

Ike suggested for the

session, although only seventeen, turned out to be a solid

and inventive Just over a

Now no the

full

alto player.

month

later,

his

second

session.

longer a recording novice, he was able to deliver

measure of

Art Blakey

dards, "Nice

Work

seemed

to

Among and Gene Ramey. Two stan-

his genius, this

friends, with

Paris,"

Monk had

If

time in

You Can Get

It,"

and "April

in

have been written just for him. Also

included were a delicious ballad, "Ruby,

medium tempo

trio.

but exuberant "Well

You

My

Dear," a

Needn't," and

two spellbinding tunes, "Introspection" and "Off Minor," which to this day remain enigmas of modernity.

and the

This was high

art,

cohesion and

facility.

session

was one of exceptional

The music being played was

so

miraculous that the session was extended from the originally

same stakes

planned four tunes thing.

With

to six.

The

his quintet this time,

even higher, with "In

next month, the

Monk

raised the

Walked Bud," "Monk's

Mood," "Round Midnight," and "Who Knows," session's only concession to the

the

mad-paced, infernal tem-

pos played by the boppers.

By

the

end of 1947, Lion had fourteen

with various groups, and

all

titles

recorded

of them were excellent.

Producers

I

And

when

they decided to put them on the market, they

Monk was

should have had every reason to celebrate. thirty years old.

Welcome

So much has been

Mars.

to planet

said about Ornette

Coleman's rec-

ord Free Jazz, which in a single track shook the entire

And

world of jazz music.

were

just as explosive

same

effect.

you have

to

But

it

these

recordings by

first

Monk

and should have produced the

not enough to just drop a bomb;

is

be sure

it

doesn't

For the

in a desert.

fall

record buyers at the time were not ready to have their ears bent in such a radical way. Let's just call

it

a time

bomb.

On

the records, everything

and

carefully thought-out,

is

finely crafted.

half minutes of pure genius. sicians

who come on

There

up the

signs

ious

artist

were

is still

When

all

a

little

awkward

attempts.

good

deal,

and

green. But Thelon-

he showed up with

his little

begun recording

so late in

would notice him. But the most important thing

about these recordings himself as a composer. quintet,

and

his genius in

sextet,

in his

is

that he immediately established

By

offering variable groups, trio,

he was able to reveal the

each of these combinations.

himself forward

like

He

vitality

of

didn't put

a virtuoso, even though he was one

own unique way. The music he was

was expressed through the piano, but

70

get a sense

allowed him to mature in his corner, where only the

initiates

its

many mu-

ready to be hung on the wall for

the exhibition. Also, having life

when you can

gets excited, senses a

who

was the opposite.

pictures, they

Three and a

aren't too

artist despite his early

The smart producer

— matured,

the scene already complete. There's

always the formative period, of the great

already there

it

possessed with

seemed

to find

natural extension in other instruments, too, which,

Laurent de Wilde

shadow on

instead of casting a

rather to underline

its

his

own

extreme and radical

Shortly after his death, a record was

of Monk's admirers, entitled That's the kinds, but mainly

Musicians of

all

took part in

this

homage

served

style,

originality.

made by

Way

a group

I Feel

Now.

from pop and rock,

entirely devoted to

Monk's

compositions. But not only within a jazz format, but also electric guitars, synthesizers,

bam. These people and

note,

it's

all

rock drums, the whole sha-

play Monk's tunes almost note for

both instructive and wonderful to realize

that even in a completely different context, his music

sounds as amazingly fresh as ever.

way

that

ten centuries from

you can hardly imagine,

exactly as he wrote

Monk ing

sion.

He

what, as long as

played

is

it

it.

ad nauseum,

until

Sketch

he got the at the

final ver-

loom of

draw

it,

it

it,

worn away by paint

it,

the soles of his

there you have

Monk's pieces are the complete opposite of the and polymorphous compositions

band,

solo, trio or quartet,

thing,

and

it is

his

up

to

Monk

everybody

it.

flighty

that can be played in

different tempos, or in various keys.

Take

his

sat in the tiny apartment, at the upright

piano, the floor beneath shoes.

sound

still

played on instruments

spun and wove ceaselessly

There he

genius.

will

usually spent several weeks writing a tune, play-

relentlessly,

it

it

like laser harps, transubstantial

who knows

polyphonias,

now

And

Whether with a big

always plays the same

else to follow

him!

composition "Shuffle Boil." Without going

into technical detail, the

two high notes

in the

are just out of the tenor saxophone range.

melody

They can be

played, but only by using the overtones of the instru-

ment, which are

difficult to control,

and can sometimes

produce awkward squeaks. The sax player's tion: Listen,

man, you wrote

this

first

too high; you

Producers

reac-

mind I

if

71

— I

play

down an

it

octave?

You

musician, right?

Monk: You're a

got your union card, right?

play the motherfucker the way

That's

Monk

there

all

was

to

wrote

I

And

it.

The sound was

right!

is

professional

it.

the wildest thing

is

that

there! Despite the false

The revenge

notes, or because of them!

Then

of

mind over

matter!

Even more than

Monk

sculpture.

Each time he ble

painting, his

composes with a burin and a

plays a note,

flies off. It's

work reminds me of

it's

as if a

little

chisel.

shard of mar-

almost painful, but you realize you're on

your way toward the perfect form, angular but smooth not

Miles Davis or

like

ress the idea all

Ahmad Jamal who

of a melody idea, or Art

sensually ca-

Tatum who

reveals

the different possibilites at once in a kind of epileptic

Monk

vision.

upright,

when

me

of Brancusi

— he

sculpts big,

compact pieces out of the sound mass which,

they are finished, dazzle you with their beauty,

their rigor,

As

reminds

and

their

tempo,

for

humor.

let it

be known immediately: Monk's

compositions have one specific tempo, sometimes two,

but they're always the same. turn

was

"Round Midnight" or "Well,

not),

(which

He

leaves

You Needn't"

wasn't, either). Using a

it

it

up

into a ballad (which into

to others to it

originally

an uptempo tune

metronome,

I

investi-

gated the possible tempo variations of some of his tunes,

throughout

his

whole recording career. The verdict?

Aside from a few rare exceptions, the tempo doesn't

budge a

hair.

He

hears his compositions at one tempo,

just like there's usually only

one way

chord behind the melody. This jazz

—

stantly

almost unheard-of in

the ultimate protean musical

chews up and

transform 72

is

digests

it.

Laurent de Wilde

its

to play a certain

form— for jazz

con-

repertory in order to

was speaking of Miles Davis. Look

I

to his

famous "All Blues." Ten years

track,

with the complicity of

Hancock, and

Ron

at

what he does

after the original

Tony

Williams, Herbie

Carter, Miles does nothing less than

double the original tempo!

Monk?

He

Never!

sculpts in

marble. Sometimes he touches up his tunes along the

way. Like

when he drops two

bars from the bridge of

"Criss Cross," or changes the rhythmic color of "Bye-

Ya," but these are just

details.

Nothing

the basic material remains the

same

makes mineral music. And you could start in all;

and

was the year he married

Monk

from the

feel this

The year 1947

a radiant way. it

really serious, for

— marble.

wasn't a loss at

Nellie, too.

This was

a fine beginning.

As

his

albums were not

ing any sales records,

up enthusiasm or break-

stirring

Monk

kept on playing the clubs.

Four years passed and he was leaving there, but nothing truly glorious little

in all the clubs,

when he

but rarely under his

did, the place usually

and the

the Royal Roost,

rest

mark here and

his

happened.

places

played a

own name, and

emptied

—

He

out. Birdland,

where

his col-

leagues triumphed, he was just content to play there,

pick

up

his pay.

The

club owners didn't care for

particularly, with his sly

right

through them.

To

way

and

him

of saying nothing but seeing

them, he was someone

often late, didn't have a positive profile,

who was

and couldn't

draw a crowd. It's

interesting to note that the musical debuts of his

brilliant colleagues

many

others

—

Miles, Bird, Dizzy, Blakey

— stood out immediately.

and

so

These musicians

did everything they could to carve a place for themselves:

they went to

New York

and played with

the best-known

bands, using them as a springboard to the future they

Producers

I

73

They hung out

impatiently awaited.

down lot

the

They

critics.

of noise.

The jazz

together.

got talked about.

historian's

job

is

They put

They made

made

easier.

a

You

can see right away where they were playing, what they

were doing and where they were going. But case,

is

it

And form.

him down. For some

on studio

His

new highways all

strange reason, he

he was always in impeccable

dates,

makes you wonder what people back then had

in their ears.

with

it's

shadow.

in a mysterious

yet,

It

Monk's

completely different. During that period,

difficult to track

remained

in

own

recordings continued to cut vast

into virgin territory

which he drove down

the unerring vigor of genius.

And

he was accom-

panied by the most talented musicians in jazz: Milt JackSahib Shihab,

son,

Kenny Dorham, Lou Donaldson,

Lucky Thompson, Shadow Wilson, Al McKibbon, Art Blakey and

Max Roach

And when session (Bird tors of

—What a

he was invited to join the famous Verve

and

Diz, 1950) to

bebop," he did

his

His solos are cutting and is

flawless.

But

it

could

see,

open up

nally just

Monk

seems

74

he was

for him.

finally

ready

His playing

seems to be spinning the

bebop

man, I'm

to get in the

all

all

way.

stage.

is

and

that

his wheels,

The guy you

the scenes,

who

fi-

You mind moving

trying to get a look at Bird.

The cover photo on

cess.

accompanying

density, depth, precision,

always see in the background, in

Diz

his

begging for immediate recogniton.

some kind of extra on

over,

and

wasn't happening: As Bird and Diz are flying ever

higher to glory, like

the "inven-

job with exemplary authority.

and unwavering. His

originality are just

accompany

brilliant;

From what you

for the gates of glory to tight,

lineup!

.

.

.

Verve album shows Bird and

smiles, as if beatified

by

their

But what you don't realize

Laurent de Wilde

is

overwhelming sucthat the

photo has

been it

saw the

cut! I

was

cut, there

Monk! Then

and you are

sors,

you

And

later!

Thelonious it!

is

it all

is

You can

original,

and on the

somebody becomes

else,

clear

that

— one

yet, in that shot, just as

and

feel

it!

And

They're

somebody

is

Thanks, see

on the record,

the other two

all

where

slash of the scis-

rid of the party-crasher.

perfectly in place.

see

and

right, just

in

it

know

together!

But Monk's hour was yet to come. Just when Bird was harvesting the ripened fruit of his genius,

planting seeds in his private garden. starting to to a son,

grow

and

—

in

December

And

Monk

was

still

his family

was

1949, Nellie gave birth

then, in 1953, to a daughter. Looking to

the future, Thelonious

must have had

the Master Clock, which

seemed

be

to

on

his eyes fixed telling

him, Have

patience, son, your hour will come.

But for the time being,

been a financial

his

Blue Note experience hadn't

Even

success.

he could

so,

feel that the

people in the business were truly enthusiastic about his

The

music. like

Lions' place wasn't a factory.

a workshop, run by bosses

sion.

who had

It

was more

and pas-

faith

As we saw, he recorded a great deal with them.

Anything more would have been either madness or patronage.

1952.

So he cut

his last tracks

And on October

May

with them on

15 of that year, he turned

30,

up

at

Prestige.

And

there, things

were cooking. The Prestige

only been in existence for three years but

it

label

had

had already

logged eighty-two recording sessions before Thelonious arrived!

Bob Weinstock,

had gotten

his

the founder of the

company,

recording experience working for Ross

Russell at Dial Records, during the Charlie Parker sessions.

store

But he was primarily known

on 47th

Street, the

for his

famous record

Jazz Record Center.

He would

Producers

I

75

place loudspeakers outside the store and play music

day long. There was no better place interested in jazz, for

Broadway

it

town

in

was located

if

all

you were

in the heart of the

away from

theater district, a few feet

the

Royal Roost, where Charlie Parker regularly appeared.

uptown was 52nd

Just a few blocks

"Swing

came

where the jazz

Street,"

lover's wildest

Music which more and more supplied

They were

the ones

dreams

who

talent to the ranks

filled

Wein-

the store.

open-minded, and they kept him up on the

latest styles.

don't you start producing jazz records?" they'd

named Tony

ask him. "There's this cat

can

as

ran to the traditional, but he was

stock's personal taste

"Why

known

Also nearby was the Manhattan School of

true.

of bebop.

Street,

really

blow

—we

know

you'll dig

Why

hear him and figured,

Fruscella

who

him." Weinstock

He began

went

to

talk

over with Fruscella, but the trumpet player seemed

it

hesitant,

and kept

went

to

Konitz

suggested a friend of his stock already

knew about

and good ones,

and

after they

Jazz

January

11,

him

to introduce

who

also

Tristano,

Wein-

to.

backed down and

named Lennie

Tristano.

who had

So he decided

too.

came

label, the

to

talking about this monster alto player

named Lee Konitz he wanted stock then

not?

to

Wein-

records out,

go with Lennie,

to terms, the first record

on the

New

Lennie Tristano Quintet, came out on

1949, featuring Lee Konitz, but not Frus-

cella.

By

late

1949, the

New Jazz

label

was on the

rise. It

had already recorded Fats Navarro, Wardell Gray, Kai Winding, Terry Gibbs, Stan Getz, J.J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt,

and

others.

The house drummers

Roach and Roy Haynes. And had taken place during the to sign a distribution

76

included

year.

New Jazz was just about

agreement with the

Laurent de Wilde

Max

thirteen recording sessions

label

run by

— Duke

Mercer Records, and the owner of

Ellington's son,

Birdland was courting his

new

New Jazz

do the promotion

artists

But he had

Bob Weinstock

of a higher market value,

like

started re-

Bud

found a more exclusive label that

is

Powell.

to sell these records at a higher price, since

had

the production costs were greater. Weinstock

And

for

club.

Stimulated by his success,

cording

to

how

to

to illustrate the difference.

was

cre-

New Jazz

and

the distinctive "Prestige" label

ated.

The

idea of two labels at the beginning,

Prestige,

had both advantages and drawbacks.

a larger organization to run, but

opportunity for trying

on the more

Max

artists

it

also

meant

It

provided the

out before launching them

prestigious recordings. This

was the case

for

Roach, J.J. Johnson, John Lewis, and the young

Sonny

who

Rollins,

wound up on

all

began on

New Jazz,

and then

however,

New Jazz

Prestige. In the end,

was gradually absorbed by which then took over the

its

younger brother

Prestige,

entire catalog.

Weinstock's policy was to record, which was just what the musicians wanted.

They were hoping,

would be plenty of money

in

it,

but that's another

much

In any case, the bebop revolution,

on

Prestige,

was

like

too, that there

of

it

story.

recorded

a tidal wave of energy and invention

which broke over the world of jazz. The 1950's saw the birth of

all

kinds of schools

"third stream,"

— "cool

jazz," "hard bop,"

"West Coast," without even mentioning

certain powerful personalities

who

can't be reduced to a

school or a current, such as Rollins or Mingus. These

musicians had to be recorded, and a great

them came

to Prestige.

Bob Weinstock's artists

number of

genius lay in signing up a

with very different

styles, first

number of

white, then black

Producers

I

77

musicians

who were

a major label.

new

as yet too

was a

It

young

to

be of interest to

radical choice, as

it

was about

music, and therefore a risky commercial decision.

Prestige

was a major change

for

Monk,

for

he was leav-

ing a label where he was greatly admired, with the only

challenge to his star status coming from musicians of a

previous generation,

like

Sidney Bechet.

coming part of a company

Now he was be-

which he did not have a

in

monopoly on modernity and where he wasn't

the only

avant-gardist.

formidable

Lenny

Tristano, the innovative, groundbreaking pianist.

He was

For

Prestige

already

had the

a teacher, a maitre a penser, and a tyrant.

It is difficult

to imagine that he didn't have a strong influence

Weinstock's

artistic choices, at least at

New Jazz

the

He had

students, or rather disciples,

were devoted body and

He ell

brother to

talked

all

the beginning of

adventure. Tristano had very fixed ideas

on everything.

alyst

whom

soul.

He

who

even had a psychoan-

he'd send his problem students.

the time about Charlie Parker or

Bud Pow-

with the greatest admiration, but he consistently

Monk who was

nored

on

too remote from his

ig-

own melodic

and technical preoccupations.

And

then there was Miles,

the ranks of the Prestige

but you could pealed to star.

in

And

tell

women, there

who had

artists.

left

He was

Capitol to join

only twenty-five

he had great promise. And, as he apthere

was no doubt he would be a

was Bud, who recorded with Sonny

January of 1950. Bud was Monk's protege,

his

Stitt

own

personal discovery, and as he was considered bebop's

most important piano player, with him.

The

Gene Ammons, rious 78

it

was hard

to split the bill

horn players consisted of the energetic the impressive Stan Getz, the most se-

Lee Konitz, the smooth J.J. Johnson, the

Laurent de Wilde

little

known Wardell Gray, Monk's old

When

young Sonny

the

Monk had

lucrative recognition.

jobs, stay

home

Monk

It

com-

Some

was a

lot,

of them

to gain rapid

Nelllie could quit her life

a

little.

In a

recorded seven sessions for Pres-

two of which were

Rollins.

Then

with the kids and enjoy

two-year period, tige,

plenty of

and Thelonious hoped

selling well,

and

and

sidekick Dizzy Gillespie.

he came to Prestige,

pany, both friends and acquaintances.

were

Rollins,

accompanist for Miles and

as

for there

was enough material

in

the five other sessions for almost four 33 V3 rpm. records

of his own.

One

record every

six

months wasn't too bad!

Thelonious delivered brand-new material which was truly

amazing. Fifteen

pieces

—

I

new

compositions,

all

master-

can't resist listing them: "Little Rootie Tootie,"

"Bye-Ya," "Monk's Dream," "Trinkle Tinkle," "Bemsha Swing," "Reflections," "Let's Call This," "Think of

"We

One," "Friday the 13th,"

See," "Hackensack,"

"Locomotive," "Work," "Nutty," and "Blue Monk."

Enough! Somebody stop him! Trio, (under Rollins's name) it

—

it's

all

quintet, or quartet

good, and

has only been four months since he

How

did he do

away!

it?

And what

He must

all

left

new!

Blue Note!

have been stashing

this stuff

about the standards he picked out:

"Sweet and Lovely," "These Foolish Things," and "Just a Gigolo," the

which

lasted right

tune followed

and

first

up

finally

of a long series of solo versions

to his final concert in 1976.

him throughout

his career, like

was the

first

time he recorded

And there was

also

"Smoke Gets

this

And

the loveliest melodies imaginable,

in

This

a mascot,

it.

Your Eyes," one of

by the

brilliant

com-

poser Jerome Kern (who also wrote "Yesterdays," another of my favorites). Here

it

the most disconcerting but

still

was arranged traditional

for quintet in

way

Producers

possible.

I

79

It

would drive an arrangement teacher

doesn't "sound" on paper, and yet

authentic flavor, as certainly

knew how

something also

knew

the words.

Max Roach

own

put words to his

only ones he could

And

tunes.

it

He

himself.

and always had

my

I'd bet

life

he

recalled that he even

compositions; unfortunately, the

remember were

"Why

it

has an absolutely

it

written

to pick standards,

on those

to say

which began,

Monk had

if

crazy, for

do you evade

"Monk's Mood,"

to

facts?"

— a very good

question.

As

original compositions,

for the

there are several

which he rerecorded subsequently, including

"Little

Rootie Tootie," "Trinkle Tinkle," "Bemsha Swing,"

"Hackensack," and "Nutty." "Blue Monk,"

and what he considered period.

of

(It's

their

strange

simplest

his favorite tune,

how composers

"Maiden Voyage," which basic.

Maybe

variations.)

Hancock's

infinite

Art Blakey, the indispensable brother,

drums most of

the time. Otherwise

Taylor,

Kenny

sicians.

On bass,

is

based on an idea just as

is

because simple ideas allow for

it's

this

are often most fond

Herbie

inventions.

his big hit

belongs to

it's

Clarke, or Willie Jones, there's either

Max

is

on

Roach, Art

all first

rate

mu-

Gary Mapp, Percy Heath,

Tommy Potter— always the perfect On horn, there's the superb Rollins, or

Curly Russell or

rhythm else

section.

Frank Foster, who shows a

derstatements and there

is

difficulties

mastery of the un-

of Monk's music.

And

then

Miles for the famous session of Christmas 1954.

Here were some masterfully Bravo, Mr. Weinstock, even

chose the musicians.

queathing

this

You

music to

two brief years

is

if

intelligent productions.

you were not the one who

deserve a statue just for be-

posterity.

What we can hear on

80

total

Prestige in the course of those

the most independent, most agile, wild

Laurent de Wilde

Monk

and compact

fusion with Blakey

The

them.

total.

is

and

ern, swinging

of his whole recording career. His

The compositions

definitive.

solos are inspired

Everybody

are

and

It

in a lifetime

mod-

playing

felt like

and razor-sharp.

the days of three-minute cuts,

all

was

still

would

it

be hard to find three minutes as jam-packed and relaxed as these.

The

first

peated nine times of

chord of

like

"Little

Rootie Tootie," re-

a harsh manifesto, deserves a prize

own. This tune was written for

its

who had

son

his

Monk

learned to whistle even before he could speak.

nicknamed him Tootie because of a cartoon of the time

Toot the Talkboat," and the tune simply

called "Little

reproduces, in Monk's tle.

And on

mere

detail.

own way,

the boat's joyous whis-

top of that, the quality of sound wasn't a In fact, these Prestige recordings, along with

four other records produced later {Plays

Duke

Nicas Tempo, The Unique, and Sonny

Rollins, Vol. 2),

Ellington,

Rudy Van

shared the privilege of being associated with

Gelder, one of the greatest sound engineers the world

has ever known.

We've

talked about producers, but

sound engineers. Sound persuasive

is

let's

everything.

not forget the

Even though the

power of Monk's music transcends

nical conditions of recording, his spirit

never more present than here.

And

and

that

the tech-

style

is

were

thanks to

Rudy's magic touch.

Van ing

Gelder began in

his

own

living

room with

noth-

more than a Steinway piano (which Hank Jones con-

siders the best

and a mixing which gave

moved

to

piano he ever played), a few microphones

table.

its

He

name

lived in

to

Hackensack,

New Jersey,

one of Monk's tunes. Later he

Englewood, where he

is

today,

jazz world has filed through his studio.

and the

He

is

Producers

entire

grouchy, I

81

tyrannical (no one's allowed to eat, smoke, or drink while

recording

is

and

in progress),

in white gloves.

For more than

jazz music with his impeccable

more

cleaner, subtler,

ECM

But

label.

in the

Gelder

who

man

at

Blue Note (unfortunately after

left).

He was

too!

In the 1980s, the

on the records of the famous Manfred

ethereal color, as

Eicher and his

his imprint, crafting

taste.

would take on a

"jazz sound"

officer

thirty years, this passion-

been leaving

ate connoisseur has

an

as meticulous as

man

the

He was

standards of excellence.

set the

at Prestige.

The round presence

was Van

fifties, it

Monk had

the

already

Savoy? That's him,

of the piano, the definition of

the drums, the rich depth of the bass, the

warmth of the

horns, that intelligent rapport between the instruments,

where each musician is

Rudy!

Monk

When

the sound

finds his rightful place

meets

Van

is

—

of that

all

Gelder! Hurray!

good, any musician takes wing.

Everything you play sounds good, your ideas flow, you feel like

you're high. Each note effortlessly finds

and

place,

the music. there

is

around

leaves the space

You can

it

open

to the rest of

breath freely in the open space, and

plenty of room.

When

the sound

is

bad,

ten people in a two-room apartment with the ing.

A

good sound

is

This had to affect Monk.

To

it's

TV

now been

reissued

Rudy Van

Gelder, the very

understand the importance of

on three compact

The Genius of Modern Music, volumes third

striking.

of space. 82

1

Monk

They

discs entitled

and

one under the name of Milt Jackson. The

give a vision of

blar-

skyline.

sound, just take Thelonious's Blue Note albums.

have

like

a six-hundred-square-foot pent-

house with a view of the Manhattan

master of sound.

exact

its

2,

and a

first

as hurried, unpredictable,

But they don't do justice

The drums sound

to his

two

and

amazing mastery

blurred and noisy, and the

Laurent de Wilde

bass seems muffled.

supposed

to

when you

The horns sound good, but

these are

be a piano player's records, right? But then

listen to the

quartet with Milt Jackson

(re-

corded by another sound engineer, by the way), you can hear everything.

Because recording the sound of a vibraphone

The amplitude you have

cycles of the

to record at

low

loing,

it

sort of slips

can be recorded little;

he can

bal crash

vibraphone are deep, and otherwise the sounds are

level,

quickly saturated. So even

when

the vibraphone

so-

behind the sound of the piano, which

much

Here,

closer.

Monk

end them prematurely.

He

lence, without giving the impression of

can hear him there even when he

can play very

to "Misterioso"

is

cym-

can cultivate

si-

an absence. You

isn't

playing. His ac-

perfect in

and spontaneity. And that accompaniment sible

is

the notes die out, without having a

let

companiment

tricky.

is

its is

economy

made

pos-

by the sound, which generates, honors, and justifies

it.

So,

when Monk

signed with Prestige, he was sure of get-

ting true expertise

which could only embellish

his music.

This was a definite consolation in a rather grim period, for

he was no longer allowed to play publicly in

New

York. (Monk, the ultimate

New

no money from

records weren't really selling,

gigs, his

Yorker!)

He was making

he had one child and another on the way,

bills to

and, in 1953, his beloved mother Barbara died. there were the

problems.

The

first

early

Furthermore,

symptoms of fifties

pay,

And

serious psychological

did not bode well.

his relations

with

Bob Weinstock were

beginning to deteriorate. Weinstock seemed to prefer the

young Miles Davis. And then there was the Modern Jazz Quartet which came on the scene in

late '54,

promising

Producers

I

83

Monk was

great things for a well-advised producer.

He

a priority, and that annoyed him.

not

also suspected

Weinstock of not paying him the money he deserved.

The American system can be you signed with a flat rate

and

basically

employer more than the employee.

benefits the

A

quite vicious,

When

they "bought" you.

label, in a sense

was agreed upon between the

artist

and the

producer when the contract was signed, and which rep-

The record company

resented an advance on royalties.

reimbursed

ments when the But

in

from the

itself

most

royalties

and completed

sales,

went over the

original

pay-

its

amount.

never saw any of

cases, musicians

remainder. Unless their music reached the

Top

40,

this

and

they had financial clout, they never got to see the ac-

count books.

forming due

and

And when drug

to a

you're black, barred from per-

offense,

try to sue a white

and broke

man who

American economy! Because of in the late fifties various

Charlie Mingus and their

The

losing battle, for

time,

these flagrant injustices,

and money you and

I

knew litical,

it,

At the time,

84

I

dim view of

this:

this

was a

critical,

but

to bring

about change. With the odds

kinds of pressure being used, you

all

money

they

initial

demand, which

owed

you. Before you

you were defending the black cause, getting po-

and your

troubles were only beginning.

Monk's cup of

tea.

was. So he did what he always did

shut and

producers and

you needed vast amounts of energy,

to get the

ble wasn't really it

own

must be dreaming! Black peo-

quickly got sidetracked from your

was simply

started taking fate in

their

establishment took a

ple doing business!?

against

contributing to the

is

Ahmad Jamal

Downright Communists!

go

musicians including Gigi Gryce,

own hands and became

publishers.

as well, just

moved on

along.

Laurent de Wilde

And

trou-

He had enough

— he kept

his

as

mouth

6

Piano Solo

A

t

was

time in Monk's

this

an event took place which

have prophetic importance,

to

much

only becoming clear Paris.

life

This was the

first

later.

its

to

a trip to

time he had been out of the

United States and, though he didn't

would be the chance

real significance

Monk made

make

realize

it

then,

his first solo record.

it

This

record was the cornerstone of one of the finest buildings in the history of jazz.

And

its

story

is

well worth telling.

In the winter of 1953-54, Henri Renaud, a pianist and

composer of the to

first

generation of French boppers, went

New York to make

up with Monk. as a disciple to

into the

ical

was a shock. Here he had simply come

check out the Young Turks and he ran

Grand Caliph

bly, received

friends.

It

a recording, and happened to meet

Renaud

As Renaud

at

himself.

Monk

home and

tells it,

responded socia-

the two soon

became

one night, a more philosoph-

one than others, they were

sitting

by the East River

which, a few miles away, empties into the Atlantic.

I

wonder,

Monk

of the ocean.

made

never

tions, so

him

.

reflected,

Renaud had

.

.

what

on the other

like

it's

already learned that

pointless statements or asked

Monk

empty ques-

he told him that there might be a way to show

namely France.

at least a part of that other side,

After a quick call to Charles Delaunay in Paris

was putting the Jazz, things hire

left to

would be

finishing touches

became

Monk

There wasn't enough money

clearer.

for the Salon,

foolish not to

to

in Paris to

check

check him out. In

fair

my

who

on the 1954 Salon du

Delaunay

said,

but

it

have him come, so bring him

over and we'll find him some work. So in June

landed

side

it

out.

And

Monk

in return, Paris got

opinion, this was

more than a

exchange.

That

year, the big

American

star

was not Thelonious.

Except for a few well-informed jazzs care about him. Rather,

it

fans,

France did not

was Gerry Mulligan and

his

quartet which, ironically, was without piano. Paris was

ready and willing to do anything for the playboy with the baritone.

Another irony

became good

together

1957).

And Gerry

at the

that

Monk and

friends shortly after that,

corded

had

is

Mulligan

and even

(Monk Meets Mulligan,

re-

Riverside,

long remembered the admiration he

time for the brilliant composer of

"Round

Midnight."

The

trip to Paris

was

certainly a tough lesson for

The-

who was already well aware that no one is a prophet in his own country. But he realized he was even lonious

less so

abroad. As he. had

use a local

drummer and

Despite their

efforts,

come over

bass player to

they could not

alone, he

had

to

accompany him.

come near

the en-

ergy or style of Art Blakey, or Curly Russell which

86

Laurent de Wilde

complemented

Monk

And

so well.

in Paris

he got more

boos than applause. His only consolation was to meet a

and impassioned

strange

over from

London

to

woman who

had flown

said she

hear him, and claimed to be Bar-

oness Pannonica de Koenigswarter.

But what a

trip!

time in his

first

life

Who

knows? This may have been the

he got booed

like that.

He

wasn't

who

Miles the dandy, the lady-killer; or Bird, the genius, left

a host of awestruck, misty-eyed fans in his wake. No,

Monk met

in Paris

with a skeptical incredulity,

echo of his rejection by the

we

to say,

We

New York public. We

like

an

seemed

don't need this stuff here!

did the same thing to Coltrane.

they both

came

back.

When

wouldn't have blamed them "If

like

you don't mind, man,

if

they

We

were lucky

became famous,

I

they'd told their producer,

I'd rather not play in Paris.

They're a sad bunch over there." But that wasn't the case, for the quality of

determined people

is

that they

don't bear a grudge, they overcome their rancor and

they aren't affected by petty gibes.

I'll

never forget what

Coltrane said just after the astounding concert he gave with his

booing

new group

me

at the

Olympia

theater: "They're

because I'm not modern enough."

Fortunately there were a few Parisians in the

who what

know

took the trouble to record just over a half hour of is,

in

my

opinion, one of the most beautiful con-

music of the twentieth century. The

pi-

ano was mediocre, which only made Monk's music

all

tributions to the

the

more admirable. In

solo, his face to the

lonious played eight of his compositions,

dard,

"Smoke Gets

in

wind, The-

and one

stan-

Your Eyes," which he had

just

recorded for Prestige. All were played with a blend of determination

and aplomb.

He was

confident

Piano Solo

and

87

why

disarming, and that's

piano

you can intimately savor

cluttered,

One

of

him playing

love to hear

I

In that basic form, freed of baggage and un-

solo.

my

favorite pieces

Me"

You, Just

story. "Just

is

his genius.

"Evidence." Here

is

a song

Monk

is

its

often enjoyed

playing and one he recorded a few years later for Riverside in

an updated and recast form with a memorable

arrangement. As the starting point for

this tune,

Monk

superimposed an eerie accompaniment on the basic

chord structure which turned the usual order around:

accompaniment, with

that

comes the melody. This

its is

personal accents, then be-

the sign of an exceptional

composer: he inverts the standard order, and

harmony and rhythm ple

and ingenious,

The

the Blue Note

The

is

dominant melodic

Monk

the

lifts

role.

version of "Evidence"

first

of

modern

version of this

jazz,

the

Sim-

trademark. featured on

is

album with Milt Jackson recorded

monument

another earlier.

this

known

first

to a

which

I

young theme

in 1948,

mentioned is

made up

of a dense eight-bar introduction, followed by a lean and cutting

theme and accompaniment, softened by the

vibraphonist's nonchalant ease. lay

dormant

When

it

its

And

1

948 sketch

rhythmic one,

opposed

substitutes chords for

were carefully

shifted,

standard accompaniment. If you sepa-

is

cally incomprehensible.

I

a double

from the bass and drums, you come up

with something which

88

is

You, Just Me," and a

in that the accents

to a

rate the piano

"Just

it

used the

to create a fin-

don't forget that "Evidence"

theme of

the well-known

Monk

definitive form.

paraphrase: a melodic one, for

as

composition

surfaced again on the Parisian recording, the

striking qualities of his

ished work.

this

for six years, almost to the day.

theme had taken on most

Then

agile

both rhythmically and melodi-

Even

Laurent de Wilde

the

title,

with

its

juvenile

humor,

is

an example of

you, just me, there's just us, to

hermeticism: If there's just

this

mean justice! And

I

be justice there must be evidence, right? By

shift in

meaning,

pun

this

perfectly

fits

gradual

its

Monk's musical

and then took

ideas as he conceived this piece,

for there

it

several

degrees beyond the fringe.

Monk

In that Parisian studio,

set

out to play some-

thing which couldn't be taken at face value. For the tune to

make

ically

rhythm

sense, the rest of the

section should log-

be expected to maintain the basic framework on

which Monk's clever structure has been superimposed. This was the chance for Thelonious to clearly demonstrate

how he

own rhythm

could become his

section.

doesn't play stride, but rather pushes three,

same

times four voicings ahead at the

and some-

time, each one

alternately expressing a fraction of the whole.

Or

playing chess in 3-D!

To

play

it,

you have

to exert absolute

register,

like

It's

trying to herd fleas together.

tempo, harmony and melody but comparable

He

all at

this

mastery over the

once! In a different

technique takes place in

Bach's celebrated Goldberg Variations in which four voices are simultaneously developed It's

by only two hands.

a bitch to play. Each finger follows

its

own

particular

idea without paying any attention to the others,

out

when needed. Except

weren't any drums.

And

lays

that in Bach's time, there

in the

you can sense them, even

and

recording of "Evidence"

feel their

presence.

Like a pole-vaulter who, in a single leap, breaks the

world record by three

feet,

Monk,

in half

an hour, three

thousand miles from home, for a radio program which he didn't

know would become a

dard for the piano

No

new

stan-

solo.

That day he invented an sity.

record, set a

entirely

new rhythmic den-

one had ever played solo piano

like that before.

Piano Solo

89

,

It

was brand-new. This

mer who wants rhythm. Crazy

is

stuff

drum-

the perfect record for a

practice a simple

to

accompaniment

flying all over the place, but the

is

tempo doesn't budge a

fraction of

an inch.

It

gives the

impression of sound in total disorder, though perfectly

organized

—Thelonious, or

way of seeming

to

the Art of the Free Fall. His

then catching himself, creates an

fall,

and uncanny geometrical form. He

unclassifiable

As he never

tally inpredictable.

balks, he's at the

is

to-

edge of

catastrophe at every second, and takes risks that are completely forbidden for the standards of the time.

He

is

intimately familiar with flamboyant disaster. His

tunes are torn apart every night, for in

New York

can play

matter to him

when he in his

is

way,

pushes

his

his

Monk

is

just

it

people doesn't

moving ahead. And

piano by himself, with nobody is

home,

right at

to get

in full confidence.

He

music ahead with power, candor, and depth,

and invents a world of

Since the subject has it

music correctly? But

— what counts

at the

how many

Did

right away:

his

own.

come

Monk

up,

I

might as well address

have "technique"? Actually,

even asking such a question reveals a desperate but unall

the types of artistic analysis, musi-

far the

most reactionary and obtuse. Does

deniable

fact:

cology

by

is

of

anyone ever question the "technique" of Douanier Rous-

Or of Paul Klee, or Martha Graham, Celine, Thomas Bernard? What is spontaneously accepted in seau?

the other arts as the expression of an original voice

ing use of in the

new

or all

mak-

techniques becomes immediately suspect

world of music.

You have

to

prove yourself, by

belonging to a certain school, flashing your instrumental expertise,

and by constantly

ing tradition. 90

I

The Franz

referring back

Liszt

Laurent de Wilde

and prolong-

syndrome. The quarrel

between the Ancients and the Moderns, which was played out in literature and is

anchored firmly

still

all

the other arts ages ago,

in musical minds.

At the Sor-

bonne, only very recently have courses in jazz been

made

obligatory in order to obtain a degree in musicology. But

what

department ever dared grant a diploma

literature

which didn't take Ezra Pound or James Joyce into account?

only normal that our American educational

It's

counterparts took in the

did to institute jazz

it's

annoying

And Monk

to notice that within the

For him,

it

thirty years

down and open

sell

it's all

his career.

against the opinion generally accepted

know how

as

You

stock-

Monk.

a store. But not

was the beginning of

"connoisseurs": he didn't

over.

from your

His musical

concepts had been fully developed, but they

When

same

his first record. In jazz (the

don't renew your items; rather, you settle

world of jazz,

He was

paid the heavy price.

normally by the age of thirty

room, you

to raise this

goes on in the same way.

still

when he made

in sports)

first

status of folklore to that of universal art.

its

the old quarrel

old

we

time than

music curriculum. They were the

music from But

less

came up

by a majority of

to play the piano.

they began, the boppers met with a firm

resis-

tance to their music, which had broken sharply with tradition.

how

But they'd never been accused of not knowing

to play their instruments.

knowledged the influence of generation

— Lester Young

Dizzy. But

ever

Monk

someone

They even proudly

their idols in the previous

for Bird, or

Roy

Eldridge for

never acknowledged anyone.

insisted

particularly that of

on the question of

Duke

ac-

Ellington, he

When-

his influences,

made

it

a point

of honor to avoid the question, or else replied that in

all

honesty, his only inspiration was himself.

Piano Solo

91

But you can be sure that he knew

Many

of his characteristic

He must have

puzzles.

The rhythmic

how

to play piano.

are veritable technical

traits

spent entire days on each of them.

precision, the importance of accents, the

hand independence, and

the control of time, were

all

mastered with royal authority, and were the product of hours of work. That kind of technique does not come by itself

the

—you have to work

same tune

at

for hours, polishing

every bit of juice from

it.

Monk could play

At home,

it.

it

So when he

up and squeezing hit the

bandstand,

he was as ready as anyone could ever be. As pianist

Barry Harris

"At home, the other musicians prac-

said,

ticed their instruments; but

not just any kind, for

it

Monk practiced

was

his music. It

music."

And

was the piano,

of course, but totally in the service of his idea of jazz. In these conditions,

it's

not surprising that, in the beginning,

he found so few ears

to listen to

assuring world of references,

And

yet, his

form. In

amazed had

first

fact,

first

hard

to

judge anything.

music doesn't present any revolution

looking over the whole of his work,

to see a total scorn for form, contrary to

What do

believed.

ply, the structure

the

it's

him. Without the re-

I

I

in

was

what

mean by form? Quite

I

sim-

which organizes a piece of music from

note to the

last. It's

an old subject

in all the arts,

but particularly in music where the principle of repetition is

practically inevitable.

One

of the composer's prime

preoccupations concerns the organization of tion,

as well as the variations

connected with

"format" of the small bebop groups rule:

this repeti-

is

it.

The

based on a simple

a theme, or head played once or twice (usually with

a bridge, like A-A-B-A), an improvisation structure, then the

was accepted,

it

melody one

last time.

wasn't long before the

on the tune

Once

artists

that

norm

a few years

younger than the inventors of bebop started shaking 92

Laurent de Wilde

it

up, enlarging or refining

it.

Even

showed a pronounced

years, Miles

original structuring

in his early Prestige

which would give new youth

melodies he was recording. John Lewis, with the

Jazz Quartet, turned to the structures of in order to list is

to the

Modern

classical

music

The

extend the principle of improvisation.

endless,

and

and

taste for subtle

attains the very explosion of form with

Coleman and

the pioneers of free jazz, such as Ornette

Cecil Taylor.

But

Monk,

for

the

problem never

arises.

does not deserve any particular attention.

"Evidence"

is

a perfect example:

it

Form

is

a

music has one, but

kind of basic necessity, since each

The

case of

imposes a clever and

original conception within a given form, without chal-

Monk

lenging the principle of the form. Also, fectly

used per-

standard structures in his compositions, of twelve,

suddenly he

sixteen, twenty-four, or thirty-two bars; but

would decide

that

no one would ever take a

solo

on

"Crepuscule with Nellie." Or, for "Coming on the Hud-

would write a

son," he

and-a-half-bar

compare

it

being

This

bridge.

to the

five-bar melody, with a three-

when you

said,

composition "Four in One," for ex-

ample, just try and recognize the very ordinary chord progression behind

twenty

other

"Straight, I

No

it,

which

melodies!

also served as the basis for

Even

in

a

basic

blues

like

Chaser," you get turned around!

always loved the

way Thelonious

referred to the

names

bridge of a song. Americans have a dozen or so

for this almost obligatory passage in all melodies: the

Monk

bridge, the channel, the tunnel, et cetera. But called

it

"the inside."

the music,

and

What mattered was

to get as close as possible to

used the standard forms of

which

his

his

day

genius would inhabit.

it.

like

And

the heart of

if

Thelonious

empty the

shells

melody

Piano Solo

93

happened

had

to

be

to

bars long, that's just too

five

improvise on

tunes he

home

felt at

the angles were

in. If

them

too tight or narrow, he just pushed

Same

played on the changes, then passed

suites

of

through. This

Bud

which he

carefully

all

built

of a sudden

out.

it

on

to the next

a far cry from the lengthy

is

Powell, such as

—you

Each musician

thing for the order of solos.

when he was

bad

Thelonious always

five bars.

"The Glass Enclosure,"

combines unisons,

in

and im-

ostinatos,

provisations in an obvious concern for form. Despite the rare exception, this just melody, solos, in the least,

and

ferent level.

He

jazz,

and melody. His music modernity

exists at

form

like his

interested in,

try to

more than form,

exactly unique,

and

were used with

just as

Nichols.

a completely

dif-

push the accepted

contemporaries did. For what he

Actually, the modernity of

his friends

didn't suffer

doesn't relate to the current history of

and he doesn't constantly

limits of is

its

was much simpler with Monk, with

it is

is

the content.

Monk's compositions was not

easy to forget that similar colors

much

audacity by at least two of

and contemporaries, Elmo Hope and Herbie

These two

fine pianists

shared along with

Powell a great admiration for Monk.

Bud

Elmo Hope was

six

years younger than Thelonious (and a year older than

Bud), at a time

when

a few years was

enough

to create

a generation gap, as history was moving rapidly.

Johnny said

on

Griffin

Monk

trio

to play.

met Thelonious

New York

cruised the city day

and night looking

I

he

for pianos

Elmo and Bud would compete playing Bach's it

out with Monk's compo-

under the benevolent and

sarcastic eye of the

master himself. As for Herbie Nichols, 94

in 1948,

was always with Bud and Elmo. This turned-

Inventions; then they'd duel sitions,

in

When

Laurent de Wilde

it

was

surely

no

— accident that he, too, had a solid classical training, which

paradoxically led

bebop or his it

him

own

his

to play

music.

own name, on Savoy

more Dixieland than

And when

either

he recorded under

(1952) or Blue

Note (1955-56),

was with Monk's usual accompanists: Shadow Wilson,

Al McKibbon, Art Blakey, or

Max

Roach.

Elmo Hope and Herbie Nichols were two remarkable pianists

and

who remained

composers

Monk's

in

shadow. Yet they shared with him the same melodic sense,

and

the

ten? Because

same

originality.

their personalities

their lucky star

Why

were

was dimmer? Or was

were they forgot-

less it

extravagant, or

because they had

a more conventional technique and velocity?

The

picture

without the sound? In his improvisations,

Monk

offers a totally original

Nichols and

Hope

with a traditional technique,

Monk

phrasing and accentuation.

Where

play their

own works

mixes

technique with his music and presents an

his

alienable

the

in-

And it was Monk in a Music "When Monk takes a

whole of incredible aesthetic power.

same Herbie Nichols who praised

Dial magazine solo,

article

1946:

in

he seems to be partial to certain limited harmonies

which prevent him from taking

his place beside

tum and Teddy Wilson. He seems as that goes

and never shows any

What an

extricate himself."

and what an unexpected

itself,

it

is

be in a vice as

far

signs of being able to

admission of helplessness

definition of schizophrenia!

Monk's music can neither be

Not because

to

Art Ta-

classified

nor assimilated.

revolutionary, which isn't a reason in

but because

which immediately

it's

like

sinks

a rock thrown into a

pond

and disappears. You watch

going down, and you don't

know whether

to

it

keep your

eye on the sinking mass, or to contemplate the concentric ripples of the tremors. There's nothing in

Monk's

"style"

Piano Solo

95

you can

for a pianist: there's nothing in the twelve keys, then use

it

on the

and

steal,

practice

sound hipper

gig to

than hip.

And when you out

took get

ago

Fifty years all

And

accepted.

it

where

And why

it

the obstinacy,

put

to

for

it,

just gets in the way, sticking

it

it,

a sore thumb.

like

way?

try

wouldn't

was already

humor and

it

get in the

way, and

in the

Monk

patience of

neither criticism nor history

it

seems disorderly.

a rock or a stone. There

is

no

You

it

to

know

can't digest

no august and

affiliation,

venerable school, no heirs, no spiritual fathers, disciples

Mother and

or students. dants.

even

So

it

father

unknown.

descen-

takes time to acknowledge the fact that this

exists.

People tried to connect him with with James P.Johnson; and

Ibrahim That's

claim

all true,

sician to

ercise.

You

menting

that

Monk

but after

all,

it.

Which

lines.

Duke

Ellington, or

Randy Weston and Abdullah

connect himself to

along the same

is,

No

them.

influenced

greatly

mu-

the only chance for a

Monk is

to start thinking

is

a particularly delicate ex-

can't simply flatten the fifth instead of aug-

You have

to

wonder just what a piano

really

or a rhythm section, a solo, an accompaniment, or a

melody.

Bebop brought

in a vast

number of new

monic audacity, and chord teenth notes for everybody pianist played

ophonist. dards.

— no

was the same

The

And

substitutions.

too

as a

favorites.

for those

Bud

who had

leave your

But 96

room

Monk

was

six-

what a

if

set

new

stan-

trouble with their

instruments which weren't adapted to the velocity, like the

As

it

trumpet player or sax-

phrasings of Bird and

bad

chords, har-

But

new

rules of

trombone. Get to work, son; you can't till

you sound

like J. J.

Johnson.

not only instigated this advanced harmonic

Laurent de Wilde

had

research, but also understood that he

Max Roach

sound.

find a

to

how, by using that characteristic

told

technique of hitting two notes a half tone apart then releasing one of

aimed

them a

pitch-bend effect that a horn can

at imitating the

A fascinating process, but

have.

For, as the piano

is

oil,

was doomed

to failure.

impos-

it is

on the keyboard. But

a gold miner

this search, like

Monk

it

a tempered instrument,

sible to alter the intervals

end of

Monk

fraction of a second later,

at the

who happens

unearthed uncanny sound

treasures!

to hit

And

he

rapidly demonstrated that a certain chord or phrasing

played on one octave of the piano wouldn't have the

same sound one octave higher or lower. Stated it

like that,

sounds obvious, but such an approach entails a com-

knowledge of the whole instrument,

plete

at a time

when

piano dexterity only gave a relatively minor importance to these highly musical resources.

Monk

combinations of notes appropriate

always plays the

to the specific register

of the instrument.

Or

he plays a conflicting chord and,

after a

couple of

seconds, releases the clashing notes, thus bringing out, stark naked, a

luminous chord. Just

and Mulligan played

this

taught the science of

game

for days.

ever

tries to

And

that's

I

pianist also

in the choice

play three

another torture for

more

when

whom-

notes than he's actually playing.

always have to ask yourself,

or do

Why

he

reproduce Monk's music: you always think

you're hearing

You

The

maximum economy

of the notes making up a chord.

two were enough?

after they met,

just think he is?

And

Is

he really playing

that,

that ruthless selection that

Thelonious imposes on himself

is

based on a highly de-

veloped understanding of the world of overtones.

For those unfamiliar with

this

played on the piano contains an

concept, one single note infinity

of others, hidden

Piano Solo

97

behind

it.

In physics, this

which corresponds

in the foreground,

quency,

is

at the

by

dible way,

quite clear: the note

is

you hear

to a certain fre-

same time accompanied,

in a less au-

multiple frequencies, and so by

all its

all

the corresponding notes, separated from the

main note

by an

a third, et

an octave, then by a

interval of

These are the overtones, which piano tuners use

cetera.

as points of reference

when

also the high-pitched

and

by picking a guitar

down

fifth,

to the neck.

they tune a piano.

crystalline notes

string without pressing

They

They

are

you produce it

all

the

are called "overtones," a

way

good

term, for the tones are superimposed.

One

could even say that the sharpness of an ear can

be measured by the

Mastering to a

hear

ability to

this science

is

all

these frequencies.

difficult, especially

whole chord and not

just

when

applied

one note. Each note's

overtone then becomes fused and produces a thick forest of conflicting frequencies, different each time depending

on the chord work, you

man

that

is

start to

ear, the

And when you

played.

wonder

if

study Monk's

he didn't have a superhu-

way he mastered

the art of subtle under-

statement.

For here music:

how

lies

to

one of the most beautiful

secrets of his

make something sound without

playing

Trumpetist Eddie Henderson told of one night Francisco

when he saw Thelonious drenched

in

it.

San

in sweat,

touching the keys, but so smoothly that no sound came

from the piano It's

for a

whole

set.

absurd, but perfectly logical!

ophy of understatement holds his

music and

his

life.

That's

The

And

logical conclusion! this actual philos-

true, in all aspects

how he

of the piano solo to such dizzying heights.

you hear a

bass,

of both

raised the discipline

He

can make

drums, a whole band, when he's just

there alone with his instrument. But not in an exuberant 98

I

Laurent de Wilde

manner,

like the traditional virtuosos do.

he does

trary,

back on

his

sible

On

the con-

He

with the most frugal economy.

it

turns

and by means of an incomprehen-

cliches,

magic, he expresses more with

That's

less.

why you

can perceive, with a fleeting and ever-changing

feeling,

the whole history of jazz in one single interpretation of

And

his.

that's

why, throughout

life,

seemingly insignificant details

terest in

tipped pen, or a

Or

his

street,

a play on words

Tootie" and

its

—

he kept

things like a

felt-

or a ray of sunshine, or a button.

like

"Evidence," or "Little Rootie

cartoon introduction

—

it

was

Anyone who ever knew him was

his mill.

his in-

all grist

for

by

his

struck

which he would comment on

attention to trivial details,

way

with disproportionate depth, the

a child would

speak.

have an entomologist friend

I

He

starts

who

the

— a whole mass of

insects,

fly larvae, five

He

can give voice

to

bee-

and evidence of a hidden

world, as complex as our own. Thelonious that.

same way.

turning stones over in a field and within a few

minutes uncovers a scorpion, three tles

is

what

is

just like

beneath the surface,

is

hidden from the blase ears and eyes of ordinary mortals. .

.

.

He

can say

it

with just a few notes, a few signs,

all

and you can imagine the It all

comes down

a sound. all

And

musical

unarguable truth:

—Monk

— he

the unclassifiable!

It's

(like

as

he puts

amazing how the one

on

bad recordings

his

his fingers his

has

it fits

to blues,

Same

for

can get a sound out of anything

from a Steinway or a Baldwin

As soon

Monk

from standard or modern jazz

bebop

the instruments

to this

requires.

so powerful, so imperious, that

it is

styles

ragtime, or

which that

discipline

to a

beat-up old upright.

on the keyboard,

it

sounds.

music transcends the sad pianos

famous Paris recording of 1954), the

(the first

Blue Note sessions, at the

Piano Solo

dawn 99

modern sound

of

tems

(like

and the lousy

engineering)

mine). His sound

stereo sys-

so strong that

is

cuts

it

through matter with the hardness of a diamond. So

many

musicians

feel

completely helpless

if

they don't

have the proper material conditions. Keith Jarrett sends a piano back

Monk. It's

It's

if it's

not on a par with his talent. Not

not important

—

his

music

interesting to note that the

that really believed in him, Blue art directors

whose

traditional jazz.

up

tastes,

is

above

Note and Riverside, had

more toward

to then, ran

The paradox

is

that while

long ignored because of his extreme modern

who

gave him

his first try

ion, currents or schools,

Monk was

far his

how

music

is

self-sufficient

those

style,

were impressed by

Which shows just how

cism.

all that.

two record companies

his classi-

beyond it is.

fash-

On

instrument, in any circumstances, there are no limits!

did not care about the present, or else, it's

its

contingencies.

he circumscribed the problem so

been solved once and

So Thelonious cut

for

any

He Or

definitively that

all.

his first solo tracks in Paris.

He was

already thirty-six years old, and would have to wait an-

other three years before his producer decided to accord the merited importance to the piano solo form. This "official" solo

followed by a

down they

\\

number of others. Without one he recorded

produced the same miracle:

within his

100

recording [Himself, Riverside, 1957) was

to the last

all

first

own two

hands.

Laurent de Wilde

in

exception, right

London

Monk

held

in

1971,

all

music

7

Producers

The

time has

come

Monk had met a

young

meet Orrin Keepnews.

to

each other in

journalist with

Monk had him, but

Blue Note recordings.

first

Monk remembered

rumor had

and was ready

a longtime admirer,

to

it

this interview as

and

insightful

had kept a mental note of in late 1954,

948 when Keepnews was

time that the press was interested in

first

been particularly

Prestige

1

it

intelligently

for seven years.

that

Monk was

as long as

jumped

at the if

You can have

done, and

And

fed

then,

up with

chance and got

Monk was

in

free of

him, Weinstock

said,

he pays the $108.27 he owes me. (Here, now,

the accounting gets precise.)

news!

having

change companies. Keepnews,

touch with Weinstock to find out contract obligations.

He and

Record Changer magazine and

just finished his

This wasn't the

II

And

old pianist

What

a bargain for Keep-

not a very good one for a thirty-seven-year-

who, according

obviously a genius.

to

One hundred

all

his

colleagues,

is

eight dollars. Because

of the irony of the price, as well as the joy of getting

such a good deal, Keepnews framed a photostat of

famous check and hung For Monk,

was

this

it

this

in his office.

like starting all

over again, and he

was getting impatient. Riverside, the company of Keepnews and

Grauer, was a small, young label which

Bill

only handled reissues of old classics by people such as

Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Roll Morton.

By

Ma

Rainey, and Jelly

appearances, Keepnews was straight,

all

well-informed, liberal, and even progressive in his un-

And

derstanding of jazz musicians' problems.

and made

writer,

views about jazz

be trusted. But

his opinions public

so at least

life,

still,

it

Monk was on

he was a

and held

seemed

like

his guard.

definite

he could

Keepnews

admitted that he never became close friends with Thelonious, despite their cordial

and confident

relationship.

This was probably due to their respective personalities. Also, Thelonious

had become

made

ducers that

had learned

their

money from the pride

intelligent producer,

the influence he

ready for

his talent.

and

He

saw

one who could boast of

had over musicians. And

Monk was

not

that.

But Keepnews was

right.

In

my

opinion, he was the

played the part of a real

had done

at

way

suc-

He

the people

Blue Note (with great pleasure), or at Pres-

tige (carelessly).

of Monk's

who

artistic director.

didn't simply start the tape running, the

Rather, he tried to influence the course

artistic life,

and had

excellent ideas as a pro-

ducer.

And

rience.

Ambition, for he understood the importance and

that

the novelty of 102

also

the ambition to be-

only producer in the whole of Monk's career cessfully

and

particularly sensitive to the fact that pro-

Keepnews had

come an

his lesson at Prestige,

II

was due

to

both ambition and inexpe-

Monk's music, and saw the

Laurent de Wilde

rut

Monk was

Orrin wanted to draw him out and

in.

world discover him

By

light.

inexperience,

he had never produced records and didn't

for

also,

new

a

in

the whole

let

know what he was

never met anyone to

him what he should

tell

Keepnews could have made a with, but that's

Monk, who had

getting into with

what

record.

better choice to start

love about him. In a different

I

way, he must have been as stubborn as Monk, and that deserves a prize in

The

first

itself.

overall negative

image of the high

fortunately developed

priest of

had followed him

where nothing had been done

to

change was the

to

bebop. Un-

by Alfred and Lorraine Lion,

representation of his music

still

had

thing the producer

to correct

this

to Prestige,

Monk was

it.

considered an obscure, hermetic composer. That had

be remedied immeditately. The producer's

was

to

have him play someone

idea was to have lington for his

Keepnews

him play only

first

was

music.

the music of

in a

made

still

Duke

slump

(like

the rest of jazz),

Duke

the only black

composer

in the field of great

to vie for first place with

Gershwin and Cole

Porter.

was no one

George

For "traditional" repertoire, This daring

better.

and

Ellington

American melodies

there

El-

a better choice. Although

only started to pick up as of 1955-56,

was

The second

record on Riverside. Very subtle!

couldn't have

his popularity

else's

idea

first

idea was one which the inspired

new production

Norman Granz had

already tested with the Oscar Peterson Trio and the

mous "songbooks"

(an entire record devoted to the

of one composer) in late 1952. that the

and

—

cess, it

it

just so

happened

composers Granz used were Gershwin, Porter

Ellington. This idea

and

And

fa-

work

I

out with

suppose

that's

had been a commercial

why Keepnews decided

Monk. This was a

radical

change

Producers

II

suc-

to try in the 103

musical direction.

pianist's

more

Choosing Duke attack the

Top 40

Monk meets

he was moving toward

Trojan horse with which to

as the

a real stroke of genius.

is

The music

the Ellington sun!

Monk, and

to

Now

profitable ventures.

The

speaks directly

part of his instinctive heritage.

is

lunar

And

he

doesn't object to the production idea, for he can see that his

In

musical convictions aren't compromised in the

Monk

fact,

slips

on Duke's music

And

glove, as usual.

like

a

least.

custom-made

instead of recording a copy version,

he dresses the music up in the most amazing and per-

Duke with

sonal garments one could imagine. look! updated!

new wave!

lington ballad,

is

transposed from

played as a poignant,

Tan

Got

"I

Bad," a

It

original

its

medium swing

a

new

classic El-

tempo and

tune. "Black

and

Fantasy" remains oblivious to the dramatic colors

of the original version, and "It Don't

reduced

to

a Thing"

is

and most rhythmic form. "So-

simplest

its

Mean

phisticated Lady," treated with juvenile nonchalance;

and the popular melody

"I Let a

Heart," played in the most classical in solo, naturally

"Mood

in

is

hard

strained or It

and radicalism of Monk's

to believe that

modest about

Monk

maybe this

didn't write

there

is

other contexts.

in

in the

emphatic arpeggios

When Duke

played these pieces, he didn't hesitate in the

them with

104

all

his strength

played them in depth. But

—

re-

give us

could be in the affectionate and sincere distance

which he rarely uses

edge

all

any of

something

album which could

Or

He

My

interpretation.

he takes towards the tunes.

vest

out of

—with depth and determination. And

these compositions. But

a clue.

Go

Indigo," the introduction alone expresses

the modernity It

Song

trio style. "Solitude,"

as if

least to in-

of aesthetic persuasion.

Monk

stays a

little

on the

he was just borrowing the tunes, not stealing

Laurent de Wilde

He

them.

is

happy and

made Duke's music no

and you can

relaxed,

own

shine in his

feel

it.

He

special way, with

affectation.

His fellow musicians are particularly well chosen: Oscar Pettiford, aside from the authenticity he brings to the

member

repertoire (as a former

also plays with a passion

perfect balance with the

Kenny Clarke

of the Ellington band),

and an

expertise

which are

calm assurance of the masterful

—who knows Monk

inside out after all the

years they have spent together at Minton's. triangle.

The golden

With sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder provid-

ing the jewel's setting, this

composed almost

session

ducer's dream.

My

a flawless diamond of a

is

entirely of

only regret

is

first

that the

takes

Feast (What

artistic intuition

for a producer!),

was reissued

in 1958.

was used only when the album

When

the record

would have been perfection

mate

state

The Lions

on the part of Keepnews!

the cover featured a simple photo of the it

— a pro-

famous record

cover, a reproduction of Douanier Rousseau's

Not bad

in

came

first

out,

Otherwise,

trio.

at the first shot, the ulti-

of grace.

Eight months later he does

it

again. This time

news plays another trump card and an album of standards.

Monk

asks

Monk

Keep-

to record

responds with seven

little

gems of well-tempered modernism, rearranged with impeccable

taste.

Seven pieces serendipitously processed by

Monk-o-matic blender and served up

the

and more appealing than

fresher,

player

and

is

is

there, but

Kenny Clarke

ever.

has

moved

to

bass

Europe,

replaced by Monk's old buddy Art Blakey. Thanks

to Blakey, the session acquires a virulence

certain

which, in a

mood, you could almost wish had been there on

the earlier recording. as

brighter,

The same

Monk

The

bear's

kicks out the jams.

paw has even more

On

"Just

heft,

You, Just Me,"

Producers

II

105

he smashes

memorable "Friday

You

fifty-eight seconds.

he can't

emy

the 13th," recorded two years be-

by running the tune

fore)

of the superfluous

get the feeling that

The musicians

its

Van Gelder sound

is

himself take a few

lets

so good, that

And

One more

stops!

minutes! Give us ten, fifteen, it

section

more

spins

in overdrive.

is

paraphrase, "Evidence"?), and the

not to take advantage of it.

long as

so good,

possess every detail of the tune so thor-

oughly (remember

it

it is

of concision and the sworn en-

The rhythm

track.

minutes

to a breathtaking seven

The master

stop.

around the

when

record (not counting the

his long-distance

doesn't stop!

It's

it

would be a crime

he does.

a letdown

What a crew! Eight who gives a damn, as

time! fifty

What

—

Why

just too good!

stop?

Not

enough room on the record? Just put on another one!

The

A

result?

proached

Monk

The

total flop.

who

of Thelonious,

meaning of

ter, for

now

the

how

they

knew

in musical

terms didn't even

know

little

word compromise. But

the slate

would only be

re-

for his obscurity wouldn't forgive this

unacceptable compromise. That's

the

who

very people

had been wiped

significant later.

The

it

and

clear,

quality

didn't mat-

and

all

that

intuition

of this production choice would dazzle Monk's detractors

when and

the huge tidal

for

thing

all,

Monk

a year

stubborn, to

later.

Some

Monk was it

his popularity broke,

once

People had to admit that every-

touched turned to gold, even

begrudgingly. take, but

wave of

people were a

used to

that.

little

And

would eventually pay

off.

if

they did so

slow on the up-

as

Keepnews was

In

life,

you have

be persistent. But then, one would ask,

isn't

Monk composing

any

more? Has the wellspring of those extraordinary, unpredictable melodies run dry? inspiration? 106

II

That's

Has Thelonious run out of

impossible!

Laurent de Wilde

It's

not

because

his

— producer has decided to boost up.

take

And

his

image that

him

since the Riverside people are telling

to

easy for a while, well, he could just take his other

it

compositions to the Signal record label. to

he's given

keep

it all

get sick.

for yourself.

You have

It's

to let

it

not healthy out or you'll

So between these two "standard" Riverside

al-

bums, he records more modern compositions with Gigi Gryce,

whom

he greatly admires (Nica's Tempo, 1955).

and "Gallop's Gallop"-

"Shuffle Boil," "Brake's Sake,"

damn! This

some

is

And once

solid stuff!

again with

Van

Gelder doing the sound. These tunes are so outrageous,

and

so difficult, that he only pulled

was

at the top of his form, in

1

964.

them out when he takes tenacity

It

and

daring to play them. These puzzles of high art are ex-

And

tremely sinuous, though limpid.

Gigi Gryce could

play them with casual nonchalance: Monk's music hard to play?

just play

Are you kidding? These tunes are elementary

them the way

they're written.

Which simply proves

that

beaten paths of Riverside, but

own haunts

Monk

map

.

to vast,

ground

could roam the

wander

still

strange, remarkable lands

signature

open on burial

—

Monk

...

.

.

guide.

I

which bore the

cutting swaths through forests

uncharted clearings

.

.

.

how

can picture

to get there.

Monk

which

the elephant's

So many people would love

to reach these virgin territories, but

one who knows

off into his

have a

to

Monk's the only

You have

to follow the

as a sherpa, stepping across

deep chasms on an unsteady bridge made of knotted vines.

Monk's

tion to detail.

particular It's all

in

vine bridges were built

know-how

is

music has

its

his atten-

how you knot the vine. And his to last. He practices the myste-

rious science of improvising with bits

simple ideas and

based on

common

and pieces of string,

Monk's

sense. Everything in

own luminous importance

—which

Producers

II

is

why II

107

it's

so

hard

you

Later,

when

to avoid mysticism

toward academicism which immedi-

resolute ignorance ately strikes

talking about him.

wobbly balance, and

realize that this kind of

you on

listening to him,

first

is

extreme concision and calculation. There

Monk and

guide to Thelonious

one

who knows how

When

to

he recorded

on the Riverside

do

it,

and

his third

label in

was released

Talk about wandering

user's

He's the only

that's all there

is

to

it.

became

1956, this suddenly

When the record

at last.

Monk was

1957,

in

no

is

album, Brilliant Corners,

Monk's hour had come

obvious.

his music.

the result of

thirty-nine years old.

He had

in the wilderness!

already

recorded twenty-two sessions, and seventeen of those

were under that he

own name! The

his

would

strangest thing of

find favor with both the critics

public alike only

when he

stuck to his guns

tained his most radical positions, despite

And

ducer's efforts to the contrary.

developed most as a composer in

Judge

I

this

and the

and main-

all

his pro-

Monk

believe that

period of his

He had been making

for yourself:

all is

life.

records for

al-

most ten years but had never once rehashed a musical idea

—

fresh

and

The Monk music machine was working

over-

compositions

his

original.

time on three

little

And

it

just so

fringe,

critical

album he

started

happens that

"Bemsha Swing," recorded

in this

still

with

less

frequently,

as beautiful as ever.

The composition

108

came up

in the Prestige days. After

new compositions would appear

but were

he

beyond the famous

looking back through his repertoire, and

that, his

if

farther out each time. But here he

had gone beyond the point.

constantly

So you shouldn't be surprised

shifts!

pushed things a

were

something

special.

shattered.

Monk

"Brilliant Corners,"

All

has

however,

is

truly

standard jazz conventions are

never before

Laurent de Wilde

carried

his

utter

comtempt

row

cut several times in a is

The tempo

for rules so far.

baffling,

in the

all

The

tune.

effect

written in seven bars, instead of the

is

usual eight or sixteen. Nothing is

same

but the master remains in complete control.

The "bridge"

it

doubled, then

is

own

askew. Monk's

is

square or symmetrical;

melody

peculiar

line rules

supreme, and more than ever the solos are subordinated to

With the

it.

possible exception of alto player Ernie

Henry, the musicians on

Sonny

the professional crop:

Oscar

were the cream of

Max

Rollins,

Roach, and

But even they were sucking wind and

Pettiford.

wound up spending number without forced

this session

a whole night on

this

big keynote

getting a complete version

down. This

Keepnews

to

perform an astute splicing operation

so the session wouldn't be a total disaster.

The

"Brilliant Corners."

title

alone sounds surrealistic.

There had been plenty of weirdness already,

like

"Off

Minor," "Epistrophy," or "Trinkle Tinkle," but

now

were moving into another dimension! This being

things said,

from a

of the tune

strictly

is

formal point of view, the basic idea

again simple and

the head, but in unison

may

my

—

bass,

The band

plays

drums, everybody. That

not sound so brilliant on the printed page but, to

knowledge,

quintet.

And

sound.

This

it

it

had never been done before by a jazz

provided one more scorching, brand-new

tune

belongs

13th," "Jackie-ing" or in unison, It

it

pays

off.

family

the

to

"marches grotesques" to which

miss.

brilliant.

I

of Monk's

would add "Friday the

"Coming On

Hudson." And

the

Played in a slow tempo, you can't

would be hard

to highlight a

melody more than

this.

The second turn the

brilliant idea

march

tempo with

is this:

As

into a "jazz tune,"

the walking bass

and the

it's

being played,

by doubling the

ride

cymbal

Producers

— now

II

109

Monk

swings as the

life

third brilliant idea

is

The

fountain of youth springs.

sticking to the

first

two

ideas, while

having the solos alternate between the slow and

The broken-record syndrome. The

parts.

comes when you ble time

it.

to put the brakes

in a single bar, get off

only problem

Going from simple

a cinch. But when, in an

is

you have

try to cut

your bike and It's

not exactly what you'd

a natural movement. All mountain climbers

well

— going up

when you

and,

hill

marching

start

call

know

a lot easier than coming down.

is

dou-

to

uptempo number,

on coming down the

again, that's something else.

fast

it

Then

take a look at the chords you're supposed to

solo on, things really get tough.

The

idea

itself is

that tricky.

all

was back

in

simple.

in 1997, the tune isn't

By now we've seen a

1956 (October

that tend to stand out). left

Today,

15, to

lot

worse. But this

be exact

Keepnews confided

— days that

Monk mu-

the session exasperated at being unable to find

who

sicians

could play such an easy tune.

like

Now,

forty

years later, you can understand him. But that just shows

how ahead

of his time he was.

neer, there

was no conceivable equivalent

much

until

from people

later,

Ornette Coleman. For

were unheard-of obstination.

And

The work

it

like

of a true pioto this tune

Charlie Mingus or

was based on musical ideas

at the time. that's the

This wasn't music,

most

brilliant thing.

it

that

was

You can

almost hear a voice in the background saying, "Give up, Thelonious, idea

all

the

it'll

way

never work!" But

Monk

through, and the result

For you've got

to

is

followed his

amazing.

be nuts to write a tune

like that.

Your self-confidence must be impermeable. Here, Rollins

is

at the rudder, in a sea

of changing tempos; and

the only bearings he can get for his solos are chords

110

I

Laurent de Wilde

which aren't even

related,

coming

either too slow or too

fast.

Ernie Henry, terrified at the idea of missing the boat,

Max Roach

stands staring at his watch.

just can't get

used to the idea of a seven-bar bridge, and adds one

more all

he knows what he's doing.

to his solo, like

Monk,

three, just like

a family

affair,

are true

New

And

yet

Yorkers. This

and should make the music

then there's Oscar Pettiford as trailblazer

And

easier.

—

is

the mixed-

blood Oklahoma Indian, making signals for the other braves to get back in

line.

And

the imperturbable

Monk

surges ahead with his usual assurance, giving the steering

wheel a spin just when the whole madcap escapade about to

One

false

It's

move and

ample than sic:

over!

flip

this

amazing there it's

curtains.

There

a single is

no

fatality.

better ex-

mu-

of what Coltrane said about Monk's

"Miss one chord and you

an elevator

isn't

feel like

you're falling

down have

shaft." All the musicians at the session

their tires screeching, trying to

make

the hairpin turns at

breakneck speed! The whole studio smells rubber. Poor Orrin

is

Keepnews must be

like

burning

tearing his hair

out in the control room. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly. Systems break

ing to crash!

doing

still

Why

alive?

did

I

down! Red

alert!

ever sign this guy?

We're go-

What am

I

His liner notes about the session in the

Riverside collection begin with typical British aplomb:

"In

many

ways,

this

marked

the true beginning of

my

work with Monk." Whew, baby! "Work," did you

say?

More

and

like

what Hegel referred

negative agony." And,

to as "work, patience,

on top of

it all,

Monk and

Petti-

ford got in an argument (they never played together

again after night there,

this

session)

Monk

—what

a mess!

found a celesta

The very

first

in a corner of the

Producers

II

111

and

studio

Max

pounded them

What

is

And

on using

insisted

of days later

this

it

furiously throughout

madhouse? You

ners, they enthusiastically

With

call this

made no

yet, the public

radical stance.

"Pannonica"!

for

A couple

discovered some timpani drums and

a jazz record?

mistake: In Brilliant Cor-

applauded the

back

his

"Bemsha Swing!"

most

pianist's

Monk

to the wall,

pulled

out his bag of tricks and turned the tables on everyone!

Real suspense! Definitely a close

knock

didn't

call. If this

Too

people out, you might as well throw in the towel.

bad

—we

them

for

scurity.

Then

nized.

("My

The doomed

quit.

a few years later his greatness

God,

burned

we've

fortunately this time, the world finally

escaped the unjust

for years.

The

Monk to raise the God knows they were

It

may have been

recog-

is

But

saint!").

woke up and Thelonious

fate that

had been dogging him

They waited

stakes as high as possible

already high

"He's okay after

claring:

a

public can be pretty sadistic.

for

ob-

artist dies in

all; let's

— before

— and

finally de-

keep him."

a coincidence, but just before record-

ing this album, the apartment where Thelonious was

liv-

ing with his family went up in flames. In the disaster, he lost

everything he owned, including the piano, sheet

sic,

contracts, photos, records,

unusual in

New York

and

mu-

furniture. This isn't

where the poor condition of the

buildings (together with the criminal greed of the landlords) it

is

a constant threat to the inhabitants. But

happens

to you,

smoke. This the energy

is

it

at the

see

your whole

a grim predicament

takes to acquire

of private property

pening

you

most

in

when you

City.

moment

I

Laurent de Wilde

think of all

And

litle

this

is

piece

hap-

of Monk's career.

has been recording for ten years but 112

going up in

and maintain a

New York

critical

life

when

is still

He

unknown and

and there

in financial straits,

horizon.

Then suddenly

had demanded a can

start all

He

things are looking up, as

Once

tribute.

the past

new

over again on a

was Monk's

nothing promising on the

is

is

wiped

solo

album

new piano which was

At

{Himself, 1957).

to his old habit of

then, in early

little-known club

Spot with

his first

blending personal compositions with

He

were going smoothly.

And

so

he went back

this time,

standards in the course of the same session. things

you

footing. In a sense, this

encroached on the kitchen, and recorded

it

back.

out,

ritual fire sacrifice.

immediately bought a

long

if fate

again,

got his cabaret card

summer, he got a

on the Lower East Side

his trio (soon to

Once

gig at a small, called the Five

be a quartet) featuring Wilbur

Ware, Shadow Wilson, and a new sensation by the name of John Coltrane.

The group was

like

a bombshell.

The

club was packed

each night, and people were starting to

we have ignored Monk

Where stay

—

for so long; this cat

time?

The band was

as long as people

came

to listen.

there almost continuously for

all

the

success

December of

that year,

tured on the

CBS

television

Basie,

Monk was come.

played

way around

the

year.

him

to see

in

New York

his trio

was

fea-

program The Sound of Jazz

along with other jazz greats including

Count

hired to

Monk

Monk's

was broadcast nationwide when

great!

is

line

Suddenly the whole town wanted

action. In

could

The

more than a

of people waiting to get in went block.

How

all this

has he been

on

say,

Billie

Holiday,

Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster. forty years old,

Now he

had a chance

and

his

hour had

to catch his breath

a look back. Things were going well. First of

finally

and take

all,

he had

found an agent, and agents are important because they find gigs, arrange contracts,

and bring

in

work. Unless a

Producers

II

I

113

jazz musician

known, he usually handles

well

is

New

hear a band playing in

York, and at the break says a place

to the bandleader, "I've got

you

down

in Baltimore,

to play there next

month?"

they agree on the money, the organizer sends the

and the deal

contract

principle:

mand, dle

coming down

feel like

When

own

his

For example, some club manager happens to

business.

until the

it all

is

concluded.

The more you

by

avalanche

himself.

and

his services

play, the

and the

starts

Then an

the snowballing

It's

more you're

twenty percent of the musician's

han-

artist can't

agent usually steps

takes a cut of

in de-

in, offers

anywhere from ten

to

salary. That's in the best

of cases. In the worst, there are no concerts, thus no need for

an agent. In 1955, when

many

have

gigs.

Monk left

Prestige,

In a way, this was fortunate, as he

wasn't of any financial interest to an agent ing to

make money.

If

an agent can be a threat objective

is

who was

someone approched him,

out of love for his music, and not for the

main

Monk,

on the other

this

it

was

As

to a musician's career.

keep the money rolling

to

look-

profit. Besides,

in,

place "his" artist in an inappropriate context. case of

he didn't

his

he could

And

in the

would have been a catastrophe. But

side, the enthusiastic fan

is

also a danger.

Being unfamiliar with the way the business works, he

might lead

his

the real pro

protege astray out of ignorance, whereas

would do

out of greed. But Thelonious

it

His finesse and psychological insight enabled

had

flair.

him

to recognize the rare

gem when

it

appeared

in the

person of Harry Colomby.

He and Monk

first

spoke

when Monk was

playing in

a club with Art Blakey. At the time, Harry was a highschool teacher, and a jazz fan, and had invited Blakey to play at his school.

He went

directions to the school. 114

I

to the club to give

Now, Harry

Laurent de Wilde

just

Blakey

happened

to

have a brother named Jules

whom Monk had

ran Signal Records, for

recorded with Gigi Gryce only a few

weeks before. So the

Monk

who

first

when he met

thing Harry said

bar of the club was, "I'mjules's brother."

at the

This was the perfect introduction, for that session had

been pleasantly

Monk had the

been going through

name Colomby meant I

remember; you

You

mind dropping

"Yeah, car?

town

at

have

by.)

Monk

dropped

had become

his agent.

have

I

Monk

the time he

He smiled: You got a

off?" (Harry didn't live up-

much

too

"Sure," he said; "but

tomorrow and

classes

Okay.

uptown, right?

live

me

For Monk,

at the time.

things were

but he admired

all,

chance go I

free of the usual recording pressures that

to let this

make

let's

up

to get

it

ride

Harry

uptown, Harry

expressed his enthusiasm for Monk's music, and told

depended only on

that his success his

his

By

at six."

off at his doorstep,

During the

quick;

him

determination and

compromise. Thelonious liked what he

refusal to

heard, and a friendship began which lasted until Monk's death. (At this writing,

way Monk was

Colomby

is still

— he did everything by

alive.)

That's the

And

feeling.

here

he made no mistake, for Harry was the best and most honest agent he ever could have found. sician, that

By

is

And

Colomby had been working

made

And a

if

little

it

you

in

things easier.

New

can't play in

compromised

was one

less

renegotiate

New Then

three-year

Monk

goes, If you

it

anywhere.

York, well then, things are

that spring,

contract

Things were going smoothly, for ties

make

for the rest of the world.

headache. his

As the saying

York, you can

for

back the year

for three years. Getting his cabaret license

can make

mu-

something precious.

early 1958,

before had

for a

his

it

So

this

was time

with

to

Riverside.

advances on royal-

had more than doubled, and the percentage of

Producers

II

I

115

money was

record-sales

increasing as well.

Monk

was

now worth money, and he could feel he was going to be worth lots more. And this feeling helped wipe out the bad memory of the SI 08 check of three years before. This also meant that Thelonioous Jr. could go to an expensive private school and get a

first-class

Things were taking a good turn for the

And

then, in August 1958, the

critics finally

Year.

He was

education.

Monk

family.

Downbeat magazine

gave in and crowned him Musician of the well

on

his

way.

He had

a good producer,

a good agent, money, recognition, beautiful music, and

had made

the feeling that he

it

by determination and not

by luck or compromise. So many others have died before getting that far. Well, of course, there

ments of absence

— he

were those mo-

could wander through the city

without knowing where he was going, or

who he

was.

There were those days and nights on end when he would pace back and forth exhaustion.

when he

And

in his

room

he collapsed from

there were his long periods of silence

didn't even speak to his wife or children. But

we'll get to that later.

116

until

Laurent de Wilde

8

Saxophones!

f

all

the instruments, the saxophone has

bolize jazz (oddly enough, for only the cifically

the occasion of

tance

I

when Monk

burst

clarinet, the

spe-

The

won't go into

but a few words should be said about

upon

19408, the four basic jazz

The

story).

sym-

was recently celebrated on

150th birthday so

its

to

drums were

invented for jazz, but that's another

epic tale of this instrument

detail,

come

its

impor-

the scene. In the mid-

wind instruments were the

trombone, the trumpet, and the saxophone.

clarinet, the

undisputed star of "classic" jazz, was

becoming the emblem of outmoded music when bebop appeared, despite ness.

its

The trombone,

exceptional color and expressive-

with

its

superb range,

handle in the highest and lowest fast

is

difficult to

registers, as well as in

tempos. So for technical reasons, aside from a few

outstanding

soloists,

the

trombone never achieved the

popular success of the trumpet or the sax, the two heroes of bebop.

The trumpet may not have dominates in the upper give

it

the lion's share.

quality depending

a very broad range, but

register,

Its velocity,

and

that's

enough

it

to

and bright or muffled

on the use of a mute, made

an

it

in-

dispensable element of jazz in the hands of musicians like

Howard McGhee,

Dizzy

Gillespie,

Then

there's the

ment

to learn. Passing

done with great

saxophone.

It's

from bass

facility.

The

mands on

the

lips,

can be

to treble notes

enough

fingerings are easy

and above

to allow fast, fluid phrasing;

make

instrument, and doesn't

or Fats Navarro.

a simple-enough instru-

the

all,

it

is

a reed

same physical de-

the air column, the diaphragm,

and

the abdominal muscles which the trumpet mouthpiece does. Also,

it's

an instrument on which each note cor-

responds to a position of the hands; while the trumpet,

by using the proper

lipping,

can produce a half-dozen

different notes with a single fingering

During World tax

if

War

II,

jazz clubs had to pay an extra

they featured dance music or singers.

of the war, the big bands had gradually given

By

the end

way

to the

small ensembles which were the standard fighting units

of the boppers. So the typical setup became: rhythm section (piano, bass, drums), plus soloists such as sax

and

trumpet. In tighter financial circumstances, as was

fre-

quently the case, a club

owner or a tour organizer might

only be able to pay four musicians, instead of five. Since

you couldn't touch the rhythm to

be

made between

the sax

section, the choice

and the trumpet. But

had it's

almost impossible for a trumpet player to be the only front

man

aging his

for three-or four-hour-long sets without

lips.

who perform

in quartet

port of a saxophonist.

saxophone 118

I

is

dam-

Even today, there are very few trumpetists without the indispensable sup-

On

top of that, the sound of the

smoother and

less

Laurent de Wilde

taxing

on the ear than

and

the trumpet. For these

become

the king of

Monk,

many

so

other reasons,

it

has

modern jazz. and throughout

too, followed this rule

his life

he cultivated saxophonists, that primordial and

vital spe-

Or

rather to

would come

cies that

to enrich his music.

enrich themselves from his music. Because being in his

band was

like

going to school.

authority in his

own band was

And

to question

Monk's

blow up the

like trying to

White House with a cherry bomb. Right away, people went

to

Monk's band

a ring with his

you saw

to play,

name

and

inscribed

to learn.

KNOW. No one

dreamed of questioning

his authority or his

Monk

all

his

is

a master, that's

even wore

—MONK—which, when

upside down, read

it

He

there

is

to

it.

knowledge.

And

that's

why

encounters with saxophonists are so interesting, be-

cause he forces them to redefine their playing reevaluate their approach, tight

and

to

fit

style, to

themselves into his

but inspiring mold. Hearing Monk's music played

by someone it

ever

else

is

always a refreshing experierience, for

highlights his unique piano style.

which he alone can express most

cases,

loists

have

on some of

Monk invents

effortlessly

and

a world

naturally. In

his compositions, the other so-

run the equivalent of a 400-meter hurdles

to

in order to play

an original idea which doesn't sound

corny.

One man

alone was an exception to the

Monk

allegiance to

who,

as Louis

saxophone pedigree

—

the master of

Armsrong did

them

all;

natural the one

for the trumpet, raised the

to full-fledged solo status

and established

its

— Coleman Hawkins, aka "the Bean." From the

moist marshland of the reeds

male

soloist's

voice.

came

Bean was one of the

barely begun to shave

the cry of a great Elders.

when Hawkins'

Monk had

definitive version

Saxophones!

119

of "Body and Soul" was recorded in 1939.

pened

to

Hawkins, master of the tenor

jazz.

and

table sound,

He was

also

his subtle, virile,

Monk's

came out

recording featured

four

"On

Reed,"

also hap-

It

be one of the best-selling records in the history of

first

and luminous phrasing.

studio employer. In 1944, a

entitled

tunes:

sax, with his unforget-

Bean and

"Flyin'

Boys which

the

Hawk,"

"Driftin'

Bean" and "Recollections."

the

on a

Monk

played a sixteen-bar solo (the short format of the day)

which

left

no doubt

band.

for his

determined

why

as to

He had

all

him

the signs of an original

and

one who would become

pianist,

And Hawkins was one

tional.

Hawk

hired

the great

truly excep-

of the rare musicians of

the "classic" period of jazz (he

had played alongside

Louis Armstrong in the Fletcher Henderson band) to

have maintained an active and kindly attitude toward the

young boppers who were redefining the

He

game.

rules of the

recorded tracks with Dizzy Gillespie,

Max

Roach, Fats Navarro and Milt Jackson which proved desire to

and

modernize

his phrasing, to

expand

his

his

horizons

from the new generation the things that the

to learn

older one couldn't teach him.

Monk and gio phrases, style

the

which had become rare

of the day.

arpeggios

—

the famous

Bean both had a preference

Monk

bebop

to

scales

base his

style

elders in order to develop

knew.

And

that

"Monk

"new" piano

often backed his solos

the separate notes of a chord

up with

— and not on

and phrases which were being

so widely used in improvisation.

seemed

in the

for arpeg-

on a it

From

the start,

Monk

common

to his

tradition

in a direction

color,"

which he alone

which can already be

perceived in the twenty-six-year-old pianist's strange melodic

power, probably didn't disconcert the Bean any

more than 120

II

it

did the boppers.

Laurent de Wilde

Hawkins was on

familiar

ground with Thelonious

—

the land of the singing voice,

the pointing finger,

and

the feet squared

nothing to do with

—

was

it

it

Scales

off.

a question of convictions

all

shared with other musicians, regardless of age or

style.

Monk

After this initiation into the recording world,

became a more or

He

member

regular

less

had

of Bean's band.

played with him on 52nd Street, and accompanied

him throughout

the

1

945 tour of the States

Jazz at the Philharmoi

And Monk,

i

concert

ic

for the first

series.

I'm sure, had the undeniable satisfaction

of knowing that he was recognized and appreciated by

one of the legendary

figures of jazz.

part in his obstination to play his

music of everyone lieve that

when

band of one of

else? It's

you're

Did

own music and

hard

But

to say.

is

goes by. Thirteen years

in his glory.

does he do?

He

is

fame

later, in

now on now

gives old

under no obligation

the

1957, Thelon-

way

jazz.

to

becoming

He

can do as

well established.

Bean a

call,

So what

and returns

the

to call in the old veteran

whom

of

he proves

his absolute

mastery of all the colors,

subtleties of the ballad form. Also,

to

value,

may have considered old-fashioned or inadequate. all, Hawk is nothing of the kind. And once again

others First

is

own

you

For Monk's Music (Riverside, 1957), Thelonious

favor. is

his

He

in the

aesthetic choices.

one of the major voices of modern he pleases, for

can't be-

I

the greatest musicians of the day,

and the soundness of your own

ious

not the

young and you're playing

don't take this as the confirmation of your

Time

play a big

this

what a

rests,

and

brilliant idea

put Hawkins and Coltrane side by side in the same

studio

— the

service of

The

old-timer and the newcomer, both in the

Monk's

ageless, eternal music.

lucky owners of the complete Riverside record-

ings (four volumes, with

all

of

Monk

from 1955

to 1961)

Saxophones!

121

an excellent booklet

will find

scribes, session

by

which Keepnews de-

in

session, the recording of everything

Monk did for him. It's very precious, and instructive! When Keepnews mentioned the idea of Monk's Music Thelonious, he proposed several saxophonists, but

to

Monk

turned them

suggested

immediately. Thelonious then

Coleman Hawkins, Gigi Gryce, and John Col-

The

trane.

down

past, the present,

and the

No

future.

jazz

producer could ever have come up with an idea so preposterous and fitting at the same time, unless he hap-

pened

to

be as

brilliant as the artist

he was recording.

This was just another example of Monk's solid musical intuition.

He

would sound

how

always

knew what was good, and what

right for his music.

Keepnews

also

tells

of

Thelonious was up for several days in a row pre-

paring for the session, and was at the studio with unac-

customed punctuality. This showed how took the recording and

seriously he

how devoted he was

an

to such

ambitious project. I

think this was also a sign of the affectionate respect

Monk had

for his

affection right called, a visit

up

former mentor. to the

end of

New

his

the old

Hawk, who then had

fried,

he showed

life.

week never passed when he and

been prematurely buried by jazz

was

And

As Tootie

this

re-

his father didn't

a long beard, historians.

and had

The Bean

they said, and was no longer sought-after in

York.

And

in his declining years,

how

greatly he

must have appreciated the quality and elegance of Thelonious's loyalty.

Sonny

Rollins

from the

rule

was another saxophonist who diverged of allegiance to the master. Actually,

though, he was a direct heir to Hawkins.

122

II

Laurent de Wilde

And one

— although Rollins, nicknamed

important fact stands out-

Newk, was twelve years younger than Thelonious, he was one of the few musicians companist.

It

to

have hired

Monk

an ac-

as

took courage, admiration and an intimate

understanding of Monk's music to decide to hire him for

your

own

recording session.

Very few dared,

as

you can

see for yourself:

Charlie Parker/ Bird

and Diz

Thelonious

Dizzy Gillespie

(Vogue, 1950)

Monk

(piano)

Curly Russell

Buddy Rich

Miles Davis

Bag's Groove

Thelonious

(Prestige, 1954)

(piano)

(bass)

(drums)

Monk

Milt Jackson (vibes)

Percy Heath

(bass)

Kenny Clarke (drums)

Gigi Gryce

Nicas Tempo

Thelonious

(Savoy, 1955)

(piano)

Monk

Percy Heath

(bass)

Art Blakey (drums)

Art Blakey

Art Blakey

Thelonious

s

Jazz Messengers

(piano)

with Thelonious

Johnny

Monk

(tenor)

(Atlantic, 1957)

Bill

Monk

Griffin

Hardman

(trumpet)

Spanky DeBrest (bass)

Saxophones!

123

Clark Terry

In Orbit

Monk

Thelonious

(Riverside, 1958) (piano)

Sam Jones Philly Joe

(bass)

Jones

(drums)

and

Plus Rollins,

that's

playing with everyone

was

in ferment,

it.

At a time when everyone was

else,

when

the whole world of jazz

and when the discographies of

leagues often covered several pages,

with

six

his col-

Monk only recorded

groups as an accompanist.

And why

Monk

didn't they hire

as a

He

sideman?

certainly played well enough. Lots of musicians thought

he was a genius

—

all

those stimulating chords,

and

that

impeccable inner tempo. As Bud Powell's big brother,

and the crony of Diz and

And by

inside out.

Bird, he

knew

1954, he had already acquired enor-

The

mous technique and

experience.

was great

him, but having him in your band

to listen to

was something

He

else.

Because

Tadd Dameron,

or

he played was so strong that loist

who

it

asked

either

threw you

it

Monk

would throw

Monk

made

Al

any

so-

off,

or

it

it

was

his pitchfork in

like

your

gave you wings. Miles

together (Bags

Groove, Prestige,

you don't always

have such a burdensome partner, especially

when your name

is

Miles Davis, and your conception of

rhythm, space and color

is

so different

Monk's. II

off

behind you,

1954). That's perfectly understandable: to

like

not to accompany his solos on the only re-

cording they

want

period.

Monk. Not

Teddy Wilson. And what

having the devil himself sticking

—

like

it

wasn't sitting tight in the saddle. If you played

a brass instrument and had

ass

only thing was,

Monk played Monk,

could play anything, but only

Haig, Bud,

124

the jazz scene

Laurent de Wilde

from that of

But that didn't scare Rollins away. it

He who knew how

inspired him.

player

On

the contrary,

probably the only saxophone

is

Monk's support

to use

improvisation. Others dreaded

Monk's

own

for his

bursts of discor-

dant inspiration. But Sonny took great pleasure in anticipating

them spirit

Monk's punctuations, and slipped a ship between

like

moved him.

same thing ers,

Bud just

other

a

coasting along as the

reefs,

as if they could

both hear the

They were both New York-

breast-fed

on the same music. As with

Roach, there are some things you hear that

The

musicians of the bop gen-

came from everywhere. But when you were with

New

way

Yorkers, you heard things in a certain

that helped create a style.

New

and out of

time.

cannot be explained.

eration

and

Max

was

same

at the

and had been or

It

in

Yorker gave you the

It's

hard to define. Being

aristocratic feeling of

having

been born into the right family, with a particular sense of honor and duty. For of concept

is

Bud were

all

New

Yorkers, the eclectic notion

very important. Rollins,

modern and

Monk, Roach, and

classical at the

They were more

like intellectuals

would account

for

same

time.

than entertainers. This

immediate empathy between

the

Sonny and Thelonious.

The

perfect

example

ica" (Brilliant Corners,

is

Sonny's version of "Pannon-

1956). Their

two voices blend

and complement one another amazingly. They are both sure of themselves

and unpredictable, and share the same

instinct for individual notes. Rollins finishes a spiraling

phrase with the very note on which Thelonious chooses to build his

accompanying chord. You

kind of thing.

It's like

a rough,

warm

can't prepare that

telepathy bouncing

back and forth melodiously from one bar Rollins's

way

repeatedly

is

to the next.

of picking out one note and accenting

so close to

Monk's angular accents

that

Saxophones!

it

you 125

wonder who

is

accompanying whom. Then, Sonny

veals the full extent of their complicity

re-

by suddenly bring-

ing the lyrical flight of his solo to an end and landing right in

Monk's hands.

balance which united

Fascinating. This

Monk with

it

commanding

a saxophone player

had

never happened before, and would never happen again. This host

—

even more striking when Thelonious

is

is

the

for the magnificent assurance of Rollins's phrasing

could be

appreciated over the course of Monk's

fully

compositions (and not the easiest ones at

all).

As

I

men-

tioned earlier, the nature of Monk's tunes forbids the soloist

from indulging

and Monk

ready-made phrases. Rollins

in

share the same

above. Neither of

way

of seeing things from

them are anxious

tune.

They

when

they have something to say.

to struggle with a

don't run out of breath, and only speak up

They both maintain

the critical distance necessary to enjoy the occasional hitch, or to take a shortcut

away

at

Or

hammer

to affectionately play a portion of the

melody, then drop for

to

one corner of a chord with an absentminded

light touch.

made

when needed. Or

it

on a whim.

Monk and

Rollins were

each other. Instead of casting shadows on one

another, these two giants dwelled together in a fond and fertile

music.

Officially

it

was Thelonious who hosted

first.

He was

then with Prestige, and called in Sonny for three tunes, in

November

1953.

October 1954, again

Way You Look

The

invitation

at Prestige, for

Tonight," and "I

was reciprocated

in

two standards, "The

Want

to

Be Happy."

Sonny's mastery, and his near-indifference to Monk's ac-

companiment, are stunning. (Who like

swallowing a box of

along with

it

in

II

could be?

It

And Monk went

was

right

convincing fashion, playing his accom-

panist's role with fervor 126

pins.)

else

and modesty. Only on

Laurent de Wilde

his solos

Bad Monk,

could you hear the Big

true to his form.

Magnificent work.

was recorded

Brilliant Corners

1957, Rollins called in

On

date.

this

Monk

Then

in 1956.

for a Blue

Monk

exceptional album,

in April

Note record

shares the piano

with Horace Silver, and backs up Sonny on compositions

own

of his is

("Misterioso"

and

"Reflections").

way

particularly impressive in the

Art Blakey that

For

this

I

wonder

made

latter

the two musicians

converge in the same places, almost as

were cumbersome.

The

if

their telepathy

wasn't the presence of

if it

things even

more complicated.

was the only time that these three jazz

giants

can be heard on a record together, and only on two

Yet they have everything

them apart from

their

in

common, which

contemporaries

—

the

cuts.

also set

same im-

mediate, almost brutal approach to music; the same miraculous sense of timing and precise phrasing; the same

image of man

as a rock,

and jazz

as a raging river,

chan-

neled by the musician's strength of soul. But that session of April 14, 1957,

is

the only

little

crumb of history

he wants to hear them together.

a collector can find

if

Kind of

Makes you wonder

strange.

.

.

.

in a studio together wasn't

maybe; but three was asking the blues they play

how

that

dangerous

if

— two

them

of them,

for trouble. Just listen to

on "Misterioso," and

intense this trio could be.

putting

And

seeing

you'll realize

them

live

must

have been an unforgettable experience.

That plicity

session

between

was the

last to reveal

Monk and

Rollins.

ing that destiny had brought

more

You

com-

can't help wish-

them together on records

often.

Then along came else.

the intimate

Coltrane, and that was something

This would be something brief

(six

months) and

Saxophones!

127

extremely intense. In any case, with Coltrane, things

were always

intense. In 1957,

one contender

to

Sonny

he was ranked the number

The year

Rollins.

Madness had been recorded, on which

phone players faced

before,

Tenor

the two saxo-

off in a blues duel with

all

energy, knowledge, and future at stake. In that event, the

two heavyweights battled furiously

and the only winner

is

their minds. Rollins has

and

years,

and

been seeking

main

to a draw,

are both out of his identity for

untiringly changes his sound, his approach,

his style.

Coltrane seethes within as he seeks to har-

and which he

ness the music that possesses him, quite control. his choice

They

the listener.

their

And Monk showed

excellent

still

can't

judgment

in

of saxophonists. In succession, he picked out

the two most voluble musicians around,

carried his music into far-distant

and

and they had

fascinating regions

of the soul. Rollins had never seemed more relaxed, but

Coltrane was more convoluted and feverish than ever. Coltrane had

come over from Miles

which had been highly

was leaving a sublime ano, Paul

And

quintet, with

Chambers on

drums. Miles's

lastest

bass,

regularly.

He

band

and

Red Garland on Philly

He pi-

Joe Jones on

racing car was rhythm on wheels!

two years, Miles had

for

Davis's

successful for several years.

let

him

take the wheel

cruised smoothly through superb ballads

and steady medium tempos; then ruled the road when he put

his foot to the floor for the

Water-tight.

They

didn't

uptempo numbers.

come any

better.

The

only

problem was Trane's heroin abuse. This annoyed Miles,

who had ing

him

cleaned up and could suddenly see success

in the face.

his life again.

So he

to replace Rollins,

A 128

II

fair

He

wasn't going to

exchange.

Laurent de Wilde

star-

a junkie wreck

who went with Monk wound up in Miles's band.

fired Coltrane,

and Rollins

let

— And music was As Miles

ested in. ing,

was

so aptly put

way

the

all

it,

"He was just and

into the music,

if

a

how much

spiritual person,

the exit leading upward; he

was

's

influence

was

through

it all,

to

it

keep

all

He went

bottom.

to

rage.

He

for the

saxophone,

it

wide open, then

back together and nailed

it

to the wall. Just

mind busy

Or he would go back

so he wouldn't think about that. to

an old standard

Monk and Kenny

time, the tune

had been

By

fifteen years.

that

was usually played pretty laid-back. And

the only one

going up or

"Epistro-

like

Clarke, which

heard around the clubs for almost

Monk was

And

ripped

his

phy" by

sought

playing pieces which were written only for

such as "Trinkle Tinkle." stuck

who

Monk's music with a

and seemingly impossible

the piano

when

vertically oriented.

Monk's music from top

stalked

woman was

a trigger. Coltrane quit heroin

like

cold turkey, and plunged into

He

into play-

concentration he had

he played." Coltrane was a

Monk

inter-

him naked, he wouldn't have

standing right in front of

even seen. That's

Trane was

the only thing that

down

who

played

it

as

it

was written

a half-tone every other beat.

It

was

exhausting, so people had gotten into the habit of playing eight bars in D-flat, then eight bars in E-flat,

and

without breaking their necks. Everybody, that

Trane, speed.

who

played everything,

Trane would go down

firsthand

how

all

the time

to the

is,

except

and

at top

shop floor to see

the mechanics of a tune worked.

the engine apart piece by piece, then put gether.

To me,

Coltrane worked

like

so on,

He'd take

it all

back

to-

a miner, with a

helmet, a pickax, and the tenacity of a warrior. Every

day

for six

earth

months. The voyage to the center of the

— each day he dug a

would come back up

little

deeper, and each day he

to the surface with a load of price-

less treasures.

Saxophones!

I

129

He man,

Monk

even pushed got

I

it.

them enough

out of the way: Take a

You

don't have to play the chords;

as

is.

it

And

stroll,

play

I

then Coltrane would take off

into his "sheets of

sound" which had no

mic

were simply leaps from one chord

definiton, but

wound around

the next; one long breath which it

rose, like a snake

habit of

Monk

charmer's rope.

accompanying him very

lence to allow the tidal

wave

specific rhyth-

itself as

got in the

and used

little,

to

his si-

and break, giving

to rise

He let Coltrane run his own feats of strength. And

only an occasional oarstroke. course, carried along

by means of

his

by

his

complex and

felicitous compositions,

he

helped deliver the tormenting music that Coltrane carried in the depths of his soul. his

As

if

the constraints which

music imposed were the very ones Coltrane needed

in order to

be

free.

Fortunately, there are a few recorded traces of Trane's brief but fruitful collaboration with

Monk. The

three re-

cording sessions at the time (April, June, and July 1957), are

.

.

.

Well,

you can

why

listen to

kle," "Well,

look for words to describe them

them? "Ruby,

You

My Dear,"

"Trinkle Tin-

Needn't," "Nutty," "Monk's

and "Epistrophy" (I'm only

citing the ones

Coltrane improvises with Monk). definitive versions.

The

lovely

Run

when

Mood,"

on which

for cover! All are

and moving complicity be-

Monk is a thing of the past. Trane depossesses Monk of his music. This is armed

tween Rollins and literally

robbery. Except for

maybe

the ballads, like "Ruby,

Dear" and "Monk's Mood." Coltrane plays thy successor to Hawkins: the melody

and

caresses the ballads

and

130

II

The

first.

He

wor-

respects

doesn't take off in a flight

of arpeggios, unless the tune permits

of love!

like the

My

tender weakness of the

Laurent de Wilde

it.

killer

A

perfect proof

who renounces

the

when he

kill

falls

under the

of his victim's

spell

beauty.

two musicians together

Also, bringing the

in a record-

ing studio was not easy, from a legal standpoint. At the

which

time, Coltrane

was under contract with

Monk had

three years earlier under unpleasant cir-

left

cumstances. to

And when Keepnews

"borrow" one of

wanted Coltrane tige

was

Bob Weinstock

called

Weinstock

his artists,

me Monk

you lend

Prestige,

(who was

starting to

for his record, but going

And

their musical tryst

children in the record world.

Monk

sell).

back

So they met a

out of the question.

lovers, in secret.

said, Sure, if

to Pres-

little

like

bore illegitimate

One was "Monk's Mood,"

a single cut from one session, that later strangely ap-

peared on

his solo

album Himself. Another

is

Monk's

Music with Hawkins and Gigi Gryce, but Coltrane's

name

doesn't figure on the original cover.

very discreet.

And

then a

last

which added

called Jazzland

one

dominant that

Keepnews

A

I

didn't bring

Note. But

a

poor

who

less

quality, recently

to the

Naima

Monk's respect

is

Col-

get to hear

Oddly enough, Trane

student,

so

why

came out on Blue

when you

and

developed between them over the as

album

and seems

for the piano, indicating that they

more than just teacher and grew

label

Riverside.

aggressive than in the studio,

more space

on a

not the reason

them out on

cares about quality,

kept

these, Coltrane

if that's

things actually happened.

little

leave

gems

On

tape recorded live at the Five Spot by

trane, of rather

how

wonder

in quartet

little

from the session with Hawkins.

all

It's

six

is

to

were

that a complicity

months, which

for his soloist increased.

And

Trane, caught up in the hurricane of his devotion to music, returned to Miles's

band

at the

end of the year

Saxophones!

131

— of love and ambition which had been

complete a

tale

left

dormant.

And

off,

rising ever closer to the sun, to

to

In so doing, he

only after turning that page did he

left

way open

the

buddy from back

the old

of the infernal

fulfill

for

his destiny.

Johnny

in 1948, the fourth

Griffin

musketeer

Monk. In

of Bud, Elmo, and

trio

1957,

he was with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. in

May

Monk and

him on

Griffin.

And,

than ever at the time,

when Trane

that

And

of that year Blakey invited his old pal Thelonious

to record with

in

fly

it

Atlantic.

A warm

as Griffin

was burning brighter

was no

left in late

by a stroke of

fate, I

reunion for

surprise that he stepped

The

1957.

strangest thing

is

have the feeling that Griffin

was the perfect composite of Newk and Trane. For he

had the rough sound, and icism of

the instinctive traditional lyr-

Newk, combined with

all

the

unquenched ardor

and rage of Coltrane. The authority of the bear and the fury of the lion

—

that

is

Johnny

Griffin, the Little Giant.

Here again, as with Rollins, the two musicians shared a friendship which time never affected. Griffin

big

was

band

that

serious

jubilant.

Monk

was

in the

took to Europe in 1967. Coltrane

and searching; but

Griffin

There was no stopping him,

because he was having too

much

was completely

either,

but that's

fun to cut his solos

He loved Monk, and it showed in everything he played. He loved to frolic around inside the tunes which short.

seemed

And

to defy his ability to improvise.

especially,

to record live

things

it

was with

Griffin that

Monk

started

albums. For up to that point, the only

we heard from Monk were what

the producers at

Blue Note, Prestige, or Riverside were willing to hear. first

132

II

let

us

Monk's studio albums were usually made up of

or second takes, and only the very gifted ear can

Laurent de Wilde

The

recognize the cutting-and-splicing job.

No

portions from different takes. factory

enough

to

impossible

made up of

Brilliant Corners, with Rollins, was

single take

be used on the album.

A

several

was

satis-

similar pro-

cess could be used for live recordings, as they reach the

mixing table before the record inferior

is

pressed.

However, the

sound quality and the presence of an audience

make some

editing very hard.

So the sound engineer has

to limit his use of the

famous curved

scissors for cutting

tapes, before splicing

them

I

together.

am

sorry to dis-

appoint the neophytes by revealing that records are rarely

made

Today, thanks

in a single take.

to the tech-

niques of digital editing, some classical works contain

more than

three

hundred

cuts in a single interpretation!

Jazz doesn't reach those extremes, but even intro here,

The nose

surgery of the record world. it

One

Yet

it.

on.

ear's bigger

this editing

—

and

sticks

some backside? than the other?

technique, combined with

the appearance of magnetic-tape recording, infancy,

little

the plastic

of the tune

back. Missing

out too far? Just trim

Throw some more

its

a

an interlude there and you've soon made a

half-dozen scalpel cuts for a single session

Just trim

so,

in the case of

Monk

was then

in the 1950s,

in

was

only used rarely.

To series

get back to Griffin, he

of

live

was the one who began the

albums. Today, such a recording usually

takes place in the following

manner: you pick a club or

a concert hall where the band will be playing the same repertoire for several days in a row;

you take a sound

truck there; you tape everything, then you take the best

version of each tune to

make

the record. At the time,

the techniques of live broadcasting after years of radio

different story.

had been mastered,

programs. But making records was a

Norman Granz had launched

the idea

Saxophones!

133

with his Jazz at the Philharmonic series after the war,

but the technique

still

needed

make

equipment was expensive. So

to

bum, you

for

up microphones

set

be perfected, and the

to

a forty-minute

al-

one night and the band

played the same tune several times in order to get a good take for each one. This

was rudimentary, and

for the audience, but efficient.

The age

frustrating

of "live record-

ing" had begun.

At the time, there was a big difference between the music you could hear on record, and the music you could see in a club. Not in quality, but in quantity, and

means a

that

go back a

Let's

lot.

bit.

When Monk

re-

corded for Blue Note in 1947, the only records available

were the famous 78 rpm's. Their playing time could vary

from three minutes

for the 10-inch records to four

a half minutes for the

Three minutes. The

12-inch.

length of one round in a boxing match. after

minutes,

three

the

professional

concentration span

starts to

The whole world

is

It's

last

And

a lot can

that limit,

you

you know

it,

up

acute-

cycles.

usually three minutes

an hour and eighteen minutes, but

because people's minds

So,

boxer's

not because the records are too short, as com-

pact discs can

minutes.

say that

wane. He's not the only one.

Even today, popular songs are long.

They

around three-minute

built

and

start to

start

happen

to in

wander

three

after

180 seconds. Beyond

balk and daydream, and before

you are no longer paying attention

at

all.

to the late 1940s, all the masterpieces of recorded

jazz are three minutes long

(or,

occasionally, four

and a

half minutes).

In

fact, this

format was fine for the small bands.

An

introduction (between five and ten seconds long), the

melody

134

II

(as

much

as

one minute,

Laurent de Wilde

for slow tunes),

two or

three solos (a minute

and a

half,

maximum), then

whole band taking the melody home remained). With

this

(for

little

something for everyone: nice

and a good blend

melodies, well played, compact solos,

it

whatever time

format, you didn't have time to get

bored, and there was a

What more

of instruments.

the

could you ask for? For Monk,

was more than he needed. As the master of concision,

he

felt

home

perfectly at

in this structure.

He had

plenty

more would have

of time to surprise the ear. Anything

been too much!

Then,

in 1948, the long-playing record

appeared. Co-

lumbia and Capitol registered trademarks respectively for 10-inch 33 V3

rpm and

now

cordings were

five

7-inch 45 rpm. records. Re-

times longer. Wonderful

new

ho-

rizons apeared: classical works could be recorded in a single shot, without

having to change the disc every four

and a half minutes. As

One

more varied

formats,

more complex approaches were

longer solos and ble.

for jazz,

basic principle never changes:

A new

possi-

technol-

ogy means a new jazz. Now, instead of offering small musical vignettes

(a little sax,

a

little

way, ladies and gents, watch your formats

more

made

serious

1950s,

you

first

with

step, please), the

possible to go into depth

new

and provide a

and complete image of jazz. From the mid-

is

the session that Miles Davis did

Monk on

piano, on Christmas

tune, "Bag's Groove," runs for

onds. Plenty of time for everybody.

other solo?

this

started hearing six-, or even ten-minute tunes.

One example tige

it

trumpet, right

By

all

1 1

Day

1954.

The

minutes 6 sec-

Mind

means; the pleasure

on Pres-

is all

if I

take an-

mine!

A few

years before, they'd have been on the fourth tune by that time!

A

few

artists

jumped

at the

chance and immediately

Saxophones!

135

new

took advantage of the Miles

Ellington,

and

Davis,

couldn't care less about

possibilities,

new

to

Duke

Silver.

Monk

Horace techniques.

was already three thousand years

more weren't going

including

make any

As

his

music

a few minutes

old,

So before

difference.

1957, aside from rare exceptions, he said everything he

wanted

to in

about

minutes that the

LP

minutes.

five

Of

the twenty extra

gave him, he usually used only one.

There were two remarkable exceptions: "Just You, Just

Me"

and the amazing "Friday the 13th" with

(1956),

Sonny

Rollins (Prestige, 1953), written

on a corner of the

piano, then immediately recorded one Friday the thirteenth. this

A

special tune for a special day.

Up

to that time,

was the longest piece he had ever recorded

minutes 31 seconds. But

was

it

The melody was

ever written.

also the shortest

— 10

he had

four bars long, repeated

over and over. For improvising, there were four chords in

two

bars, also repeated

paradox that the

lustrated the

tained

the

in

ad infinitum. Here,

problem of length

infinitely large

small

infinitely

—which

Monk

il-

can be con-

resolves

the

an unexpected but dazzling way

in

(and, that's just

how

the thirteenth

a broken record that you just can't seem

:

I

imagine a bad-luck day

like

Friday

to change).

So It

Monk

was only

ners, that

only rarely in late '56,

he

tended tunes "Brilliant

let

made

use of the "large format."

when he recorded

Brilliant Cor-

himself go for a whole album, with ex-

like

"Pannonica"

Corners"

(7

(8

minutes 50 seconds),

minutes 46 seconds), or "Ba-lue

Bolivar Ba-lues Are Ba-lue" (13 minutes 24 seconds).

was ready But

if,

up

to dive into the

huge world of

to that time the tunes

they adhered to simple but

136

II

were long,

strict rules:

Laurent de Wilde

live it

He

recording.

was because

a melody, solos

of identical length for each of the soloists (once or twice

through the changes), maybe a few bars for the drums,

and one for

time for the melody.

last

more than

longer than usual

were

still

in length

it

tunes lasted

was because the form was

— nothing you can do about

between a radio broadcast, a club performance, all.

Now

in the clubs.

With

and a record was done away with once and you had concerts

home, and records

at

multimedia

all this

con-

at

changed with the LP. The difference

that

all

You

that.

working within a format which aimed

But

cision.

minutes,

five

And when

interactivity, things

for

were

starting to

get complicated!

And

this raises all

between a

real difference

cording?

Is

audience change the

live?

way

which

studio atmosphere

cannot do

live

what

album and a

is

the

studio re-

same music? Does the presence of an

the

it

kinds of questions. For

To

Or

a musician plays? lets

is it

the

you do certain things you

find out, you'd have to

examine the

conditions of these two types of recording in detail. Let's follow

A

into the studio.

producer organizes a studio session to record some

tunes.

up

Monk

A day

and a time are

separately,

Now,

more or the

either

never know.

join

it

in.

He

new

Monk

they've

compositions. With

says a few

on the piano. The

Then

on time. Then

band records tunes

played, or there are

plays

less

and the musicians show

set,

arrives.

already

Monk, you

words about the tune, then bass,

drums, and saxophone

the producer starts the tape rolling, but

suddenly has second thoughts, and take or a rehearsal?"

"Hold on,

calls let's

down,

"Is this a

start again;

I'm

rewinding. ..." Meanwhile the saxophone player checks his

reed and blows a couple of

riffs,

and

the bass player

tunes up and goes over a tricky change at the bridge.

Saxophones!

137

"Okay, the tape

They

running."

is

knows

stop after eight bars, as Thelonious

wants for the introduction but

just

the the

A

okay

twice,

Take two. They play

them

says;

go."

let's

way

the

all

it

what he

obviously not clear to

it's

the other musicians. "Yeah, right," one of

"we play

then

start the tune,

through. As soon

as the last note fades, a voice in the headphones says,

"That one was good; you want over right away?"

Not bad. Not

three. is

They

"Shall

better.

enough.

I

as

to listen to

decide to play

good

or do

take?"

it

Take

again.

head

as the second, but the

we do another

think we've got

it

it,

"No,

that's

what we want. Okay. What's

the next tune? Ready. ..."

In the studio, you get progressively into the music, and

you can

some

fool

around with your instrument and work out

ideas before the tape starts rolling (there's a par-

ticularly eloquent version of erside).

All of a

record, but

before you

down

the other hand,

to

into

it.

make

to

beware when you're playing

dience, because

you don't pay like

you want

attention,

to

it

your pillow

playing "live," on

everything you have

it

little

Riv-

you're about to

like fixing

When

to give

about the

and you have

realize

A little

for bed.

you have

right away. Forget

the job

sudden you

you ease lie

"Round Midnight" on

flaws, everybody's

sound.

for

push

it

You

also

on

have

an enthusiastic auto the limit,

and

you can do some damage.

if

It's

pushing your way through a crowd, and stepping on

a few feet as you go. It

is

obvious that a musician's attitude to his music

undergoes a change from the stage to the studio. In

Monk's

case,

you

The world may

can't really say

well revolve

move, no matter what happens. But

138

II

it

affects

him much.

around him, but he doesn't

Laurent de Wilde

it

was

live

recordings

him

that helped

find a comfortable,

standard five-to

eight-minute format, free of the tyranical restraints of the

rpm

78

Gone

records.

gems

are the four-minute

together on collections; the precise, radical

all

stuck

arrange-

little

ments, the half-solos, the left-right combinations that re-

knock you

ally

out.

Space has taken over again

no piano accompaniment; lengthy keyboard

solos with

work: the same

riff

hammered

So Keepnews decided

and

Five Spot,

with a

the

Ice against iators.

In

put microphones onstage at the

to

Griffin

High fire;

fact,

out over and over.

to inaugurate the system of live recordings

Monk. And

fight:

—whole

the perfect

is

Bebop

Priest of

man for that. What

versus the Little Giant.

the net versus the trident. it

was more

The jazz

tag-team wrestling, as

like

Roy Haynes and Ahmed Abdul-Malik

didn't remain in

their corners, either. In this "battle royale," the

band fought

it

the strongest,

out to see

and the

striving to pick

who

glad-

whole

could swing the toughest,

longest. It

was

as if the

band was

up the pieces and patch things up,

wake of Hurricane Coltrane. That's

the

way

in the it

was

throughout the summer of 1958.

A studio recording session had taken place with Griffin in

February of the same year, which turned out

to

be a

huge catastrophe. The only tune they recorded, "Coming on the Hudson," was

Monk had

ever written.

among

the most treacherous

A five-bar melody,

with a three-

and-a-half-bar bridge, wasn't exactly standard format at the time. Despite Griffin's goodwill, everyone

Thelonious himself kept skipping two beats in

was

lost.

his solo,

which only made matters worse. The gods of music, better

known

have

all

as gremlins

when

they disrupt a session, must

ganged up against

this

project.

Blakey and

Saxophones!

139

Rollins never even

showed up, and the piano

playing on collapsed the

first

140

first

He knew how home to bed.

lonious.

back

take of the

when one tune. to

of

its

legs

Monk was

broke off after

That was enough

for

The-

read the oracles, so he went

Laurent de Wilde

—

9

Full-length Portrait

HI,hen to

Griffin left

Chicago where

Monk's group

in late

his family lived,

1958 to return

Thelonious was in the

public eye. His reappearance on the club scene for the

had allowed jazz

past year

strange pianist

whose imposing

the imagination. Hearing

him

in

Even

his

name

who

set

him

apart. Like

thing, but seeing

his hats

all

determined

give the impression of having a

—with

compositions:

full

Monk

bore his

confidence.

He

good

name

netic transcription of

"Ask

indirectly

(a

to

it

he in

pho-

Caesar referring

Thelonious seemed to

point an affectionate and ironic finger at himself. lot

rea-

like

often used

"Oska T"

for T."). Like

to himself in the third person,

has a

in-

"Monk's Mood," "Monk's Point,"

"Monk's Dream," or more

this

this

figure immediately struck

him was one

son for everything they do,

his

know

person was a true spectacle!

dividuals,

wore

fans to get to

And

do with the mythology of the jazz

world, where musicians give each other nicknames

Satchmo, Bird, Diz, Trane, Bags, Bean, Prez, or Newk.

How many

Like a second birth certificate. that Duke's real

name

But with a custom-made name look any further.

name.

He

He came

Ellington?

Monk, no need

like

into the

know

people

Edward Kennedy

is

world with

to

his stage

could only be called Monk, or Thelonious, or

simply T.

word

Also, the

a mystical dimension, and

itself carries

conjures up a particular setting and

lifestyle.

The monk

(and not the priest, the apostle, or the hermit) torial figure

who

a pic-

is

evokes both respect and amusement.

A

monk is a funny blend of opposites: a solitary individual who belongs to a group; he is both somber and colorful, poor but

well-fed, bald but bearded. Miles's

used throughout its

assonance, in

Miles Smiles. his

Monk

name and never used

it

was easy

it

name

name "Kodak" which

because

Miles Ahead, or

never played with the ambiguity of

but himself. Yet, the the

like Milestones,

titles

name was

pun or because of

his career either as a

to

as a reference to anything

has a universal ring to the

it,

like

Eastman company chose

pronounce

in

any language. But

even Americans have a hard time with "Thelonious." This strange combination of a universal family a singular necessary.

name

first

When

for the cover

is

rich

enough

to

name and

make puns un-

the producers suggested he

wear a cowl

photo of the album Monk's Music, he

fused categorically.

hundred-dollar

suit

He had just

re-

bought a beautiful two-

and couldn't understand why he

should have to play the clown in a sackcloth bag with a curtain string.

Monk was Monk. No

brains for a nickname,

enough,

well, then,

generosity,

had

That should do 142

I!

and

God and

also given

if

need

to rack

your

Thelonious was good

his family, in their infinite

him

it.

Laurent de Wilde

the middle

name

Sphere.

Physically Thelonious stood a

good

two inches,

six feet

and weighed around two hundred and twenty pounds. "around" because of

say

around

penchant

his

to express his satisfaction.

With

for

age,

spinning

Monk

got

harmoniously rounder which made the name Sphere

more

the

appropriate.

The

him an overwhelming and grow lean with

ple

or huge,

like

ageless, like

I

all

passing years definitely gave circular authority.

Some

peo-

Hank Jones or Art Taylor; haunted, like Mai Waldron; or

age, like

Mingus; or

Herbie Hancock.

the perfect patriarch.

Even

if

Monk came

to

he had never as

threatened to throw a punch in his

resemble

much

as

people ap-

life,

proached him with awe. For a long time, the story went

around that Miles had asked

on

Monk

not to back him up

trumpet solos during the famous Prestige record-

his

ing session of Christmas 1954. Thelonious got angry at Miles, so the story goes, that

and bawled him

out. First of

would be completely out of character

all,

Monk,

for

and, as Miles said in his memoirs, you'd have to be nuts to pick a quarrel with

He was

Monk! He

full-chested, with a

virtually filled the

broad back and a frame that

could support incredible weight and legs,

room.

He had

stress.

solid

planted in his characteristic wide-spread stance,

with his feet pointing out. Built to

last.

Despite his heavy, bearlike appearance, he was deceptively all

his

quick and a formidable Ping-Pong player.

He

put

weight into every shot, and gave the ball a trajec-

tory as

unorthodox

as the

moves he was making. Teddy

bear suddenly turned into Spiderman. at pool,

He

also excelled

which requires perfect use of one's weight. And

his driving

was

definitely impressive, in all senses of the

word. His unpredictable moves and deceptive inertia ten put his passengers in a cold sweat.

He

ran red

Full-length Portrait

of-

lights,

1

1

143

skidded in the snow, and slammed on the brakes (he did

have one accident which was serious enough to put him in the hospital in 1957).

Onstage he appeared somewhat

when he was happy with

clumsy. But

up from the piano during the other ing, to his fans' great delight.

the music, he'd get

solos

and

He'd take a few

start

dancthen

steps,

suddenly spread his arms and give the impression of

weighing four hundred pounds. He'd

over

start to keel

just for a second, catch himself, then raise his foot only

make

a few inches but

away. Only with so gravity.

Monk

look

like

he was about to

could give such a sense of balance

he'd race back to the piano

something on the stove and launch into the

of his solo.

Then

saults like he'd

falling back,

notes

and doing somer-

never get to the coda in time, but he did,

and when, carried along by to reach the

he'd

like first

he'd play and play and his music kept

on dancing, advancing,

end before the

he'd be there

like

fly

much weight. He seemed to defy the laws of He could make density dance. And when it was

his turn to play, left

it

all

by

his

momentum, he seemed

others, just

himself,

ding, he crossed the finish with

—

all

when

no, he

was

it

looked

just kid-

the others, suddenly

easing up; and, with his head bent attentively to the key-

board, he seemed to be giving a roguish wink to the other musicians. It is sails,

touching to see him

and he

cruises

and

move

like that.

tacks like a yacht.

He floats, he He never hits

the microphones or gets his feet caught in the wires

and

never makes an awkward move. His sense of balance

unorthodox, but ful

is

infinitely

more mischievous and

he was always well-dressed. His

cable and as soon as he started II

play-

than the norm.

And

144

is

Laurent de Wilde

taste

was impec-

making money, he was

always dressed to

his fine quality suits, shoes,

and overcoats, he had a natural elegance

shirts,

the

With

kill.

manner born. He

often kept his jacket

on when others were was simply on a

in shirtsleeves, like

talking about his carefully selected hats.

still

sorts

all

shiny, or soft ones,

and

glasses.

modern was

fur,

felt,

occasions. His

you

either got "hip" or

a well-chosen hat was the best

way

modern. For Monk, being

to think

And

all

vast

of a bebop trademark as Dizzy's

he often said during

essential, as

with Blue Note.

hats for

Back then, you

You had

to start.

had accumulated a

round, pointed,

oval,

Monk had

And

were nowhere.

—

much

headgear was as beret

someone who

witty.

In the course of his travels, he collection of

and overcoat

making timely comments which

visit,

were often cryptic but always People are

as if to

the things he put

on

his

his

debut

head must

have influenced the way he thought.

A And rest

hat in

is

a circumflex accent on one's personality.

like

Monk's

of his

case,

it's

worth paying attention

was always

attire

classical,

Roy Haynes.

attempts at originality of Miles or this is

an obvious metaphor:

to the neck. After that

and the hat was there on the

it

happened.

He

its

itself,

traditional

He

up

always insisted

head was where things

What

interested

gray matter composed of little

to Paris, a cartoon in Jazz

really

The enigma.

about

it;

Wearing a hat

him was

modern

when he

first

the

cells.

went

Hot magazine portrayed him Inscrutable.

was the meaning. His hat seemed ten, think

In

was 100 percent Thelonious,

His hats were provocative. In 1954,

as a sphinx.

The

wasn't into luxury watches, crocodile-skin

boots, or artistic neckwear.

head and

was

his style

as a reminder.

fact that inside his

to.

a far cry from the

something

Beneath the void

to say:

interesting's

requires a certain reserve

Go

ahead,

lis-

going on here.

and

aloofness;

Full-length Portrait

1

1

145

otherwise

it

challenge.

I

can make you look ridiculous.

would even say

Monk met the

that his hats gave

an habitual

when he

dignity to the playing of his music. In 1971,

took part in the "all-star" tour produced by George

Wein, with Blakey, Al McKibbon, Sonny

and Kai Winding,

Stitt,

Dizzy,

for the first time in a long while

he

was an accompanist and didn't wear a

hat.

no longer the

hat. It's almost

leader, he didn't

need a

As he was

heartbreaking to see him in the photos of that tour with

nothing on his head.

command. Usually

It's

as if he'd

been stripped of

his

before each concert, the audience

stirred with anticipation

wondering what he would wear.

And when he came onstage, people were thrilled as much by the hat as by the man. And at the end of his life,

when he no

longer touched the piano, he stopped

wearing hats altogether. Unlike a military hat, which trace of individualism to define the

man by

produces the opposite

is

designed to remove any

from the person who wears his function, a hat effect. I

it

and

on Thelonious

even wonder

if,

when he

had become famous and everyone "had heard of him," people didn't recognize him because of his hat, rather

than in

knew

spite

right

tablish a

of

He changed

it.

away

it

hats

all

the time, but

was him. Some musicians

permanent public image,

like

you

like to es-

Gato Barbieri

with his dark glasses and his inevitable broad-brimmed a marketing ploy so that the record

hat.

But that logo

will

be more noticeable on the store racks. With

it

was

twice.

different:

As

wearing a

is

Monk

he was never pictured with the same hat

usual, he

was ever-changing. In

fact,

he wasn't

hat, but the idea of a hat.

And each time it seemed to give him a different face. He looked imperious in a sealskin schapska; pensive in a hunter's hat, as on the cover of Time magazine; 146

Laurent de Wilde

inscrutable in a Vietnamese straw hat; relaxed in a simple cap;

somewhat dazed

in a beret. if

panama; or

in a white

smiles

His expression could be completely absent as

Or

he had retreated deep within himself.

bliss

all

its

childlike

and innocence could be immediately contagious. Or

he would mischievously

Monk

A

on you.

just played a joke

out his chin,

stick

like

he had

quick, stern glance

from

could plunge his entourage into an embarrassed

Although Thelonious's face was not what one

silence.

would

call expressive, his half-smile

statement and irony.

When

was

full

he spoke, he didn't raise

eyebrows, nod his head, or use any of the

enhance meaning, which

tions to

is

why

derstand Italian without having learned the words

He had

in a tongue-in-cheek

fall

a broad,

chin. His face

was

flat

of under-

little

his

indica-

people can un-

it.

Monk just

let

manner.

nose,

full lips,

and a prominent

and

his skin

was a deep black

fleshy

hue. His ears were tiny and well-formed. Neither hand-

some nor homely, he stood out

in a

crowd because of

the extreme intensity of his presence: he radiated power,

he commanded. Onstage he didn't even speak to sicians

— no need

to, as

or

left

He

and drums play alone

for

lacking.

up or

He danced when

the bandstand

The

intensity

mu-

everything was in the music.

often let the trio sax, bass,

extended periods.

his

the music

was good,

when he thought something was on the bandstand had

Monk wouldn't return.

to

be kept

Art Taylor told of a concert

he played with Thelonious one night. Things were going so well that in the middle of a tune, carried

away by

the

general enthusiasm and fear of missing out on a solo at

an intense moment, he

me

some!" But

Monk

call

out to

Monk, "Hey, T,

give

kept right on playing and brought

the tune to a close without giving in to the request. In the fervor of the

drummer's

moment, Art Taylor must

Full-length Portrait

I

147

have rushed the beat or slowed

down, putting the

it

rest

of the band in a vulnerable position. Monk's reply didn't require words. But to

he rarely did

make

— he went up

now, our drummer would

Which meant didn't like

to the

down, he

the applause died

that

if

his point forcefully

microphone, and when

said in a

take things in hand.

you

let

yourself go too

With a few

diately

his 500-volt chords,

life

was supposed

and

Monk

in daily

life,

which had

believed in silence, both in his

in his music.

Silence can often be

You have

emptiness.

days, not talking lonious.

to be.

and the band was imme-

irresistible directorial strength

no need of words.

if

tempo would

charged up again. Both onstage and

he gave off an

And

piano and

to the

notes, the it

much, he

playing.

felt like

imperceptibly slide back to where

few of

a solo."

went wrong, he'd go back

things really

A

solemn voice, "And

like to take

and he no longer

it

—which

When

to

synonymous with absence or

speak up in order to

means not

exist.

These

The-

thinking. But not for

trying to get four-year-old children to sing

together, the hardest thing for a teacher

when he

child understand that

isn't

to

is

make

the

singing, the song

continues rhythmically, and that silence

not a suspen-

is

sion of the tune, but a reserve of inspiration, of ideas,

Monk silence. He

and of music.

believed in that inexhaustible re-

serve of

heard the music as

played

it,

and there

aren't

many

What's the use of speaking? ord player in could watch,

his

head

feel,

and

mouth! Hank Jones

Monk and

Bud,

It's

musicians a luxury!

that played listen

all

as

who do

He had

the time.

he

that.

a rec-

So he

without having to open his

told of a six-hour trip

who were

much

he took with

sitting next to each other.

They never said a word the whole time, and when they reached their destination, each headed off to 148

II

Laurent de Wilde

his dressing

room, and Bud said

"Nice talking to

to Thelonious,

you." That was typical! Those two didn't need words in order to communicate.

Thelonious didn't believe in words, for they change too quickly, and vanish as soon as they are uttered.

Words will

are frivolous

and can go

mean tomorrow

terday.

Which

is

ticisms —-words

the opposite of

why

all

directions,

and

what they did

yes-

off in

all

of Thelonious 's words are wit-

which aren't merely

They

self-serving.

are spontaneously humorous words which go straight to the heart of the matter, because they refute conventional

meaning.

Monk

see

I

that everything changes, everything

and everything

is

Monk

river.

his music,

to discuss.

didn't talk a

He

Toward

the

in flux

and

and

flow,

his certitude,

The mountain

whole

many

life,

gave

lengthy con-

coined words, but spent them

end of his

against the

lot in his lifetime,

very few interviews and didn't have versations.

is

a subject of wonder and doubt. Then,

on the other hand, was which he refused

who knows

as a kind of Heraclites,

like

a miser.

he merely grumbled. His face

became an African wooden mask. Then, only

his eyes

spoke.

And when he did speak, ness. He wasn't concerned sational gambits but

went

often, especially at the

ness that

was

—who did

used to just

disturbing.

it.

had

And

to

this

it

was with disarming frank-

with conventions or converstraight to the point.

beginning of his career,

Many

And

his frank-

club owners didn't care for

guy think he was? Gradually they got

people realized that with Thelonious, you

be yourself.

For he was one of the most uncompromising imaginable. at a loss,

exalting,

so

He was

totally in the music.

and was always ready intoxicating

feeling

—

to play.

the

state

He was

artists

never

This was an to

which

Full-length Portrait

all

II

149

artists aspire

— one of

No

with one's instrument.

no distance from the turned to

When

art.

and immediate communion

total

no lack of intensity, and

dross,

object.

Everything he touched

learning music, the technical

diffi-

of the instrument, the harmonic and rhythmic

culties

and

complexities, sician's

stage fright are

mu-

obstacles to the

all

immediate enjoyment. Love of playing implies a

love of pleasure. So,

you learn and

practice.

And, certain

musicians eventually attain a state of calm certitude of

beauty and

truth.

The

perfect balance

between the

effort

Music pours through them with absolute

and the

result.

fluidity.

Great musicians are often truly calm individuals,

for they possess

And

that

is

an almost mystical awareness of energy.

exalting.

With

their grandiose

can transform an object into music,

Monk was

ergy vibrated

the

it

all

A

all

it

was almost

around him, giving

suddenly

moment

Hands.

lead into gold.

a supremely calm individual, but his energy

capacity was so high that

Then

like

alchemy, they

fell

his fingers

pianist's

En-

frightening.

off a diffuse aura.

and became focused

into place

touched the keys.

hands are objects of universal

fetish-

ism. Like the nose of a wine tester, or the legs of a boxer.

And

yet a pianist also plays with his wrists, his neck, his

respiration,

Monk's

and

elbows. And, of course, his

his

feet inevitably

drew the attention of all

eramen who filmed him a

life

in action.

the

They seemed

to

feet.

camhave

of their own, and reacted to his music in flourishes.

His feet expressed .all the tension that was released above

them, and then buried those sounds into the ground

which carried them. And

tempo of the rough, his

150

exquisite music he

hands were what

didn't really have

his feet beat out the joyous

really

won

the prize. Thelonious

what you could

Laurent de Wilde

was playing. But

call pianist's

hands.

They were not

the magnificent hands of a pianist like

Keith Jarrett. Jarrett's hands are unique muscular, agile and powerful

—

— supple

and

those of an athlete;

like

sometimes hesitant on the keyboard, but in such an stinctive

way

and

that they never lose their assurance

Nor were

direction.

they

like

in-

the hands of Bud, with their

fabulous spatulate fingers which caressed the keys instead

of striking them, with the meat of his fingers, without the

his

Or Oscar

of effort or fatigue.

least sign

two implements which seem

Or hands

board. tentive,

no

those of

like

span half the key-

to

Evans

Bill

movement,

superfluous

Peterson, with

—

as

perfectly at-

were

he

if

extracting a thin but constant flow of precious vital fluid.

No

— Monk's hands were more

five parts.

Each

fingertip

had

traordinary nails once session in

London

semed to

like

palms divided into

be

to

all nail.

His ex-

be cut during a recording

in 1971 (The

Lion), because of the noise they

London

Collection, Black

were making on the

keys.

His hands were astoundingly small in relation to his

size.

His eminently personal technique was said to have originated because of tenths

He

this.

even had a hard time playing

on the piano. That

interval,

the standard for measuring

if

a pianist

Monk's hands weren't designed an

invisible force

And

seemed

his fingers didn't

for

to stiffen

have

to stay close together, for

of about 9 inches,

much

is

is

lucky or not.

making a

them

fist,

and

straight out.

of a spread.

They

anything could happen

liked

— they

could get stuck with a cigarette, a huge ring, or a glass of whiskey, picking up things

like

a rake.

On

the keys,

they produced results which were unimaginable. portion of the film Straight,

during a piano

solo, pull a

take his cigarette

brow

from

his

(with the cigarette

No

Chaser shows Monk,

handkerchief from

mouth, wipe

still

One

his

his pocket,

sweat-soaked

in the other hand), place the

Full-length Portrait

I

151

cigarette

on the edge of the piano (where, of course,

it

burned the wood), then put the handkerchief down, improvising in

all

the while, with handkerchief

hand according

where he was

to

"Round Midnight"! He

and

in the

cigarette

changes to

could do anything with those

hands!

His hands were not

reserved for the piano, like

strictly

the delicate hands of a diva. Before hitting the keys, they

carried with

them a

space, a

of action of Monk's hands was

and white

a void: bangl

life,

much more

the side, one in front

leaning forward, not

One

it

wasn't

yard above, one yard to

and one behind! Standing,

like Jarrett

field

than the black

surfaces of the eight octaves! In fact,

a surface, but a volume!

The

sitting,

whose hands never leave

the keyboard, but rather attacking the keys from a dis-

from high above,

tance,

as only

he could do. The notes

he played must have weighed over two hundred pounds!

Bang! Bang! Or sometimes they weighed only a few grams, and were so faint that the transcribers refer to

them

as "ghost notes"

—phantom

haunt the keyboard from time

And

he adored

MONK

takes practice to play with a

your

finger! Especially since

ring

on the

little

come

to

to time.

Sometimes one on each hand,

rings.

but always the famous

notes that

ring

on

his left

chunk of metal

hand.

like that

It

on

he often wore a heavy signet

finger of his right

hand

that

would spin

around when he was improvising, and that he would fidget with

when he was

ill

at ease.

You'd almost think

he wore them on. purpose to prevent himself from playing!

that,

When you

a piano player shows

step aside

paradoxical

— they

—After you,

deli-

by the wings. Those hands did

nothing without a purpose. II

rings like

hands were

seemed crude, but they could

cately hold a butterfly

152

up wearing

please! His

They weren't always

Laurent de Wilde

sure of

would produce, but they were never

the results they

fe-

verish or frantic.

Sometimes he'd immediately raise

Then

chord on the keyboard, then

hit a

his

arms

he had received a

as if

jolt.

he'd stare at the piano with a perplexed air as

to say,

Hmm,

that's weird; this thing

sounds great.

if

He

always looked at his hands. Usually a piano player looks straight lights

go

ahead and he can keep on playing when the out.

Bud never looked

keyboard and saw never looked at

it

In

it.

in his all

at his hands.

He

felt

the

it

but

mind, and touched

the years that musicians have

been surveying that yard and a half of notes on the piano keyboard, you'd think

would be

it

perfectly familiar.

But

Monk would try some moves, cross his arms, then smash a note. He was always ready for something new to turn up.

It

was

truly incredible the

way he was

tain that contagious sense of naive

up

his instrument, right all

by

itself.

Or

as

if

to the end.

he made

it

able to main-

amazement toward

As

if

the piano played

speak in an unpredictable

way, even for himself, by inventing rules as he went along. But even

when

hesitating,

nificent self-confidence.

he always had a mag-

You'd never catch

Monk playing

those corny arpeggio runs into the upper register of the

keyboard, the

way

so

many

denly turned into harpists.

pianists do, as if they'd sud-

He

always aimed at some-

thing specific, particularly the last note of an arpeggio.

A couple of notes could disappear along the way, becoming ghosts, but never the last one!

With Monk, you are always heading somewhere. And

when you

get there,

it's

usually a big surprise.

Full-length Portrait

153

10

Rouse, the Big Bands

Late

1958. At this time,

He had been

solidify.

Monk's music was

scuffling for a long time, trying

things out, changing record companies,

and writing new

tunes.

There must have been days when he

spent.

Now

began

to

that his career

unwind a

original tunes set his sights

And

whom

bit.

He dug

future.

at this point in his

felt

into his old repertoire of

He

life,

his style,

a musician appeared with

he would be associated continuously. This would

Blakey, but a permanent

gigs

and

put on weight.

not be the occasional collaboration of someone

Monk

utterly

had gained momentum, he

and standards, strengthened

on the

starting to

member

seasons, at a time

than he ever did in

When Monk

his

life.

when Monk was His

Art

of the Thelonious

Quartet. This was a true believer, a

and

like

name was

man

for all

playing

more

Charlie Rouse.

began a lengthy engagement

at the Five

Spot in early 1958, Johnny Griffin was the saxophonist

And when he went with his own group,

do a few

better-

of the group.

off to

paying gigs

he just did what jazz

musicians have always done and will always do

One

a replacement, a sub for the night.

someone who evidently wasn't up

Monk

day,

— he

sent

night he sent

to the task.

The

next

took him aside and told him, "Listen,

make

you're going to send a sub,

sure

if

either Trane,

it's

or Rollins, or Rouse. But no one else." Griff was surprised because he didn't think of Rouse as

being in the same category as the other two. But

And when

knew what he was doing. Chicago

in the

Rollins to

fill

Rouse

to

summer of 1958 Then

in for him.

that

Monk

to

of playing with

to

few weeks, he got

for him,

pursue the

Monk

went back

Rollins passed

Rouse

tions of his mystical quest. rified at the idea

for a

was looking

group shortly afterward

Griffin

trials

on the word and

left

and

tribula-

was

ter-

the offer

was

recalled that he

Monk, but

the

too good to refuse. So he braced himself and joined the

band.

And there

Now,

this

everybody naturally

is

he remained for almost twelve years.

a sensitive point in Monk's career. Because

—from

musicians to fans to philistines

had the same idea

as Griffin.

When

—

all

the passing

parade of the years had included Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson, Clark Terry, John Coltrane, .

.

.

what can you say?

.

.

.

and

Griffin himself, well

people had the impression that

Rouse was a cut below the

others.

markable saxophonist. The mere

And

yet,

fact that

he was a re-

he was ready to

play a repertoire as challenging as Monk's was, meant he

had

to

be top-notch. With the

under your of steel.

tires,

you had

And Rouse

pianist

to drive a tank

played

it all

Don't forget that in the studio, briefly,

mad like

it

throwing

nails

and have nerves

was a piece of cake.

Monk rehearsed his

tunes

then recorded in only one or two takes. For there

Rouse, the Big Bands

II

155

)

to

be a third take, something truly exceptional had to hap-

pen,

like

someone coughing during a

solo.

Almost everything that Rouse recorded

Monk was

done

in

accustomed people

him appear with

the bright-

—with musicians who had excep-

both before and

tional careers

in the studio with

But Thelonious had simply

take.

to seeing

galaxy

est stars in the

band, people

one

(Even so ...

who were

after playing in

Monk's

true giants.

Monk hadn't exactly pulled Rouse out of the gutHe was originally from Washington and had begun

But ter.

back

his career

1944 with

in

then had

Billy Eckstein,

played with the big bands of Dizzy Gillespie and Ellington,

among

others, as well as with the

Duke

Count Basie

Octet and the Benny Green Quintet. Not a bad resume. It

showed a marked preference

for ensembles, rather

than individual performance, a sense of teamwork and

an

read and play charts

ability to

—

definitely five-star

experience. Being a saxophone player in a big

not an easy thing.

You have

do

—a

collective sound.

back

quickly, then get first

—

And when

in line

to say

your piece

with elegance and cohesion.

time that Rouse can be heard on a recording

Monk

side,

1959), ironically with a big band.

on the Live

is

Monk's quartet

in

for over three

Town Hall album

fire!

He is

in excellent

And

this

here,

in

was the

Rouse

is

— but

nei-

Adams, nor

the

company, too

ther the casual ruggedness of Pepper

(River-

He had been

months, but

time they recorded together.

breathing

blend with

the twelve or sixteen

with

first

to

is

good big bands

as the

come around, you have

bars of solo

The

know how

to

the other instruments to attain

band

enormous, well-controlled drive of Phil Woods, nor the

modern

intelligence of

affirming his the 156

II

way he

Donald Byrd, prevent him from

own

personal

lets

his

style.

His

style

is

ethereal, in

angular arpeggios flow and

Laurent de Wilde

fall,

without pushing them to the limit plays everything with nonchalance. ret

out

like

He

Trane

can

tirelessly fer-

them with

corners in Monk's tunes and tickle

little

He

the tip of his reed.

up

builds

He

did.

tension, releases

it,

then

with a snap of the wrists he tightens the reins, and blows the swing phrase, with the genuine Washington, D.C., big, bluesy

into

sound.

He

lays

back

for a

moment, then

leaps

swing again. In again, out again, Charlie took

Monk's challenge very

seriously.

And

he opens

new

in-

roads, with incongruous twists and turns, and sudden, clever

dead ends.

Monk was enchanted. Just listen to him on Five by Monk by Five, (Riverside, 1959), the album which followed the big-band recording at Town Hall. On "Played Twice," you can even hear Monk listening to what Rouse

is

playing.

for a soloist.

That tune

one serious bed of

is

The harmony and

the

nails

melody become com-

pletely volatile. Farewell to the stable basis of tunes like

"Straight,

No

Chaser," or "Rhythm-a-ning." This tune

takes off for outer space. For a soloist,

what seemed

like

a good idea only one second ago suddenly becomes a

wrong

note; the tonics rub

up against the major sevenths

shamelessly in broad daylight. This

is

a real minefield,

and Thad Jones

it.

With

spect,

is

the

first

he doesn't make

that didn't

happen

to

it

to cross

all

due

re-

through unscathed. I'm sure

him very

often, for

he certainly

is

an outstanding trumpet player and composer. But here, he

hits

a snag. Listening to

Monk is

it,

in for his solo,

ious opening his ears wide.

or roar

get the impression that

doing more supervising than accompanying. But

when Rouse comes chorus"

I

like Griffin,

like Rollins.

or

He

make

you can

feel

Thelon-

Rouse doesn't do a "stop tidal

zigzags in

waves

like

Coltrane,

and out of the tune,

always in the right place, never a wrong step, and you

Rouse, the Big Bands

157

can hear Thelonious as an attentive butler opening and

Taking

closing the doors. In, out.

his time.

There seems

be a calm complicity which could go on for years.

to

But Rouse didn't have the Big Bad Sound, the kind that

comes around only a few times

He was

in a century.

And Monk's fans can those who like, and those

simply an excellent saxophonist.

be divided into two schools:

who

dislike,

Charlie Rouse. For me, the question doesn't

even come up. Rouse or no Rouse,

way

him, then that's the

was meant

it

forced to hire him, and he love his

Thelonious chose to be.

He

knew what he was

wasn't

doing.

I

warm, intimate presence. But

the real question

did he stay for twelve years?

No

Why

is,

if

stayed with

Monk

for so long

—why him

one

else ever

and why

so

long? Part of the answer

lies in

ing to circumstances, for seven years of his

the reality of the times.

Monk life.

Ow-

hardly appeared in public

Considering the quality of

music, he should have played

his

much more. He'd have

a

concert here, a recording date there, but nothing which

could keep a regular band together. In jazz,

man

for himself, so the musicians

single

group are exceptional.

regularly

when

and pays well

to

It

who

takes a

make

every

it's

only play with a

band

that plays

a decent living.

And

you're a sideman, you take what's around, you

in the gaps,

and you blend

the friends he

wanted

to

in.

So when

work with

Monk would

fill

call

for his concert tours

or recording sessions, there was a good chance that one

would be on tour his

own

When

"in

Europe, another in the studio with

group, and the third wasn't answering his phone.

you don't have work,

it's

very hard to keep a band

together.

But

158

II

in

1959, the offers started to

Laurent de Wilde

roll in. First,

Monk

Town

played at the prestigious

Hall, then

made

his first

own name,

appearances on the West Coast under his

then toured Europe in 1961 and Japan in 1963. Concert dates were

coming

in with a

he could keep a steady band together. Especially

money was offer,

And

good.

Now

comfortable regularity.

if

the

one of his sidemen got another

if

he had to give Thelonious preference, otherwise he

wouldn't really be considered as part of the group. So

Rouse

just

happened

was enough work

to arrive at the right time

for a

—

there

whole year.

That would explain why he stayed

for four or five

years, but not for twelve.

So the question remains un-

answered. I've looked at

from every possible angle and

it

can only conclude with a statement of the obvious: stayed so long,

it's

because he didn't leave.

dumb, but when you think about

it,

you

It

If

he

sounds

realize that the

who preceded him in Monk's band all quit to go off and follow their own careers. They were big, strong, restless creatures who came to drink for a while at the soloists

marvelous fountain of inspiration that Monk's music and

Monk's presence meant their

way toward

due

settled in for the duration.

demand

Monk. The

not him. pletely,

He

of

to

He unpacked And that's why,

his place there.

to circumstances, the passing of time,

trinsic

for

and

they went on

Rouse came

further adventures. But

Monk's band and found his bags,

Then

for them.

his style,

Rouse was

and the

the saxophonist

others were saxophonists with

got inside the music.

He

in-

Monk, but

gave in to

it

com-

without hesitation. Sometimes Griffin gave the

impression of struggling furiously, solo after solo, in a straitjacket.

Rouse seemed

like

he was walking around in

a robe and slippers, late on a quiet

was relaxed and

right at

Sunday morning. He

home. He

didn't quibble over

Rouse, the Big Bands

159

he had in the beginning of

details as

Monk

with

— he took

things as they

his collaboration

came without

getting

annoyed. I've

even got a theory about

bebop

quintet of

that.

from

work

in

a

trio, is

And

the soloist,

as part of the

here

so he can be

He

steps out of

accompanist to move up with the horns. Note

for note, tooth for tooth.

legs,

a pianist, aside

if

it is

equal to the horns, but not above them. his role as

and the

derivation, the saxophonist

trumpet player are front players. his

In a jazz quartet or

rhythm

But

still

the piano

is

considered

needs three

section. Just as a stool

the most comfortable one in the history of

is

music: piano, bass, and drums.

You can

take that any-

where. Under any conditions. Put whatever you want up

— oboe, flugelhorn —

English horn, cello, glockenspiel, sax, or

front

as long as the musicians are a

standing, that

rhythm

section runs

all

by

little

itself.

As Rouse

gradually found his place in the group and lost the fervor of his early days,

Monk

under-

some of

turned things right

around. In his group, the piano had naturally become a purely solo instrument, while the saxophone became a

member

full-fledged as

that.

of the rhythm section.

may

People

It's

as simple

when

say that's ridiculous, that

Rouse improvised, he wasn't accompanying. But he was. His slide so

style stays so close to the

I

smoothly and naturally through the harmonic

labyrinth which

Monk

occasionally submits

him

to (for

he had quickly dropped any idea of exploration), that

Monk's accompaniment Rouse's

solo.

Monk was who sic,

say

music, his phrases

that

can be heard and not

Unbelievable! Even

the soloist. Like the

spread an

infallible

Rouse contributes

it's

when he accompanied,

drummer and

bass player

energy throughout Monk's mu-

to the

war

effort like the others

and keeps up a steady pulse which both heats and 160

II

Laurent de Wilde

illuminates

band

Monk's

an extremely

settled into

Monk no

And by

playing.

same token, the

the

power

stable

He

longer had anyone on his back.

And

absolute master.

the timing

then, in February 1959, he

was

perfect,

was going

struggle.

reigned as

because just

to treat himself to

a piano player's dream: having his music played by a big

band.

The Colomby

now

that

to strike high

York

City!

starting to

and hard, time

The

white man's Apollo!

was not the

at

Town

back it

Monk had

all, all

But had

was

argued

appeared

different, for

now

with a big-band for-

each note which

that

it,

army of musicians for

Town Hall, New Call me Master!

is

normally played

assigned to an instrument that amplifies

is

objectifies

this

own name and

his

And when

the piano

One

was time

Hall (he had been there eleven years earlier,

was under

and

And

up.

it

it

heart. It could be

time that

February of 1948), but

in

mation.

on

first

set

be recognized,

to play at

That alone could warm one's that this

who

brothers were the ones

Monk was

for

Monk

is

at

the ultimate.

your

fingertips.

Monk! The Jazz

been

It's like

sitting

down

having an

General Monk!

Special Forces!

writing out

all

arrangements for the big band (which was in

those

fact six

horns added to the regular quartet)? Pencils, paper, sleepless nights?

Monk work

I

don't think

did one thing

there

so!

No, because

— he played piano.

was a kingpin, a

brilliant

in

life,

So behind

this

and devoted mind,

an inspired servant of Monk's music by the name of Hall Overton.

And what add an

e

a

name

!

Hall, as in Carnegie,

you get "overtone." With a name

was predestined.

A former

and

if

you

like that,

he

student of the Julliard School,

and a pupil of Darius Milhaud, he put

his

knowledge

Rouse, the Big Bands

161

and

Monk's

talent into

service,

together. Like a master tailor,

music in

seams.

all its

and they began working

Overton examined Monk's

And how do you

Do you want

(Raise your arms please.)

third in this voicing? (A pocket

on the

tempo? (Have you decided on the (Turn around,

to take a solo?

the

accompaniment chords

—

play this chord?

to

hear the major

side?

fabric?)

let's

see

What's the

)

Who's going

how

fits.)

it

For

legato or staccato? (Single

or double stitch?) Et cetera. Thelonious took his music to

be custom-tailored. Deluxe fashioning.

tered to the perfect figure of

fit

for the

A big band al-

immmense and

Monk's music. What a challenge!

strong and versatile

—

light

enough

for

It

majestic

had

to

be

summer wear, and

comfortable for the winter! Sturdy, adaptable, and

ele-

gant!

To do

it

naked; sat

right,

down

Monk at the

must have stripped

his

music

piano and gone over the com-

positions in detail with his friend; taken the time to

explain,

and

to

make changes and

to play a tune

through from

understood

He

it.

corrections.

Now,

Monk was more

the type

start to finish until

a person

Dizzy was a born teacher, but

never gave theories, examples, or ex-

He didn't take things apart and analyze them. No, Monk was a master, and however cryptic his word might be, that was what you had to go by. He let others ercises.

do the explaining. Few musicians

in

Monk's small bands

ever saw his original charts. But they listening effort

and superhuman

all

reflexes

remember needed

the

to un-

derstand Monk's music only by ear! Johnny Griffin told

how

it

took him a week before he realized that "Light

Blue," contrary to what he thought he heard while playing

it,

actually

had a

different set of

time the melody was played.

To my

changes the second knowledge, the only

musician to have said that Thelonious talked about his 162

II

Laurent de Wilde

music was Coltrane. But

extreme attention to

his

suspect that Coltrane, with

I

questions than he got answers

Be

that as

to.

may, the sheet music was usually

it

Monk's

there in

probably asked more

detail,

And

trusty bag.

man, show me the music,

on,

Monk would

the implacable

music, not read to write

it;

minutes? tunes

why

He was

— savor

it,

want you

I

But

faster.

to

my

hear

had taken him weeks

right. It

should someone

You have

go

it'll

say,

simply play the tune again;

or at best, he might grumble, it.

who was

a musician

would eventually

struggling with a difficult tune

Come

right

deflower

else

it

few

in a

be worthy of one of Monk's

to

and learn

for yourself

how one

note

is

longer than another, and corresponds exactly to that pre-

This wasn't

cise place in the tune.

house,

when you choose

Here, you discover one

like

buying a prefab

a ready-made set of blueprints.

room

after the other,

of a candle, because the fuses blew out step, I think the is

bridge

is

comforts, but

phone, no has,

what

it

electricity, spirit,

sure

a

what

good

felt

little

It

damp

setting,

right.

doesn't have

to

light

—Watch your

coming up on the

the stone castle of the ancestors.

latest

by the

be there.

This

all

No

the

tele-

—but what charm

it

and what a magnificent

view!

So there they were

—Monk and Overton, leaning over

graph paper, measuring and designing the rooms. This might be a good time to shed a

many

According

all, I

some

to

School, the

of

little

light

on one of the

mysteries in the mythological biography of reports,

he studied at the Julliard

summit of Western

classical teaching. First

never found a single trace of

doesn't prove anything), but

recognition historians

is

it is

this

episode (which

certain that "classical"

a well-known technique of jazz

who

Monk.

critics

and

take their time in admitting the talent of

Rouse, the Big Bands

I

163

an

artist.

He

retrospectively given a pedigree

is

demic palms, of a

But

sort.

would have had the time or the money in his youth.

And

Furthermore,

I

sical all

why

music in order

to attend Julliard

imperative to play clas-

it's

be validated

to

in jazz.

And

But why force him

classical or jazz

up on

pieces of sheet music that were piled

Monk

He

doesn't need that.

was something

that

for those

who,

at

played what he heard, and

try to place their ideas in

way

art

In short, that Julliard legend

But

not twenty!

it

this

for

was when he was

He went

them

music

to

by a big band

.

.

Monk

more presence. This voice!

Oyez, oyez!

Monk

by ten if

is

the contrary.

is

Monk

Oh

flatter

The

to-

and

He was

is

no reason

when played more

and the tempos have

language

yeah!

exceptional,

angles are

The

in the superlative

idea of multiplying

that of a true jazz warrior, a megalo-

there weren't

enough problems

So aside from Rouse and Monk, the

Donald Byrd,

work

.

become sweeter or

— on

to

there to teach, not to learn!

acute, the curves are smoother,

II

art.

taken root

forty years old,

And what a sound. Monk by himself is but this is Monk to the tenth power. There

maniac. As

come

than any other

may well have

was convenient

the teacher's teacher.

for his

bad little

by Julliard where Hall Overton was teach-

and where

gether.

less

during those big-band rehearsals,

in the fact that

ing,

doesn't always

It

is!

out of schools, and jazz does so

often stopped

music?

his

universal, well that's just too

all cost,

categories. That's the

his piano.

an apprenticeship which

to enroll in

can only decrease the immediate genius of

164

isn't that

beside the point? Thelonious read music and often

enjoyed playing one of the numerous

if

aca-

was very expensive.

the tuition there

don't see

—

how Monk

can't really see

I

Phil

already!

soloists

include

Woods, and Pepper Adams. Sam

Laurent de Wilde

Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums round out the

rhythm

As

section.

for

Eddie Bert on trombone, Robert

Northern on flugelhorn and Jay McAllister on tuba, they don't take solos, but give a deep, brassy hue to the orchestration ton's

which

arrangements are perfect. The choice of tunes

daring and excellent, and Rouse's the chords of

13th"

Monk's music. Over-

so essential to

is

is

"Monk's Mood" and

celebratory,

way

is

of sliding between

masterful. "Friday the

Woods

Phil

is

plays

with the

it

perfect touch of exuberant charm.

Rootie Tootie" should be rebaptized "Little

"Little

Rootie tutti" as the band plays an ensemble section, at times harmonized, which

recorded

six

is

the exact solo that

and a half years

—Monk's

Monk had

earlier for Prestige.

This

is

transcribed, practiced,

and

played by a big band. "Off Minor," a particularly

diffi-

a true feat

solo

was taken apart piece by piece by the me-

cult tune,

Donald Byrd.

melodic

thodically

named employed

in the

"Thelonious"

(his

big-band declension!) sounds

One

a collective profession of faith: Hail to the Chief!

man, one

note! Thelonious for President!

The symphonic "Crepuscule moving

like

—Monk

carries the

with Nellie"

is

beautifully

whole band by himself,

in a

poignantly nonchalant rubato. This serenade to his wife,

composed

Monk was nicolor

in

1957

left

when

alone, can

Nellie

was

now be

and Panavision. And then,

in the hospital

and

experienced in Techfor

an encore, another

version of "Rootie Tutti," as the sound engineer hadn't started the tape running soon

enough the

first

time,

and

missed the opening bars. Five seconds of music missing?

No all

problem, we'll just do the whole thing over! good,

new and

tic sucess.

extravagant.

The musicians

An

certainly

And

unquestionable

it's

artis-

must have celebrated

backstage afterward.

Rouse, the Big Bands

||

165

But the

critics

who

covered the

Town

Hall concert

didn't find the experience quite to their taste. it

was poorly rehearsed. Mr.

good composer, but

He

band?

said

of course, a very

is,

music really meant for a big

his

is

Monk

They

should have written music appropriate to that

formation, instead of recopying his chords verbatim, they advised, in their infinite wisdom. soloists

They added

weren't very inspired. In short,

it

that the

was a well-done

assignment, with a few mistakes, careful about the

you can do

ing,

better

—

I'll

give

B+

you a

spell-

just because

I'm generous. So, the other dates for the big-band tour

were canceled, and

years would pass before this

five

grandiose project was revived. This was a tough break,

but

Monk was

used to such things.

band which

cept of a big

was completely

In

Any

more

fact,

again, the con-

amplifies the pianist's playing

original. It

had already taken time

people to get used to his piano a few

Then

and

style;

it

for

would take

years to get the brassier version accepted.

the piano

itself

represents the whole orchestra.

composition teacher can show

board. Here

is

it

to

where the trombones

you on the key-

are; the

trumpets

can go up to here, and the bass down to here.

That way, when you write music

at the piano,

can always imagine that you have a big band fingertips.

But here,

it's

just the opposite:

that plays the piano! Overton's genius

was

It's

at

the

you your

band

his ability to

harness the whole ensemble into the yoke of the piano.

Monk had

But

return to

and were, rich,

at last,

rhythm

masterful

Taylor II

later

big-band chapter, and to

when people became accustomed ready to

listen.

He

He

sections.

Roy Haynes,

whom

he liked

to

it

continued to record

exhuberant albums for Riverside.

ferent

166

it

to close the

He

tried out dif-

played for a while with the

then with the impeccable Art

to victimize with his usual sense

Laurent de Wilde

of humor.

More and more work

had reached a period

He

float.

in his

started

life

coming

in.

Monk

when he could begin

played concerts in a variety of contexts, and

was even asked

to play for the

United Nations.

He was

annual dinner of the

looking around for his next

group, and could be seen playing with the younger

He

Ron

such as Scott LaFaro, Elvin Jones, or

sicians

to

mu-

Carter.

brought saxophonist Steve Lacy into the band along

summer of

with Rouse for four months in the

Holland, he was

1960. In

Award which he

given the Edison

shared that year with Frank Sinatra. Obviously the barriers

were coming down.

Still

trying to solidify his group,

in that

same summer of 1960, he

pair in

John Ore and Frankie Dunlop.

come

the great Thelonious

hour of

his

Monk was

starting to

associate

it

with others?

"all-star"

John Ore had

among

gus,

and

the

limelight.

Monk

Who? How

group of

celebrities

of

all, if

From

its

the start,

own, then

who

could

or not, didn't

Bud

And

Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ben

Powell.

The same was

played with Sonny

Ellington.

true for Frankie

Stitt,

Rollins,

Min-

But neither one of them had been

in

However, they produced exactly what

expected of them: an impeccable swing. Like a

thick, luxurious carpet. It wasn't a racing car like

Davis's

name

Monk's one

to find musicians

known

the

excellent credentials, having accompanied,

who had

Dunlop,

.

system meant nothing to him.

others, Lester

Webster, and

.

in his well-deserved

this. First

play his music. Whether they were

An

.

be well-known on

and only policy had been

matter.

found the perfect

renown?

can see several reasons for

why

Monk,

glory, didn't put together a

worthy of

I

finally

rhythm

section, but rather a Cadillac

Miles

—you

just

turn on the ignition and cruise.

Rouse, the Big Bands

167

And

with

Pullman deluxe quartet,

this

He had been

Europe.

thinking about

must have had mixed

about

feelings

Monk 1954

his

for

left

and

for a while,

it

trip to

His manager had been talking about a European

Paris.

tour for several years. In '59 there was even talk of re-

cording the music for the movie Les liaisons dangereuses

had done

"live" in Paris, as Miles

for Ascenseur

Vechafaud. As previously mentioned,

was made

as the recording

original score,

and was

ten years, Thelonious

New

pour

never took place,

York, without an

For

finally rejected altogether.

had seen

all his

friends

make

the

Europe, and heard them enthusiastically describe

trip to

how

in

it

they had been welcomed as

blacks.

(They were welcomed

with the same prejudices.) Paris, as well as

Bud

artists,

and not

as

as both, in fact, but not

Kenny Clarke had

Powell. For

Monk,

settled in

there

was no

question of ever leaving 63rd Street, but he was anxious

go and see what was happening over

to

there.

Thelonious had succeeded in doing something that

would have been unthinkable a few years a regular

band

to play in

Europe. Like the others.

for

many

reality for

that

was working

steadily,

earlier.

He had

and was going

What seemed

obvious

of his colleagues had finally become ordinary

Monk

— he had joined

the jazz establishment.

History had caught up with him. At the age of fortythree, fit

Monk had become

into the usual circuits.

but at the time in April

it

a respectable gentieman

Looking back,

it

who

seems normal,

must have been strange

1961 he took his quartet for a two

for him. So,

month

tour

of the Old World. Amsterdam, Paris, Marseille, Milan, Zurich, Berne, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and elsewhere!

Then

a whole tour of England, with Art Blakey and his

Jazz Messengers on the same traveling 168

II

in

style.

bill.

Now

he was definitely

Everyone was delighted, from the

Laurent de Wilde

musicians to the audiences, to the press (except in En-

where

gland,

his

work was

less

well known). ...

and were laying the groundwork

bombs were

starting to

go off

for him. His time

over the place, and his

all

jazz melodies were reaching the ears of jazz fans.

He was welcomed, and

On

with respect.

drowned out by

The band

and

all

international

people listened to him

Blue Monk, the

few bars were

first

the enthusiastic shouts of the audience.

itself

shakable rock.

It

was

perfection.

would be hard

John Ore

lyrical.

Monk

is

an un-

drummer who

to find a

more than Frankie Dunlop; and Rouse

swings

1961,

were being imported and distributed cor-

his records rectly,

By

is

inspired

selected a repertoire of his old hits

("Round Midnight," "Epistrophy," "Rhythm-a-ning"), a few tricky ones ("Jackie-ing," "Off Minor"), solo versions of "Just a Gigolo" and "Body and Soul" just to lighten

up a

things

bit,

and, for his wife

who was

there backstage

watching over him night and day, the sublime "Crepus-

The

cule with Nellie." play,

it

repertoire wasn't too difficult to

was running smoothly, and the Thelonious

Monk

Quartet had simply become a major reference on the

At the 1962 Newport Jazz Fes-

international jazz circuit.

Duke

tival,

up

on

to play

"Frere casion.

him

Ellington did his

own

the honor of inviting

compositions, and they played

Monk," which Duke had composed

had

had

set

up

in front of a club

to close at midnight.

now an

integral part of his concerts,

for his style,

More than

ever,

"WE

at a barrier

which, by law,

Monk's legendary delays were

ment of suspense which increased As

for the oc-

In Baltimore, an angry crowd chanted,

WANT MONK—WE WANT MONK!" the police

him

and added an

the listening pleasure.

he had reached

his classic maturity.

he created colors from

white keys; more than ever, he

ele-

made

his black his

and

instrument

Rouse, the Big Bands

169

sound

as if

he possessed

Some

it.

people are born to

from the piano; but he was born

suffer

to

make

the piano

suffer.

The

Riverside contract was reaching expiration in

1961, and

it

was time

for

Thelonious to see

if his

rating

Monk was now an interHe was dollars. But it didn't

had increased. Indeed, indeed. national

change

star.

selling.

his lifestyle in the least:

like Miles;

Max

He was

or

Roach.

move

He

to Central

he didn't buy a an estate

Park West,

like

Blakey or

stayed right there on 63rd Street. But

for the people in the business, as they say,

he was starting

to represent the opportunity for substantial profit.

there

was a producer

at

And

Columbia by the name of Teo

Macero who was making some very good records with Mingus, and with Miles. Furthermore, logical place for It

ideal for Thelonious's art.

Monk's

genius.

It

contract between

became

distribution,

rise.

and

Everyone now recognized

clear that, for both sides, the

Monk and Columbia was

of convenience.

170

was the

someone whose career was on the

was a major, with massive means of

was

this label

Laurent de Wilde

a marriage

11

Columbia

HI,ho made I'd say

the financial decisions in the

was a toss-up between Harry Colomby,

it

and Thelonious; when

much

it

came

clan?

Nellie,

to business, they all pretty

agreed. All three were practical-minded, not least

Thelonious. ertheless his

Monk

Madman Monk,

had a keen nose

number-one

angel of eccentricity, nev-

for reality.

priority and, as he

the idea of sacrificing

it

to

entered his head. Even

Making music was

proved often enough,

mere money would never have

so,

he knew

his

math, and when

he played a club, he could estimate the take by counting the

number of

out

how much was

customers, minus overhead, and figure

being skimmed off into the owner's

pocket before his cut, seriously depleted, his

own. Yes,

Monk knew when

For years he'd watched

it

finally

went

into

he was being swindled.

happen, even though he was

playing the same music. In those days he had no choice. In 1962

it

shots, lay

was a

down

different story;

terms and

make

now he

could

sure he got

call

the

what was

coming

he would transfer

to him. Later on,

his publish-

ing rights from Thelonious Music to Bar-Thel Music, in his children's

names, and

them. Not only was

register his compositions with

a sound financial move, but

this

it

allowed him during his lifetime to leave a legacy to his survivors

which even today guarantees Thelonious Jr. a

very comfortable income

—proving Monk not only had

a shrewd head for business, but a strong sense of family.

So Columbia away, not

it

least

The

was.

big leagues.

It

showed

by the amount of studio time they

him. Four days to record the

first

right

allotted

album, Monk's Dream.

Five for Criss Cross, the second. Until that time, his re-

cording sessions had lasted one or two days get

it

right.

when

Occasionally three,

— Do

fast,

it

they hit a serious

snag, as with "Brilliant Corners" or "Played Twice." But

four

—

total free rein

—

that

was unheard-of! Then there

was the sound: deep reverb, wide luxurious, classical. In it;

this

new sound was

and tended

to freeze

case,

all

wrong

it.

When

stereo;

Macero

any

it

was

rich,

quickly adjusted

for Thelonious's music,

I listen

to Five by

Monk

by Five (his last studio recording for Riverside), followed

by Monk's Dream I

(his first for

Columbia) back- to-back,

can't help feeling a sort of rupture.

Nothing

radical; at

age forty-five Thelonious wasn't going to change anything.

But he seems

to

have taken a

slightly

new

tilt,

a sailboat running before the wind and starting to

like list

into the waves.

Up

to then, his

music had a youthful exuberance,

movement was jagged and

Dream he seems

cooler,

unpredictable; on Monk's

more

levelheaded, and preoc-

cupied by one thing: to swing hard and long. the wild leaps, arabesques, 172

I

its

and other

Laurent de Wilde

Gone

light touches.

are

Time

has expanded,

its

weave

prolonged continuously

looser.

is

—

the

The

group's ideas are

band jumps from

The one

yard hurdles to the long-distance race. piece

Monk

brought

is

original

a bride's dowry for his

first

a good example of this

new

like

album with Columbia

the 400-

direction. "Bright Mississippi"

a simple, very melodic

is

tune. It has a sense of space, of prolonging the sheer joy

"A

of playing which never seems to end.

work," some flects

Not

critics say.

we need and swing

And Teo Macero's inspired choice

when

all. I

it

think

merely

it

Let's take

all

re-

the time

drop.

contribution?

Columbia made an

hired this saxophonist/ composer-

He and Monk knew

now-turned-producer. they'd even done a

we

till

at

moment:

the passion of the

disappointing

TV gig together in

Allen Show. For musicians

each other;

1955, on the Steve

Miles and Mingus,

like

Ma-

cero proved to be an acute and creative intermediary,

tuned in to their needs and helping them bring off their

most daring it's

artistic

nice to have

ventures. In a big record

someone

in

your corner

frown when you suggest calling next session.

Monk was

seems to have entered

a different breed of cat; his

mind

to ask

it

never

Macero's advice it

or leave

it.

wasn't going to fiddle around with electro-acoustic

machines or

try out

any strange new formations. He'd

play what he'd always played and so

who won't

in a sitar player for the

about what music he should record. Take

He

company,

much

discussing

when

the better. studio

Columbia

liked

it,

So Teo's influence was limited

to

dates,

if

or recording concerts

"live"

the occasion arose.

At that time, Columbia's jazz production policy was simple enough, like that of Prestige ten years earlier: they

recorded.

Not much planning went

into albums, the sales

Columbia

I

173

department took care of

that.

Monk's Dream and

Criss

Cross resulted from nine recording sessions held between

October 1962 and March 1963.

bum,

the Criss Cross al-

and "Tea

the six seconds between "Hackensack"

Two,"

for

On

in fact,

correspond to a time span of two and

Even more

a half months!

Columbia's

surprising,

re-

cording policy, for very different reasons (research, experiment) meshed perfectly with Monk's newfound focus

Which

(continuity, elaboration).

just goes to prove the

notion that Destiny never misses a rendezvous with

These

itself.

two albums include an assortment of pieces

first

that they'd played

many

times over on concert tours,

such as "Hackensack," "Rhythm-a-ning," and "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues Are Ba-lue," a few the Riverside years ("Sweet

numbers

from

culled

and Lovely," "Blues Five

Spot"), the Prestige years ("Think of

One," "Monk's

Dream"), even the Blue Note years ("Eronel," "Criss Cross").

A potpourri,

to suit his

new

taken him so

on

his

as

quartet

many

were, a Best of ...

it

—

as

if,

reworked

,

from the pinnacle

years to reach,

Monk

looked

enormous body of work, spread out

like

plain beneath him. Bird's-eye view, seen through

it

had

down a vast

Monk's

eye.

From 1962 expired, times.

to 1965,

Monk

Hard

when

Columbia contract

was put on vinyl no fewer than

to top that!

just for

one album

squeezed into three days,

(Monk), recording clubs (Live at the

live

It

thirty

Every format imaginable:

two months

sions spread over Cross), sessions

his initial

four days in a

row

like

in

ses-

(Criss

old times

two

different

Club, Live at the Jazz Workshop), or

abroad (The Tokyo Concerts), simple anthologies (Always Know), big-band pieces (Big Band and Quartet cert),

174

solo

numbers

(Solo

in

Monk) and of course

Laurent de Wilde

Conthe

The whole

quartet.

and

schtick.

for three years they

The

avidly.

good

Columbia had a gold mine

worked

systematically

it

slogan was, Let the tape

and

Everything's

roll!

for a take.

Their enthusiasm was catching: After warming up during most of 1963 with exhaustive tours in Europe and

Japan 1964

To

(with a stopover in Honolulu),

all

Monk

steamed into

systems go, with an irresistibly exuberant music.

be perfectly exact, the year actually began on De-

cember

1963, at Lincoln Center, which was then

30,

vying with Carnegie Hall to present "great musical mo-

ments"

to the

New York

elite.

And

it

was a concert with

He kicked off the year in style. What better way to warm up for New Year's Eve? This big band had been reshaped and polished by Monk and Hall Overton a big band!

since the last concert five years earlier.

changed the

They not only

entire repertoire, but they also shifted the

band's center of gravity.

They replaced

the tuba with a

soprano saxophone (Steve Lacy) and doubled the trumpet with a cornet (Thad Jones), which

low

meant

that the

was now only carried by baritone sax and

register

trombone. The emphasis was definitely on the upper reg-

Deep

ister.

brassy tones gave

way

to

swaggering

stri-

dency. (Had anyone ever written that high for soprano

Only a lead player

sax before? ofT.)

Success at

time to get

it

than the '59 band; excellent.

Lacy could

This time they did

last.

right.

like

it;

pull

it

they took the

This big band was no better or worse like that

one,

it

was remarkable and

Once again Monk proved

that

by staying on

course and being true to himself, in the end the sheer quality of his music

Happy New

No ious.

would win the day. Three

cheers!

Year, Mr. Monk.

question, 1964

was the banner year

for

Thelon-

His entire output from those twelve months

Columbia

is

I

175

and

exhilarating, with such energy

he could

do

still

one marvels that

fire,

after all that time.

it

True, he had

changed musicians. Butch Warren replaced John Ore on bass; in the

And

then

Warren was replaced by Larry

fall,

drummer Ben

Gales.

Riley took over for Frankie

Dunlop. Dunlop had a sense of swing that was both pow-

and

erful

intelligent, ideal for

But Riley was more

Monk had

both big band and quartet.

with a leaner, suppler beat.

always been attuned to the drummers he

played with; their

Ben

subtle,

influenced and nourished him.

style

Riley's arrival gave

new

pleased with his

him new

recruit that

six tracks

on

Monk's Time,

It's

had never done

place of honor, something he

of the

Monk was

so

he gave the drummer a

their first recording together,

Two

wings.

on the album are

before.

for solo piano.

In each of the other four, Riley has an extended solo, including one on the

first

track, "Lulu's

Back

in

Town."

Quite unusual! Once when Lacy asked Thelonious

had any general

Monk his

good."

And

so natural

— and answer a — "Make drummer of music the

Thelonious

says

the

about

sound is

seems to have always been a part of the

Monk

Ben was a rejuvenating

Quartet.

breath of fresh air for Thelonious,

new energy

lot

Riley not only sounds good, his playing

it

he

guidelines about playing his pieces,

replied tersely

conception

if

who

in turn

breathed

into his whole ensemble.

Riley has this to say about

how he became

part of the

band: he was playing a club date with another band, and for a

Monk

month they shared

the

with the Thelonious to

him

the whole time, standard procedure for Thelonious.

The

gig

Quartet.

The

pianist barely said a

ended on a Sunday

wakened by

the phone.

night; the next

"Mr.

I

word

morning Ben was

Riley, I'm calling

from Co-

Monk would

you

lumbia Records Studios. Mr. 176

bill

Laurent de Wilde

like

at

the

"When's

recording session for his next album."

Ben

that?"

"Why,

asked, bewildered.

At the time, the drummer had a friend who

the answer.

loved to pull telephone stunts

something and hung up.

"Mr.

again.

now," was

right

A

like

second

He

this.

muttered

phone rang

later the

from Columbia and

Riley, I'm really calling

we need you now\" Riley threw on his clothes, packed up his drums, and

raced to the studio where, indeed, the band was waiting for him.

When the

and

He

up

set

drums;

his

Monk,

Riley was ready,

Monk still

didn't say a word.

silent,

launched into

number. Same routine throughout the

first

session,

the others that followed.

On

the last day,

you get paid,

Monk came up

.

.

him and

said,

Ben stammered, "Yes.

at least?"

... It doesn't matter

to

."

Monk

cut

him

.

.

"Did .

No.

"Good.

short:

men in my band to be paid right." Ben gasped. "You mean I'm in the band?" Monk came back with, ." "Well, go "Got a passport?" "Uh ... No, actually

I like

the

.

and

get one.

We're going on tour

at

.

the

end of the

week!" Sure enough, a week

Monk was Marseille

when

the February 28 issue of

Times his

The cover of Timel Him,

Now his

a jazzman!

was a

the only thing missing

Square! life,

Time magazine

with his face on the cover, painted by

Chaliapin's son.

black jazzman!

Monk,

landed in Amsterdam.

probably somehere between London and

hit the stands,

on

later they

Long-feature

work.

It

statue

Thelonious

article:

caused quite a

A

stir,

and

dis-

cussed his bouts with drugs and insanity, along with his

music and

his career.

this extraordinary,

An

in-depth piece, which treated

complex, authentic

artist

with

humor

but respect.

You can

appreciate the irony of the situation

Columbia

when I

177

you

for John F. lier

whole country was

realize that the

mourning

in

still

Kennedy, assassinated only four months

and already

Because of

quasi-beatified.

this national

both the Lincoln Center concert

tragedy,

scheduled for

November

(originally

and the Time cover

1963)

ear-

had been postponed. But Thelonious shrugged

it

what? Once again, he was out of sync with the

story

So

off.

of

rest

Monkish

the world. But this time, through a typically

quirk of fate, he was vying for center stage with the President of the United States.

people

then current record

titled his

And Monk's

No wonder

time

it

It's

Columbia

the

Monk's Time.

knew

was. Everyone in Europe

and everywhere he played, houses were packed with worshiping

fans.

turn up on various

still

Every one of them shows that the band had never

labels.

sounded

better.

Spring turned into summer.

The

with Butch Warren on bass, played the jazz

which were first

one was held

Newport

at

idea took hold and spread bill.

this

festivals

The

The

in 1955, the brainchild of

George Wein. The

— and Monk was a must on

quartet even played in Pittsburgh, to an

audience of thirteen thousand! Village

quartet,

starting to take place all over the U.S.

pianist/promoter/business genius

every

his

These concerts were often recorded,

by national radio, and

usually

it,

Vanguard

.

.

.

.

.

.

The

Village Gate, the

In June, another big

band

concert,

time at Carnegie Hall. Autumn: Larry Gales took

over on bass and was integrated into what would become the quintessential Thelonious

Monk

corded a superb album called simply

Quartet.

Monk

They

re-

in three days,

then took off to tour the West Coast.

With

this

new band, Thelonious seemed

discovered his taste for taking chances. old man's past

it?

to

Monk,

have

tired?

re-

The

Not a chance! He dredged up tunes

from the past you'd have thought were permanently 178

I

Laurent de Wilde

He

buried in old Prestige or Blue Note catalogs.

even

pulled out tunes recorded for Gigi Gryce nine years earlier,

when he was

peak of

at the

Two

his creativity.

of

them, "Shuffle Boil" and "Brake's Sake," resurfaced

when Ben

was recorded

third, "Gallop's Gallop,"

in concert at the It Club. It all swings, it's all

The

Riley walked into the Columbia studio.

great (except for

Rouse doesn't seem has a tempo.

Some

to

maybe

for

Columbia

it all

live

stays strong,

"Gallop's Gallop," which

remember

too well). For me, 1964

years have a smell, others a color or

a sound, but I'm sure that for Thelonious, that year had a tempo. It falls

somewhere between 140 and 160 beats a min-

That magic tempo

ute.

Time naturally Relaxed but troppo.

It

sounds as

only to

knew

me

Monk

all fall

if it

could go on

into that bracket.

all

marathon runner

Monk's

It's

a deceptive tempo, allegro

the endurance of a

very long.

They

requires.

fast,

what every tune on

is

ma non

day, but

to

keep

it

takes

up

it

for

used to say sarcastically that drummers

three tempos: slow,

that the year 1964

medium, and

was spent

fast. It

seems

in constantly ex-

ploring a fourth tempo, medium-fast, so perfectly suited to

Monk's music.

It

gives

an impression of comfort and

speed at the same time. Push the metronome to 180 and

you

lose this feeling of offhand,

edge into a tauter, more

and you

fall

right into the

nonchalant elegance and

restless

tempo. Slow

medium

it

to

tempos, which

is

120 an-

other sound entirely.

One-forty to 160, that's where out of tle?

medium and head toward

fast.

Somewhere between 140 and

Monk

was always interested

where things almost seem to

it all

his

Where

You

will

160. Yes, but

in this

to decide

happens.

it

pull set-

where?

gray area in music

by themselves. Listen

"rubbed- together" melody notes

— two

notes a

Columbia

I

179

— half-tone apart

and played

which one

can't really figure out his

same

at the

time, so the ear

the melody. Listen to

is

chords which contain within themselves both har-

monic tension and

rhythm,

resolution. Listen to his

its

always hovering between an eighth note and a dotted

And

eighth.

listen to his

sudden, unexpected silences in

Even while showing us

the middle of a solo.

he's in full

control, he loves to plant that seed of doubt, send

idea soaring, stretches

it

let

it

out.

.

.

our ears to resolve put

it

in

hang

in midair.

Monk's

.

it?

time.

Then

extreme danger,

.

.

the axe

Monk

.

He

.

.

.

suspends time,

Will he leave

and

falls;

an

after

to

it

having

redefines density with a

touch of the finger.

And

playing

game

this

150

at

mate unstable tempo; between tremely

And

volatile.

... of palpable

yet, that

existence ...

A

is

liquid

on

150.

The

ulti-

and

gas:

ex-

impression of utter ease

whole year of that

what stamina! The whole band turned the speedometer right

art!

high

on and kept

it

Highway

time!

On

tour

nine months of the year, they maintained their steady

had plenty of humor and,

cruising speed. Larry Gales in his

own

mischievous as they were precise

Monk's

trick

till

as if

he borrowed

the last possible minute. Gales beat

around the bush. He'd go it,

—

as

of leaving harmonic and rhythmic ten-

sions unresolved

back off

which were

inimitable way, played lines

on

off the beat, then

then loop around

it,

it,

then

for bars at a time. Zig-

zagging, taking detours, anticipating well in advance

where he would

finally

shades. Nothing obvious. the

He When

beat.

rhythm!

didn't it

end up. And

pull

tip

in

What counted above

was time

himself go and, with a

all

anything

fast,

subtle all

was

except

the

for his solo, then he'd let

of his hat to

Duke

Ellington,

turn a simple idea over and over with the patience of a 180

II

Laurent de Wilde

mouse, and squeeze every ounce of

cat playing with a

resonance from his instrument.

And when the

was over and he merged back

into

he would turn to Ben Riley,

his col-

Between 1964 and 1968, those two put

in a lot

rhythm

league.

his solo

section,

of mileage together. Instruments often had to be rented

on the .

.

.

sound systems were sometimes a

spot, the

Trains, buses, planes,

and

ships.

And

disaster

every night only

one dictum: Give the tunes the right sound, and keep the beat. If they gave out frequent-flyer bonuses for

num-

ber of hours spent keeping the beat, they would have

won

a

lot

of free

Or

trips.

both. Riley's musical creed less

you put

in,

to the basic

high hat.

drum

One

he really had

from

the better

his snare

set

:

it

was simple and sounds.

He

effective:

pretty

much

each limb.

to.

He

He

used the

rest

only

The

stuck

bass drum, snare, cymbal,

for

drum

Or

a place in jazz heaven.

and

when

could get twenty different sounds

from a gentle whisper of his

alone,

brushes to an explosion in combination with the bass

drum. In between the two, he had a huge range of

which he played with care and precision

strokes,

the skin sing. Less

is

more.

It's

subtlety. After

the

same time

mer wasn't an

all,

fly

make

fact.

He

taste, restraint,

and

a well-known

played accents and syncopation with

to

he had to walk with the bass and

at

with Thelonious. Being Monk's drum-

easy task: Some,

like

Blakey,

matched egos

with him, in a kind of summit meeting. Others chose to

"boost" his music by adding their telligence,

presence

felt.

That was

needed him, but never like that, too. It

most of

in-

such as Frankie Dunlop. But Riley tried the

impossible: to fade into the his

own energy and

all,

took a

background and

his solution

in the lot

of

—

there

still

make

when you

way. Shadow Wilson was tact,

a lot of humility, and

a real love for Monk's music.

Columbia

181

Gales the mischievous and Riley the discreet. Thelonious

of

had found two

whom

disciples

own

highlighted a facet of his

not forget Charlie Rouse, music.

devoted to

Add him

to the

who seemed

longevity. This cohesion

genius.

And

let's

to live inside the

mix and you have a

balanced quartet: small wonder

each

his cause,

perfectly

held the record for

it

was severely

tested, for the

band

was almost constantly on the road. From 1964

to 1968,

they did four European tours, one in Australia

(a flop),

and one

And

in Japan.

those were just the overseas tours,

without even mentioning the countless North American tours

and

organize.

all

the club dates, which were

When

much

easier to

they were on the road, their gigs were

mostly one-nighters, every day a different different country.

To

city,

even a

pick one at random, here's the

erary for their European tour in

1965—March

3

March

itin-

1965.

Stockholm

7 Paris

8

Bremen

9 Cologne 10

Mainz

12 Scheveningen

Then, with no break ately followed

at

13

Amsterdam

14

London

17

Birmingham

18

Manchester

21

San

all,

on

Remo to Australia,

immedi-

by a month on the West Coast, since

it

was on the way home. Nonstop concerts from February 26

to

May

wake-up 182

16.

call.

A

Bus

typical

day on the road: eight A.M.,

to the airport.

Laurent de Wilde

Eleven A.M., takeoff.

One

P.M., land at destination. Bus, hotel, press confer-

ence.

Nap. Five

soundcheck

P.M.,

contact with the

at the concert venue,

who

inhabitants

local

Seven P.M., dinner. Ten P.M., concert,

And

be a warm-up band.

some more. Midnight, have a few drinks,

And

three A.M.

months of

faith

play, play,

then

Wind down,

all

each

member

of the quartet knows by heart

solidarity

to

three,

strictly

And

more music!

forbidden. Music, music, and

Ordeal by

desire!

fire!

what's more, the contract with Columbia Rec-

ords was about to expire. Should they renew

But on what terms?

name was

like

It

to

be "accountable to

ers," as the expression goes.

Affairs

sat

an

year.

.

.

.

I

We

live in it

the

recorded him a

can imagine a phone

eight recording dates total. Plus a

the time

sharehold-

who added up

accountant

No more money; hold everything; Word became deed. In three years,

recorded

its

company

three years. Sales can't keep up. Poor pro-

duction: yield ratio. cero:

Obvi-

Behind a door marked Busi-

columns. Monk: credits, debits. lot these last

it?

was Monk's shining hour;

praised in every language. But a

Columbia had

ness

takes

it

hold things together for four

Shotgun marriage! Burning

his

or

over again. Three

Discouragement, depression, getting fed up, losing

—

ously.

and play

To bed around two

out.

starts

it

and every phrase of the other

every figure

enormous

it's

there happens

the final encore.

hang

eat,

then

if

Exhausting.

it.

And when

years.

very

all

and admiring, but who speak a funny language.

friendly

to

are

call to

Ma-

one album a three albums,

Brubeck-Monk duo

Mexico City (under Brubeck's name),

would take

to

do an Ellington

blues.

And

I

imagine Monk's advance when the contract was renewed

was revised downward. His Thanks,

pal,

label

was

letting

him down.

but we're looking for something more

Columbia

II

183

— How

contemporary.

about putting an

electric guitar in

your band? This was tough. They

been around a

who

artists

made

Not

too long.

little

clear to

it

survived the big cut in the

at the

He

the others.

traditional.

music

have

ears.

and

And

it

But the people

go on

will

got into electric

different

from that of

will

still

their sights set

have

to

And

to

records,

be able

all

longer.

.

.

.

.

.

.

and he

of them good. If they

to sell the next one,

it

would

really

be something newer and fresher than the others.

two recordings under the new con-

yet, his first

tract, Straight,

No

Chaser and Underground, proved that

his creative fountain

was

still

flowing. All the

tempos are

played with superb elegance. For Underground,

came up with no Beauty,"

is

less

than four

a waltz, the

first

a tune for his daughter, the

on the

comeback

there were the shareholders to think about

had made plenty of

it.

that they

Monk cow much

couldn't wait twenty years for his

were going

hear

and what they saw was

future,

his

resurface two, ten, twenty genextraterrestrials will

Columbia had

at

why

precisely

is

lasting as long as people

wouldn't be able to milk the

They

by

it

wasn't contemporary, and he wasn't

from now. Even

immediate

is

He was Monk. Which

lasted,

erations

all

did

fifties

end of the following decade. They moved

with the times. But Monk's time all

that he'd

exactly reassuring. Jazz

evolving. Miles, Dizzy, Rollins, they

music

him

ambiguous and

"Thelonious," the

first

new numbers;

one, "Ugly

He

even wrote

in fifty years.

who was

delicious trio

Monk

there in the studio

"Boo Boo's Birthday."

Plus

number he had recorded

since his early days at Riverside, eleven years earlier.

Both albums reveal a maturity and a confidence.

From 1965

Japan and of course 184

to 1967,

the U.S.

Laurent de Wilde

striking sense of

he crisscrossed Europe,

He

put his big band

together for a European tour and

huge

success.

the

called

He

Bop

was once again a

it

even took part in an "all-star" band with Dizzy Gillespie, James

Fathers,

Moody, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and

from

this

Roach,

all

Unfortunately, no recordings remain

old friends.

his

Max

American

tour, but

by

all

accounts the music

was everything you'd expect from such a group of greats.

Monk had

So

their support

been

was

all

two irons

seemed

to

in the fire: a label,

be dwindling, and a band, who'd

over the planet with him since 1961.

just the trouble.

on the jazz

Columbia's

And

At that pace, soon everyone

world would have heard him. There weren't left

circuit that

predictions

many

is

Who wanted

what

were

about

to

come

true:

style. If

I'd propose:

1917-27: Birth of a genius

2.

1927-37: Childhood of a genius

3.

1937-47: Apprenticeship

4.

1947-57: Ascension

5.

1957-67: Glory

6.

1967-77: Decline

7.

1977-82: Silence

point.

place

a seven-line biography of Monk, this

1.

You

that

in the

hadn't already featured him.

through overexposure, he would soon be out of

Who's

though

the

get

point.

The wheel was

flocked to hear jazz;

Monk had

turning.

now

The

reached saturation

big crowds no longer

they wanted rock, pop, the

Beatles, things that sold twenty times better.

marketing had come. The days

when

The age

of

a few black rebels

reinvented music and dignit) at Minton's Playhouse were

long gone. with

it;

You have

jazz

isn't in

to

sell,

man; change your

anymore.

And

the

style,

supreme

Columbia

get

irony: 185

Underground won a Grammy, not was

excellent, but for

the front;

it's all

its

in the packaging.

record cover! (Which

is

for

its

cover design.

Monk

content, which

What

counts

honored

magnificent, by the way.)

is

for his

Oh, he

played, but in ever-less suitable settings: stadiums,

still

arenas, for celebrations, in ridiculous,

The

places.

were coming up, when they did things

seventies

Monk was now becoming McCoy

big.

The up-

part of the furniture.

and-coming piano players were young Hancock,

enormous

Herbie

terrors like

Tyner, and" Chick Corea. Jazz-rock

was simmering on the back burner, and music was on the brink of changing very quickly.

Columbia went with

bum

the tide

and

for

Monk's

last al-

with them, they requested not quite that he play

electric piano,

but that he record with a big band. Not

Hall Overton's

this time;

something new was needed.

Their idea was to take Monk's biggest

and have

hits

them arranged by a jazz orchestrator whose album More Blues and the Abstract Truth showed that he had a for

economy

He had moved to L.A. in movies and TV. He was the

in music.

and was writing

for

ideal

candidate for adding "dimension" to Monk's music.

experienced jazzman, he nevertheless knew ranger's tricks for ences.

This

making

salable to

An

the ar-

all

audi-

was Oliver Nelson. The intention was

honorable enough, though

revamped

work

his

all

feel

1967

into

TV

it

left

a bitter aftertaste.

Monk

theme music; what would they think

of next?

Nelson took Monk's compositions and gave them a California sheen.

A

syrupy glaze, with hot fudge sauce,

crushed nuts, and whipped cream. All the thorns of the cactus

Monkus were smoothed,

polished and filed down.

His spare, restrained solos were neatiy and efficientiy

framed by the big 186

band—a

highly professional job of

Laurent de Wilde

plastic surgery.

eral

was

The

Beauty for a night. totally kitsch.

round:

By

became

timeless Beast

An

The

result, as

interesting

ephem-

predictable turna-

if

modernize Monk, by taking over

trying to

him

control of his music, they knocked

and made him an

pedestal,

the

you might expect,

off his rightful

of the day,

artist

hun-

like

dreds of others, a product which quickly goes out of style. It

was the

first

time in his long career that

Monk had

gotten involved in such a dubious enterprise; he'd always

avoided such

produced

moment

Monk

Most

fiascos.

at least

of weakness, a lapse of

even the greats, have

taste.

along the way; a

But up

now,

until

never had. For one simple reason: he always

You

played the same way. seal

artists,

bomb somehere

one

can't go

wrong with

the

Monk

of approval! Then, at age fifty-one, he lowered his

guard for a second and the Monkmobile started to

Nothing spectacular, the music was get the feeling he

the wheel.

The

skid.

good, but you

still

no longer had such a firm grasp on

iron

fist

relaxed

its

grip

and

all

at

once

the road took a curve.

This album, Blues,

marked

on, his music sixties,

titled

with unintentional insight Monk's

the beginning of the descent; from then

became

dispersed.

He had

and now he was experiencing

exploded

fallout.

in the

Everything

He left Columbia without Monk was on discount. Larry

was breaking up around him. signing with another label.

Gales and Ben Riley quit the band in 1969, to be replaced by a string of successors, none of long. In 1970, finally

whom

stayed

even Rouse walked out, right

the middle of a week's gig at the Village

in

Vanguard (what

could have happened that night?) after twelve years of loyal service, the twelve best his career.

and most

fruitful

years of

Pat Patrick took his place, soon followed by

Paul Jeffrey,

who

stayed with

Monk

till

the end, with

Columbia

I

187

excellent musicianship

was from a

and touching devotion. But he

different generation,

and there was

he hadn't lived through with Thelonious.

been turned, and nothing could change

whole jazz market was

Besides, the

A

so

much

page had

that.

falling apart. Sales

were plummeting, and there were fewer concerts. The only

way

the most visionary figure

Newport other

led

cities,

him

on the

scene. His success at

to organize other jazz festivals,

first

in

then in other countries, often (even in Tokyo)

called "the

still

Wein was

out was to go big. Promoter George

Newport

Festival." In other words, sign-

Wein meant you had work

ing on with

for six

months

out of the year.

When

put together a

new band with musicians who were

times got tough in 1971,

having trouble booking tours for their

own

rounded up Kai Winding, Sonny

Dizzy

Stitt,

Wein

bands.

He

Gillespie,

Al McKibbon, Art Blakey and Thelonious for a one-shot tour and sold

them

as "the

Jazz Giants."

And

went. Twenty-nine concerts from September ber,

one every other day: Australia,

Israel,

New Zealand, Japan,

Europe, the United States. Musically,

make much

Come

to

one,

Each man took

sense.

come

three dollars

all, visit

fifty.

the

off they

Novem-

it

didn't

his turn in the ring:

museum

of jazz for only

Flawless individual performances; six

concerts for the price of one. I

once asked pianist

Ahmad Jamal why

recorded with Miles Davis,

With a wave of as

his

who

he'd never

spoke so highly of him.

hand, Jamal dismissed the question

absurd but nonetheless answered succinctly,

"Two

leaders."

Except

For the

listener, as

mediocre. 188

II

in this case there

Monk

weren't two leaders, but

you can imagine, the

result

is

five.

pretty

scrupulously confines himself to the role

Laurent de Wilde

of accompanist, with remarkable restraint and his usual skill.

I

have the feeling that Dizzy was the group's un-

official leader.

was a artists.

Consummate showman

that he was, he

reunion of

logical choice to organize this eclectic

But

it

also

draws the band toward the spectacular,

the sensational. After

all, isn't

one of their pieces Dizzy's

own "Tour De Force?" On "Tin Tin Deo," peter even goes so far as to take over

McKibbon

with bassist

ting right there.

—

the trum-

on piano

that takes guts, with

for a

duo

Monk

But Thelonious keeps a low

sit-

profile.

Backing up Kai Winding, he tones down the usual acid

accompaniment,

bite of his

convenience in

this

as if

trombonist with

common. Same

thing with

with Dizzy, he gets a

little

his turn to solo,

whom

Sonny

bolder, but

tame when you know what he it's

he doesn't want

is

he plays with

to in-

he has so

Sometimes

Stitt.

sounds pretty

it all

capable

And when

of.

freedom, but

his usual

without the antic brilliance so characteristic of his recordings.

The pay was good, he

was furious

at seeing his old friend constantly

the thankless

and petty

being squeezed into a against Dizzy,

own

did the job. Blakey

reduced

role of accompanist, as if he suit that

little

was too

tight.

who, out of Monk's huge

He

to

were

railed

repertoire, re-

membered almost nothing but "Round Midnight" and "Epistrophy," whereas the pianist played

all

Goerge Wein even confided

peter's hits

by

that Dizzy

was astounded by the ovation

greeted the that

it

first

notes of "Blue

didn't

open

his

Monk." Blakey fumed respect for the

so badly.

Monk had no

mouth during

the whole tour,

to

work, and to play

He

later

that always

show more

was outrageous not

pianist's status.

heart.

the trum-

it

but sank into a silence that could have been taken for indifference,

Monk was

and was

certainly resigned.

The muted

going to pieces.

Columbia

II

189

And

yet in

London, during the band's

Alan Bates, producer

first

stay there,

for the English label Black Lion,

took advantage of the stroke of luck which had handed

him Monk, Blakey and McKibbon,

one package.

in

all

August 1951 -November 1971: the same played on Blue Note twenty years

had

trio that

earlier.

The

pianist

was no longer under contract with anybody, the drum-

mer would do anything went pell

for

for his

whatever came along. "Want

Studio

to

bassist

come by Chap-

num-

afternoon and record a couple of

this

bers?" "Sure. What'll

we

play?" "We'll see."

didn't look promising

It

buddy, and the

— none

of the psychological

conditions essential to a successful recording clicked:

Monk was

He'd

exhausted.

two grueling

spent

just

months on the road with a pickup band

that treated his

compositions with humiliating indifferece.

was packed with

journalists,

add

friends, all trying to

There was

session.

The

producers, and devoted

their grain of salt to this historic

no program, and even the

virtually

few weak suggestions were snubbed by Monk's

Don't you want Thelonious?

want

to

to play

And what

something by

How

What were

a

monkey

they

all

re-

must have

all

the

sound en-

excited about?

As

like that?

if

McKibbon was embarassed

had been twenty years

and not the

190

it

A

And

he were

in a cage.

since he'd played

ertoire; since then, there'd

ute.

band from

they getting

looking at him

Furthermore, Al it

affair, so

don't

have everyone carrying on behind the

to

glass partition separating the

why were

Jimmy You

about a blues?

cording session should be a private

gineer.

silence.

Yancee,

about "Criss Cross"?

do "Criss Cross"?

been unnerving

studio

sort

been a

lot

of

because

Monk's rep-

new

material,

of stuff that can be picked up in a min-

Blakey and Thelonious shared the same view of the

Laurent de Wilde

Monk, Blakey

situation, except, unlike

And when was

he did,

it

aware that

also

unhoped-for quality:

talked about

this session

was the

It

was

last

and had an

special

chance

to record with

and Monk clammed up for good Monk wasn't far from You can feel that

buddy, before

his

he knew that

.

.

.

it.

when

kind of thing

and Blakey was under

it.

was in very strong terms. But he

pressure

you're on the road with someone,

trying to .

.

.

do

What

his best.

.

.

.

Everyone was

happen?

would

.

.

.

Would

Thelonious come through?

You little

bet he did!

rusty

.

.

.

And

After

all,

with flying colors! Well,

he'd been an "entertainer" for the

on course and pulled

past two months, but he stayed

gether

was

—

as usual, in

'51, '61, '71

Monk

pure

Monk was

motto.

his

—

it

maybe a

style.

it

Be prepared,

to-

that

born ready. The years 1941,

was always the same. In three hours he

recorded thirteen solo pieces, and in the next three hours, another nine pieces with the equivalent of three

his trio. In six hours' studio time,

CDs. Quite a

days. Blakey immediately

and even

if

fell

feat! Just like

the old

back in sync with the pianist,

he did mess up on a couple of

details (they

hadn't recorded together since 1958), he proved on occasion that he had the rare take sound good.

gift

McKibbon

this

of even making a mis-

followed

sometimes

suit,

with a blind confidence. (Certain solo versions were, in fact,

opportunities for the bassist to practice the changes.

On

"Crepuscule with Nellie," you can hear

way

in the

ear.)

.

.

As long

.

background trying

But

it

didn't matter because

Monk was in charge.

as they took the trouble to play his

he wanted

it,

he delivered

steadfast conviction.

his

Loud and

Bates had the good sense to

moment Monk

McKibbon

to pick up the bass notes by

music the way

message with

clarity

and

clear. let

the tape roll from the

entered the studio.

And you

can hear

Columbia

I

191

— Monk, on

the tune so cleverly titled "Chordially," trying

on the piano he discovers

things out

in the studio. It's

phrases.

He is constantly looking for colors, sounds, and He can't help He doesn't play warm-up ex-

cercises,

but immediately

amazing.

it.

He makes

instrument.

he

fifty-four,

A

board.

you think

Monk

piano it's

getting

is still

.

.

.

What

is

loaded? If I hit

is

searching: at the age

new sounds from

How

it?

this key,

extracts lush, rich chords

does

it

the key-

work?

what does

from

big old box,

this

by themselves. Twenty times you

many

his

compositions.

He

think,

Do

that do?

out of which halting yet vigorous melodies seem to

one of

his

the piano speak the music right

away. But at the same time, he of

up a rapport with

strikes

will

rise

go into

Twenty times you

think

you've recognized a chord progression that reminds you of a song, but instead he continues taking the music farther if

and

farther

out there. Thelonious

given the chance, he

still

isn't finished yet;

has some tricks up his sleeve,

and a few things cooking on a back burner. Except for the rare occasion, there wouldn't be another chance. This

ment.

He

album

is

Monk's

and

last will

turns his attention to the past

—

to his

testa-

younger

years. "Criss Cross," recorded twenty years before with

the

same

trio;

"Evidence," "Misterioso," "Ruby,

Dear," from the Prestige years, the same old

My

stuff reex-

amined with a young man's confidence. The standards, the compositions, he digs for

what must seem

to

down deep

him most worthy of

Thelonious knew what he was doing. life

into his

He

his silence.

witnessed his

dim

This session hasn't aged in the

could not have better completed his

II

posterity.

growing dark and he knew that there would be only

rare glimpses of light penetrating into the

192

memory

Laurent de Wilde

own

cellars

least.

of

Monk

discography.

His one consolation in these dark years was his son,

was twenty-one

some

He

in 1970.

played drums, and showed Tootie recalls that at

interest in his father's music.

was

the time the hip thing

As a

speakers.

who

to build

your own stereo

handyman, he

typical rock 'n' roll

built

one enormous speaker that he wanted

to test with his

own

conscious of the

At that time, he wasn't

records.

genius of Thelonious

Sr.,

out fully understanding his

fully

whom he took for granted withRather than

it.

risk

blowing out

speaker with a Jimi Hendrix album, he chose an older

record from his father's collection off the Prestige label, certain that such a mild recording couldn't possibly his

new

system.

So he put the album on the turntable and

glued his ear to the speaker to get the

What

sound.

Monk's

full effect

of the

—

He had put on "Work" one of compositions! He was stunned. The hell

a shock!

wildest

harm

with the system, he turned up the volume and played the tune over and over

dawned on him: His

— two,

father

five,

In light of this experience, he critics

father's it.

much time music. You have

took so

After

all,

derstand

it?

hadn't

it

And

week

a

ious asked his son,

and

didn't hesitate.

ten times.

The

truth

was undeniably a genius.

now understood why

the

beauty of his

to appreciate the

to really listen in order to get

him twenty-one

taken

later, as if

years to un-

by chance, Thelon-

"Are you ready?" Junior understood

Two

days

later, the

new

quartet re-

corded a tevevision show for a national network. The year was 1970 and although Tootie didn't leave for Ja-

pan

that year with the quartet, he

regular group from 1971

The ten,

in

end.

You

Monk was

could "ill."

1972 was to be

feel

A

.

it

.

.

would be part of the

until the end.

coming.

More and more

of-

second tour with the Jazz Giants

his final circuit before

he went into

Columbia

193

which he would only emerge on rare

retirement, from

occasions. His friends were anxious silence,

and they continued

and saddened by

his

music even in

his

to play his

absence. In April 1974, Tootie, Paul Jeffrey, and Barry

Harris organized a concert featuring a host of impressive musicians, in honor of Thelonious. His music

arranged for brass and project.

on

it.

was an ambitious

it

Would Thelonoius come? No one was counting

And

the curtain ray!

and

strings,

had been

then, a few seconds before the concert began,

moved, a head appeared.

Barry Harris,

keyboard over

It

of him, turned the

ecstatic at the sight

to the

was Monk! Hur-

Master who, with a sure hand, once

again inspired the entire band to a dazzling performance!

Then

in July 1975,

he broke

his silence to present his

— comprised of Paul and Larry Ridley — Philharmonic Hall (today Avery Fisher

quartet

his son,

Jeffrey,

at

Hall).

They were

to play the last set of a full night of music,

featuring the up-and-coming group Oregon, as well as a

new piano

star

named Keith Jarrett. Oregon was came

ing success. Break. Keith Jarrett

ano top and, with great above the instrument.

crowd went

rificed in the

old-timer like

helplessly,

name

watching

be sac-

his father

of youth and change.

Monk

How

could an

be able to win over such an obviengineer, after his

experience with Jarrett, leaned over and asked

how he wanted

"Well, over the piano,

194

II

the curtain

a few bars,

Monk

the mikes placed. Offhandedly, the pi-

anist pointed to his instrument, raised

in

sit-

he had dreaded

sets,

modern audience? The sound

Then

The

played particularly well.

these preliminary

having to stand by

said,

mikes

care, repositioned the

wild. Break. Tootie later admitted that

ting through

ously

He

a roar-

on, raised the pi-

went up

Monk

an eyebrow, and

guess. ..."

I

.

erased

Laurent de Wilde

.

.

hearts stopped

all

.

.

the music that

.

and had

preceded him. Oregon, Jarrett, the microphones, the

— he

public, the rumors, the solitude, time itself

them

The new

away.

all

music, modernism, the hand-

some piano, new dimensions spoke the truth. "I Ba-lue,"

lues-Are

Midnight.'.'

music.

.

And

.

—vanished. Monk's music

you," "Ba-lue Bolivar BaMisterioso"

see,"

.

.

.

"Round

Thelonious Monk, the genius of modern

the audience

whelming ovation crowd was

mean

"We

blew

it

seemed

that

delirious.

knew

and gave him an overgo on forever. The

to

His genius was

intact, for all to ac-

claim.

He

returned to Carnegie Hall in

June 1976 with the same rhythm player, plus trumpeter

with guitarist there

Lonnie

Rodney

Jones.

March and

section, the

Hillyer, and, so

again in

same sax seems,

it

Nothing was recorded;

was simply a concert review by longtime admirer

Ira Gitler

who, not

surprisingly, described

Thelonious as

unshakable, at the top of his form, sharp as ever, forever

young and always good. And then came the end. In the late

1970s, a prostrate operation, followed

him

surgery, compelled

ating bag. syllables

see

them

Most of

when

to use a catheter

the time he

and a humili-

would answer

his friends called.

again.

by bladder

in

mono-

No, he didn't want

No, he didn't want

to

to play with his old

buddies from the great days of bebop. No, he had no desire to play at to

all

anymore. No, he didn't even want

go out to the clubs to hear them play. No, he no

longer played the piano. No. No. No. Curtains.

Columbia

195

12

Fade

1

.onk's final silence

Black

lo

remains an enigma.

The

pianist

progressively withdrew from the world. Then, quite sim-

he no longer existed. Fade

ply,

knew he was Weehawken,

still

Rumor had

at Pannonica's,

and the few

out,

alive.

to black.

silences

relentless friends

who

ended up taking over

finally

if,

in a sort

been linked

he paid with

Was

silent, as

else to say?

the

called

him would

on the end of the

his life at the end.

limits of his

That

system"

to his sparse musical style.

of Archimedes principle of communicating

vessels,

he

in

disappeared into nothingness. His personal

silence has often

As

was

has often been said that Monk's famous musical

he had pushed himself "to the very

and

that he

but he no longer ventured

often receive only a succinct groan line. It

it

Oh, people

his life for the

some have

Did he have

meaning of

said,

so

uniqueness of his

art.

because he had nothing

little

to say before? Is that

the silence in his music?

And

yet

many

other

used silence

artists

—Jamal, Miles, Basie — and they

didn't spend their last years in deliberate isolation.

Monk had who

No

time.

one

—

who

musician

and

life

his music,

was concerned with form, as It

solos followed

one

it

more

Once

melody was played one

classic structure, there

in his

little

band

in his

after the other as long as there

musicians there to improvise.

he

the whole last time.

that

were

band had

In this sim-

were no unpleasant

sur-

as

Thelonious got older, he would sometimes

his solos

ambiguously. For most of his contempo-

prises.

But

end of a

raries, the

they

are very

were a necessity of a

if it

was always the case

second order.

and

see

I

we saw how

relationship with form. Earlier on,

soloed, the

They

was a mystical connection between

there

if

created music.

subjected to time, and the other creates

is

end of Monk's

end

.

observed what was happening around him, and the

different:

ple

.

man

silence of the

two types of silence: the

silence of the

the

.

made

clarity

and

was a kind of punctuation which

solo

a point of honor to play with the greatest

it

conviction. In so doing, they were sending a

However, Monk,

clear message: I've spoken. Next.

in his

brilliant indifference to

form, adopted the habit of finish-

ing his solos with fewer

and fewer

to turn

it

phrases.

over to the next soloist?

everything?

.

ing to play.

No

.

.

Yes?

.

.

.

No

—

Had

for there

one knew exactly what

Was he

going

he truly said

he was, continuto do.

He was no

longer really playing phrases. Technically speaking, they

were chords. At times, two notes stood

out, a

promise of

the next player, but no, he continued to unravel

and more to

—was

do there

solo

is

it

in the

the

end

yet?

more

What were you supposed

middle of the chord progression?

supposed to begin

at the

A

beginning of the form,

not in the middle.

Fade

to

Black

197

In his music as in his

was true

Thelonious was informal.

life,

in the ordinary sense of

someone who

It

didn't

burden himself with

social conventions, but also in the

profound sense of a

man who

ently

didn't

from

others.

make

It

is

structured his

life differ-

generally understood that he

a career; rather, the world clung to his ge-

And when

nius for ten years.

his popularity

waned, he

which

never tried to maintain a small circuit of

festivals

would have provided him with a

amount of

curity in his old age

—

certain

as if his ten years of glory

been a long and wonderful

se-

had

ended along with

solo that

the 1960s.

By making fewer and fewer appearances, he

made way

for

mained

new

improvisers. But even then, form re-

and

unclear,

world continued

for a long time those in the jazz

to believe in the prophet's return.

famous Carnegie Hall concert

in 1974,

where

The

Monk sud-

denly materialized before a jubilant Barry Harris, was

proof enough. Only when he dropped out of sight for good, did

we

realize

Monk had

Why

But the question remains: he go on for another half his

life

life.

He

the end,

finally

and they

Miles had all,

why

it?

A

musician

doesn't quit halfway. Great

liere, die right

die with their boots

onstage.

flirted

shut himself

That

with

away

is

this

his

new

II

a musician

on

—

or, like

to

Mo-

their tradition.

paradox and, jaded by

had

it

also

quest for wisdom. But they to proclaim, in

and stronger voice, their imperious desire to play.

has to

come

out, or

once wrote that an 198

is

jazzmen play

each had reappeared from the shadows

It

didn't

did he quit

for several years. Rollins

stopped everything in

a

Why

twenty years? He'd spent

fifteen,

made

last solo.

did he stop?

fighting for recognition, so

when he had for

played his

life

artist is

becomes unbearable. Freud a neurotic

Laurent de Wilde

who

treats himself.

believe that a musician

I

basic truth.

example of

the perfect

is

Even when shut away

in a dismal cell of a

New York psychiatric

hospital,

keyboard on the

on which he played

in

Monk's

wall,

case,

seemed

it

Bud Powell drew

fect

—was.

all

— or

the ef-

one huge impervious block.

who

Thelonious had always been strange. Friends

knew him insist that

well say that he

had a

he wasn't crazy

haved that way

at

logic all his

all,

and

an image; then,

in order to give himself

Yet there always seems Underlying

all

to

own. Others

that he only be-

he got older, he became trapped in

as

But

go beyond self-medication

to

no one knows exactly where the cause

was

a piano

in silence.

...

It

this

own game.

his

be something quite troubling.

these statements, there seems to be some-

thing very troubling, which

Monk's apparent noncha-

lance was unable to hide, because from time to time,

Monk

truly took leave of his senses.

and incongruous remarks would

His

give

little

way

dance steps

to feverish in-

tensity.

in a

hours

He would pace back and forth on end. He wouldn't utter a word

for three

days,

and would remain standing without

the while grinding his teeth. Then, he

a felled oak .

.

tree,

and remain

in

His gaze became vacant, as

.

by an

evil force

bed if

would

for

in

a strange

which was gnawing

whole

sleeping,

all

collapse like

two days

straight.

him, destroying

at

He

could

row without moving a muscle.

city,

for

he were held prisoner

him, of which he was unable to speak. eight hours in a

room,

.

sit

.

.

for

Or,

he would walk for miles, until he

reached open country, where he'd be picked up by a police patrol car.

Yes, sick

as

it

Monk was mad. He suffered from attacks. He was and he knew And he could feel the rising wave it.

started to overtake him, then carried

Fade

to

him

far

Black

away II

199

from the world of other people. The strange, endearing character suddenly turned into a frightening creature.

dark shroud seemed to

and enfold

his entire

hours, he cut

and

all

rise

from the depths of

being in

its

bonds with the

world one by one,

isolated himself, against his will, in a fortress

walls

whether he spent time

He

date.

careful:

served

to 1959.

during the

1

literally as his

do not know

in psychiatric hospitals before this

950s he rarely

New York,

And under

safeguard.

and those

left

Monk was

in case of a

accident was likely to happen only

away from home, by

himself,

"attacks." That's exactly

Hired

to play in

Storyville,

Monk

himself.

left

Nellie

at

shroud began to appear.

he was

if

in '59.

George Wein's

club, the

behind and took the

trip,

prob-

subject to one of his

what happened

Boston

During the

and

which

the affection-

close to him,

immediately brought back to the house

An

I

first

probably did, although Thelonious was very

ate care of Nellie

lem.

The

had, as the saying goes, a medical record.

documented instance dates back

whose

Monk was mad.

grew thicker by the minute. Mad.

He

by

his soul

In a matter of

pall.

real

A

train

up

the all-too-familiar dark

When

straight to his hotel, only slightly

he arrived, he went

behind schedule. In the

lobby, he went into a spinning dance, then stopped

abruptly and began staring fixedly at something in the

room, ignoring the manager's injunctions. That

distin-

guished gentleman then told him, in no uncertain terms, that there

a word,

was no room

Monk went

in the hotel for

where

to the club

him. So, without his fans

and an

anxious boss awaited him, locked himself in his dressing

room and began

When

he

finally

numbers and and 200

II

left

staring at the wall without moving.

decided to go onstage, he performed two

then, to everyone's

the club.

An hour

later,

Laurent de Wilde

amazement, stood up

he returned, played two

more numbers, then lapsed

into a state of prostration

from which nothing could shake him. The hypnotized

and waited. Time went

by. His

em-

barrassed accompanists walked off the stage, leaving

him

audience

fell silent

alone at the piano.

More

time went by. Amidst the

se-

and

for

pulchral silence, he got up and all.

He made

around,

his

lost in

way

the club once

left

where he wandered

to the airport,

The

a daze.

were

airport police

notified,

and when they spotted him, they knew they were dealing with a deranged individual. His massive form and menacing silence seemed to be a danger to both himself and

He was

to others.

He was one

immediately taken to the hospital.

of the

many

through airports or train

people

who wander

stations, as if they cherished the

vain hope of a voyage by which they coud

and soothe

cedure

is

their pain. This

know how

the police

to

is

common

a

sometimes without a word

intern points to a patients

Monk

and

On

who

in the

who was

his friends

same time,

more

His

Then

the

for such

Boston hospital for several days

worried

sick,

their friends. This time

was

it

the frequency

seemed

was offers

serious.

Monk

were pouring thrilled to see

be taking

to

at regular intervals,

fits

serious.

life

informed

finally

and loved ones were

the positive turn his

pletely.

questions the

in response.

had attained fame and recognition,

the

arrival, the case

wing of the hospital reserved

remained

by one of

and

occurrence, and

sighs: schizophrenic.

before Nellie,

in,

themselves

to direct the sick person, with every necessary

explained to the intern on duty,

patient,

flee

handle such cases. Routine pro-

precaution, to a psychiatric hospital. is

aimlessly

.

.

.

but at

he would crack com-

of madness were becoming more and

He

suffered at least

two a year, and then

and the length of these dark periods

in-

creased.

Fade

to

Black

II

201

Inevitably, file

it is

tempting to draw up a psychiatric pro-

Monk. The process

of Thelonious

is

not new. Scores

of psychohistorians have tried to categorize the great artists

of the past into various types. Signs of epilepsy were

identified in

Van Gogh and

both

have been manic-depressive, Bartok

said to

Mozart was thought

and approximate. Each case

known, but

so

many

is

unique and

obsti-

Some symptoms

in clinical conditions

over a

long period of time, and even then, the results are conclusive.

So

it is

very

difficult to give

out ever having met the

man

a diagnosis with-

Boston incident became known, he treated

Sure,

I

was

When the

humor continued

me to

with char-

it

"People say I'm crazy.

in there, but they let

His sense of

in-

in question.

Thelonious was very discreet on the subject.

acteristic evasiveness:

ar-

others remain obscure. These

can only be studied

illnesses

can be

classifications

nately resists any form of generalization. are

and

autistic,

have suffered from Tourette's

to

syndrome. But, obviously, such bitrary

was

Flaubert; Balzac

It's

mask

a reality which

consisted of more frequent hospital "rest cures"

from doctors. From the age of

not true.

out. ..."

sixty-five, his

and

visits

withdrawal

periods of several weeks, or even months, began to interrupt his lengthy world tours. People

was getting needed

rest,

and

knew

that

that he wasn't well.

Trumpet player Eddie Henderson was an

UCLA's Langley

Porter

Francisco in mid- 1969 hospital at the

Psychiatric

Institute

when Thelonious

accompanied by

Nellie.

and

II

San

precise

and

gives us excellent insight into the psy-

Monk's part

them.

When 202

in

performing

is

chiatric procedures of that period, as well as in

intern at

arrived at the

Monk was

Both Ends Club. Eddie's testimony

professional,

Monk

they brought

him

to the hospital,

Laurent de Wilde

Monk

was

wrapped up

in his

overcoat in a near-catatonic

His

state.

only perceptible movements were his eyes, the grinding of his teeth, and the hand on which he wore his famous

he turned

ring, as

break

time to time he would

"Monk know, Monk know," silence. He was put through all the

his silence to mutter,

then sink back into

standard test)

From

fist-up.

it

tests (the

Rorschach

test,

thematic apperception

The problem was

with no reaction on his part.

that

he suffered from deep inner turmoil. Consequently, the doctors had to advance to the next stage neuroleptics to the patient

vide all

And

relief.

the doctors

this

which were supposed

to pro-

where Henderson stepped

is

in.

Of

on duty, he was the only one who had

heard of Monk. a

— administering

He knew

wrong dosage on a

about the disastrous

patient.

According

of

assumed that The-

also

some extent and

lonious used narcotics to responsibility for him.

He

effect

offered to take

Eddie, the most

to

widely used neuroleptic at the time was Thorazine.

minimum

dosage was 50 milligrams and

oretically,

was

to "pacify" the patient for

its

The

effect, the-

approximately

twelve hours. As this dosage proved ineffective on Thelonious,

it

was gradually increased and

time, reached

ious

came

Doc!

I

the patient's to see

can't sleep.

Monk

is

life is

the

maximum

him again grinding .

.

was allowed

.

Can't you give

perform

in

tion that the trumpeter

become

his

One

dosage, be-

a

little

more?"

town on the condichaperone for the

night he arrived at the club with the three

He went up

drained the

"Hey,

his teeth:

me

and a half grams of Thorazine coursing through tem.

initial

endangered. But Thelon-

to

week.

few days

3500 milligrams! Seventy times the

dosage! Thirty-five hundred

yond which

in a

glass,

to the bar,

ordered a

and proceeded

triple

his sys-

cognac,

to his dressing

room.

There he snorted a gram of coke, kindly provided by an

Fade

to

Black

II

203

admiring fan, before going onstage. Which takes us back to the scene I described earlier:

Monk

seated at the pi-

ano, sweating profusely and pressing the keys

down

with-

out producing the least sound. During the break, he went

back

to the bar

where Eddie was

"Good

his teeth,

sitting

and

said through

huh?"

set,

Each night the doctor would take Thelonious back As

the hospital.

given an

wasn't improving, he was

his condition

EEG. The

to

reading didn't point to any solution,

but seemed to indicate a heavy absorption of various

The

consultant performed the

recommended

for certain schizophrenic

drugs over a long period. next operation

cases: electroshock therapy.

violent procedure

was

The aim

of

this

an

to artifically trigger

from which the patient would emerge electrodes were placed

extremely

epileptic

feeling better.

fit

The

on Thelonious and they gave him

the juice.

Thelonious didn't move. In than ever, as

if

fact,

he became more rigid

that cruel stimulation increased his resis-

tance to treatment.

He ground

his

teeth.

"Stop!" If they went any further, they'd

Monk

remained

dition subsided

in the hospital for a

said,

him.

month. His con-

and once again he was

His perception of

state.

kill

Eddie

in a

reality, as illustrated

"normal"

by

his con-

stant oblique remarks, indicated an alert and functioning

According

individual.

Monk

ment,

suffered

to the

American medical

establish-

from "unclassified schizophrenia"

and, since his behavior didn't seem to be dangerous, he

was released

him back

to

into the custody of his wife,

New

The noose was and

Monk

moved

204

I

left

who brought

York. getting tighter. In the late 1960s, Nellie

their

apartment on 63rd Street and

into larger quarters in a

Laurent de Wilde

modern

building a few

blocks away. Then, in 1973, Pannonica offered the couple the top floor of her stately

home

in

New Jersey.

Nel-

exhausted from years of constant caring for her

lie,

husband, graciously accepted. They retreated into

this

secluded estate as into a castle stronghold with a draw-

And

bridge.

from the

there, sheltered

and

stares

began

sions of the outside world, Thelonious

intru-

his

long

descent into the dungeon of his distress.

Monk was "family

and

history";

having

suffered

seemed

to

was

father

his

suspected

from mental problems.

have begun

relatively late in

the age of twenty-seven,

He

He had

being picked up in airports.

His

a

of

attacks

from about

life,

and occurred with

regularity.

never served in the military. Confronted with such

a medical

file

today could

and the above

classify

Monk

description, a psychiatrist

as a hebephrenic, since his

schizophrenia didn't produce any perceptible delirium (hallucinations, voices), but

seemed

to

be negative, and

accompanied by symptoms of withdrawal and apathy. Moreover, hebephrenia

is

known

to

be the

which

state

precedes autism. This would provide one explanation for his final silence, fully

understanding

one way of rationalizing

it

without

it.

Monk's massive consumption of drugs made

Also,

agnosis even

more

difficult.

He had been

indiscriminately for a long time alcohol,

—

taking drugs

tranquilizers, cocaine,

speed (which would account for

awake

for three days at a time, followed

lapse),

and, most

likely, acid,

for that. I can't picture

him

di-

even

if

his

by a

he was a

staying

total collittle

old

as a heroin addict, with the

spoon, the works, and the rubber band, but he must have snorted some it

with

all

the

when rest.

it

was passed around

.

.

.

and mixed

Thelonious was not a one-drug man.

Fade

to

Black

II

205

He had

such a strong constitution he could tolerate

mixtures which would is

that drugs did get

kill

him

an

ox.

The

we can

least

say

into serious trouble.

In the pseudo-liberal and inevitably racist society of

New York

provided any cops

in the 1940s, drugs

who

had a grudge against blacks or jazz musicians with perfect pretext for

making

the

Although

their lives miserable.

was incapable of curbing the endemic devel-

legislation

opment of organized crime,

it

did have one useful pro-

vision for this type of case, aside

from prison: the famous

One wrong move by a musician and his revoked. He was then banned from per-

"cabaret card."

card could be

forming

in the city for

a period of time to be determined

by a judge. This was a simple and practical system just

had

to catch a jazz

musician with a

him. Doctors, lawyers, movie politicians, all

had

little

—you

dope on

businessmen, and

stars,

their secret shelf of substances

which

could open doors to heightened pleasures or parallel lives.

As

But

for the musician, that

early as 1948, Thelonious

would be too was arrested

sion of a marijuana joint. His card

month. So his time

it's

not surprising that

easy. for posses-

was revoked

we

for a

can't account for

during that period. Then, three years

later, in

1951, he was struck by a harder blow. Reports relating to this incident differ and, aside

made

from the

officer

who

the arrest, those involved were evasive about

What seems

certain

is

that

it.

Bud and Monk were mo-

tioned to pull their car over.

When

the officer ap-

proached them, Thelonious apparently threw a bag of heroin out of the it.

Only a month

window earlier,

female undercover agent

to avoid getting

Bud had had

caught with

a run-in with a

who had implored him

to sell

her a joint in order to arrest him for drug trafficking. So

206

II

Laurent de Wilde

this petty little

now seemed more

performance

setup than anything

a

like

else.

In any case, this incident resulted in a two-month sentence.

Two

imagine the

He had

months! Knowing Thelonious, you can

solid

of depression he must have been

state

in.

a wife and child, a career that he had been trying

earnestly to build,

and now he was labeled

a threat to society, and was put away. out, his cabaret card

was revoked

he was a second offender.

And when

barred from perform-

his livelihood.

Mr. Monk; surely you can find a job

serious,

watchman

Nothing

as a night

or an elevator operator, which would be

man

appropriate to a these pipe

he got

for nearly six years, as

He was

and from earning

ing in the city

as a criminal,

more

of your social condition. Give up

dreams of being a jazz musician and resume

the place in society which

you never should have

Nmeteen-fifty-one-fifty-seven:

Note contract,

his

work

The end

whole adventure with

left.

of his Blue

Prestige,

and a

for Riverside.

During

this entire period,

Thelonious was condemned to

silence.

Barred from play-

third of his

ing in public.

And

that's

not

card was reissued,

on

way

their

all:

in the fall of '58, a year after his

Monk, Rouse, and

the Baroness were

They stopped

to Philadelphia.

in a small

Delaware town where Thelonious got out of the Bentley to get a drink at a motel.

a big, silent black

But

man was

in

Delaware, the sight of

frightening.

They

didn't like

having blacks in the neighborhood to begin with. So

what happened? Someone

and when they

called the police, of course,

arrived, they

found

Monk

at the

You

of a Bentley. Blacks don't drive Bentleys. picture.

.

.

.

"Chief,

I

get the

got one here in a stolen car!

up, he looks like trouble. Handcuff

him

Fade

to

—

let

wheel

Hurry

him have

Black

I

207

— Resisting arrest. What's in the car? Well,

it:

verdict: a

isn't

if it

And

marijuana! Lock him up!" All that for a drink.

the

two-month sentence and a two-year suspension

of the cabaret card. This was going too

far.

This time,

however, the Baroness was with him. She had influence

and

social standing

Her lawyers

what jazz musicians

lacked.

quickly demolished the charges against The-

Four months

lonious.

was a

—just

and

close call

later, the

case

was dismissed. This

the only thing that saved

him was

the fact that now, because of his connections prestige as a musician, he

was too big a

fish for

and

his

a small-

time cop. Admittedly, though, drugs printed an indelible

on

his destiny.

enormous his

drug

There eventually came a time when

success habits.

overshadowed okay,

"It's

another raised

its

Thelonious Monk, the

it's

head.

demon was

Did drugs

trigger

to give

him

where no one

for relief.

Monk's mental problems? Or did

they act as a bandage for the ever-widening

which was forcing him possibly

know? And

then,

what

wound

Who

into total isolation?

could

role did his bitterness

play in his withdrawal from the world?

The

bitterness of

being black, and therefore considered a second-class izen.

The

bitterness of having

for too long

truths

the like

208

remained misunderstood

lies.

of the itinerant

Of having been

artist,

forced to lead

from one town

a trained bear, in conditions which

ingly worse, until his strength

was

having been dropped by

record

II

cit-

by a world which thrived on ready-made

and dissembled

life

laid

Now his mind would pay

the price for his addiction, to the point

knew anymore what drug

his

— and even excused

great jazz pianist." But as soon as one to rest,

mark

his last

Laurent de Wilde

to the next

became

finally

increas-

sapped.

Of

company which,

instead of carefully ist,

managing

had squeezed him

He would hausting

that he

right

to die

needed

up

as

him

aside.

It is

all,

why

should

perfectly understandable

rest.

to

vast, vital eagerness

it

to the end. After

on the job?

Yet there was

lumined

a lemon, then cast

have lived an intense, magnificent, and ex-

life

you have

like

the affairs of this great art-

his path,

be no

rest.

Once deprived of

and appetite

he was unable to

for

life

resist

which had

il-

the dark current

swept him away. Monk was awaiting

Fade

that

to

his death.

Black

209

13

Death

F rom the beginning, Monk dwelt with death. on

his shoulder, like Socrates'

cutting lie

down

perched

demon, and urged him

cast farther the nets of his spirit.

and obsessed him. He saw

It

it

the great musical

to

Death overwhelmed him at

work

all

around him,

minds of the time. Char-

Christian died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-

five, like

a candle that

favorite

drummer

subway

staircase,

is

after

blown

out.

Shadow Wilson,

Art Blakey, was thrown

his

down

a

supposedly murdered in sordid circum-

stances. Charlie Parker, veins scorched

by poison.

Billie

Holiday, destroyed by pain and heartbreak. Oscar Pettiford

drowned

years

later:

Bud, his

in alcohol.

And

then another batch a few

Coltrane, his liver eaten

his brother,

own. Bud,

away by

whose personal destiny

whom

he encouraged

cancer.

so resembled

in his early profes-

sional days, saying that if the kid didn't play, then

wouldn't, either. Bud,

when he

who was

he

struck by a nightstick

intervened between Thelonious and a cop, and

was prematurely plunged

a world of suffering,

into

dragged around from hospitals

then exiled

to nightclubs,

France where he struggled in vain to recover

to

for

life

and

on music

Bud

for music.

Monk

as deeply as

his glass enclosure,

the genius,

Bud

did;

who had

unspeakable

Joe

Guy

.

.

.

cousin Ronnie

.

.

out having seen

him and spoke

in his

own

whom Monk And

grief.

family, his

His father,

.

the fragile one, in

carried

all his

old

Coleman Hawkins, Elmo Hope,

buddies: Denzil Best,

And

mark

left his

neither the fury of Blakey,

nor the arrogance of Miles. Bud, to his final rest with

who

his taste

who

him grow up

to him. It

.

.

added an

mother and

his

died so nearby, with.

Death accompanied essential factor to his

understanding of time, and beseeched him to look

it

straight in the eye.

Monk was

devoid of vanity, and didn't consider that

tomorrow was any

haunted by the perfection of his music, and occupation was to accomplish

Which he

He was

better or worse than today.

it

as

his

only pre-

as

possible.

fast

did while he was young; by the age of thirty,

the die of his destiny

had been

cast.

Time took

care of

the details. His close contact with death gave

him a

of detachment which never ceases to amaze.

You

Monk saw his

get the impression that

life

sense

almost

constantly pass-

ing before his eyes.

He had no

and waited

music to be discovered, then suffered

for his

ten years later

when

it

his times,

was ignored. His supreme

men was an

ference to the time of other his being,

ascendancy over

and of his music. His

integral part of

late arrivals for concerts

were legendary. But that never bothered

his public,

recognized such delays as a necessity and not an

And when more

he

sat

down

indif-

at the piano,

who

who

insult.

could ever be

time-free? *

*

*

Death

I

211

A jazz

musician

pulse which

He

on

behind

Monk

But

it.

mastery of time

from

on top of the time, Hank Jones

is

Herbie Hancock

it,

it.

And

inside

is

everywhere

is

the contrary,

Ahmad

it is

much

rarer

when you

and

Jamal, nor the su-

lamp.

comes remodeled

own

of his linked,

I

is

It is

all

Wayne

the

a creative tool, a is

a

of in-

Shorter so accurately

a record at home, the music

itself

that

when you put

stops in the

room and

a

be-

hands.

game has

a price

—

that of defying

on such intimate terms with time, could

avoided relentlessly contemplating the depths oblivion?

what

is

only an end

can hear death

colors.

On

Time and death

are inseparably

and one cannot be conceived of without the

other. For

end

for Basie.

riskier enterprise: that

would add

I

in his

this essential

Monk have

it is

occupies space as effectively as a

record on, time

death. Being

unique.

listen to

room and

staircase or a

But

for that other

is

and quantifiable phenomenon which

venting time. Saxophonist

Monk

it

is

a necessity which dazzles the ear. No,

because

sort of audible

furnishes the

time. His

only a portion of his total music,

is

is

such that he seems to be emancipated

is

it is

striking

said that

same

at the

preme and minimal form of elegance

sign of a

right

the silence that he uses with such finesse

master of understatement,

more

is

Dexter Gordon

it,

not really the suspension of time, as

this silence

by the way he

all,

broadcasts a personal

recognizable amid a thousand others.

is

McCoy Tyner

above

identifiable,

is

expresses time in his music.

On

in

a duration if

it

if

it

is

not

finite?

And an

brings a duration to a finish. Yes,

Monk's music, but not with macabre

the contrary,

and powerful dialogue

I

hear

... a

it

as

an ancient, primitive,

form of the eternal combat,

fought hand-to-hand at each instant, whose stakes fade

and are renewed 212

II

constantly. In

Laurent de Wilde

Monk

I

can see a long

line

of

spirits

of which he

As man-statue, he seems and the

is

the imposing reincarnation.

to

contemplate both the past

future with the certitude that his destiny

sealed milleniums ago. His family

and

history,

his life

exhausted by fight,

him

binds

this battle,

is

and

the world,

to this mystery.

was its

And when,

he gave up without winning the

then death tightened

grip

its

and slowly suffocated

him.

Shut away

an

home

at the

time to

infinite

terrifying dialogue a

man

be released from time; of his

by

room weighed

his wife

and

Monk

of the Baroness,

Caught

die.

can experience, he seemed to

as if each

hour spent

in the silence

either a second or a century.

visited

by

took

most ancient and

in the

his children, six years

Aided passed

waiting for the end to come. Six years in bed, in a chair,

standing by the door, in a state of total indifference to the world around him. Barry Harris, also rible

was hospitably received by Nica,

spread

one

of Thelonious,

density like

who

still

at the time

recalls the ter-

a density whose power

a black hole in which thousands of stars sank,

after the other. It

is

told that even sitting

still

silent in

a room, he could close a door twenty feet

without

lifting

and

away

a finger. And, very rarely, you could hear

the piano resound to the chords of

Called Love," or

"My

blinds of his silence,

Ideal."

"What

Is

This Thing

Then Monk drew

and haunted the whole house by

the his

mere presence.

At the end of the 1970s, should you have been invited to dinner at Nica's,

few

stairs

you would be tempted

which lead

being buried

alive.

to the

Opening

to climb the

room where someone was the door,

you would make

out the figure of someone standing there, turning his

back on you. From the window, you could see the bright

Death

II

213

of

lights

New York on any

casts a pall

hard

City.

The

space of the room, which

living thing,

suddenly would turn as

as concrete. Fifty melodies

would begin

to squeal

in the darkness, a terrifying din forced into absolute

lence.

From

Each the

tiniest

would become perilous and

bottom of the

would reach snap.

gesture

this

tomb

You would hope movement, but

stairs,

like

vital.

the sound of conversation

a stretched wire, straining to

to see this it

si-

shadow make even

the

would remain motionless, and

mineral.

Prompted by a

Thelonious

final breath,

close the door.

Monk died of a cerebral hemorrhage on Feb-

ruary 17, 1982.

214

you would

Laurent de Wilde

BRASWELL MEMORIAL

LIB

5401 9100 109 866 9

Laurent

de Wilde was born in

Washington D.C. of French parents.

He graduated from the Ecole

normale superieure and spent seven

New York studying playing jazz. He has released six

years living in

and

albums: Off the Boat, Colors of

Odd and

Blue,

Manhattan, Open Changes

(which received the Django Reinhardt

award in 1993), The Back Burner, and Spoon-a-rhythm.

When

not leading

his

own group, de Wilde is

as

an accompanist, performing with

in

demand

Barney Wilen, Joshua Redman, Dee

Dee

Bridgewater, Aldo

Romano, and

He divides his and New York.

time between

others.

Paris

Cover Design: Eta Rottenberg, Neuwirth Associates Photo: Michael Ochs ARCHivEs/Venice,

&

Marlow/ ISBN

1-56924-7/

Distributed by Publishers

7

CA

MONK LAURENT DE WILDE NAMED BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE ACADEMIE DUJAZZ Laurent

is

one of the brilliant

finest jazz pianists

on the European

author and a good friend. Laurent

is

scene.

He is also a

cool."

T.S.MonkJr.

pianists talking with pianists

—

composition that echoes the rhythm of that time... in

its

.vivid, tonic,

an

insider's

view

sincerity

—

it

mocks 'the

a nervous

."

critics'.

.

Le Monde "His comprehension of the music of the immense Thelonious

is

and audacious. .And it is written in a lively and expressive language of the kind one expects of true books."

intimate, exact, limpid,

.

Guitare:

& Claviers

'Who better than a jazz musician to

serve as our guide

on a journey

into the strange and unusual world of this genius?"

"Passionate, his

Monk reads like

a novel or mystery."

Keyboards

ISBN 1-56924-740-4

9'781569"247402

Marlowe