Jan 09 2007
The Genius of Thelonious Monk, Part I
A couple days ago, I posted a video of John Coltrane’s classic, classic, rendition of “My Favorite Things.” It got me thinking of all the great jazz artists that really should be discussed — en todo — before I even consider discussing some of the newer music I’m interested in. Shit, if my dad knew about my apparent musical priorities on this blog, he’d have a fucking conniption fit.
My dad used to have over 3000 jazz records, and I’m guessing another 1000 recordings via reel-to-reel tapes. When I was younger, my sister and I were often forced to disregard the TV in lieu of sitting and listening to the jazz greats, including, among others, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie (I always loved how he puffed out his cheeks), Dave Brubeck, Charlie Parker, Herb Albert (and the Tijuana Brass), and of course, the genius of Thelonious Monk.
I truly didn’t come to appreciate much of that music until after I had left home for college. Indeed, I was far too rebellious to openly acknowledge that I adored the same music as my parents while I was still living under their roof. My dad absolutely lives jazz. Although my tastes are a bit more diverse, I feel the same way about music. However, even now, I still find it difficult talking about how I sacrificed my own enjoyment of my dad’s music simply to be obstinate. Frankly, I’m too ashamed of how big of a prick I was to my dad when I was a kid.
That being said, I would be remiss and disrespectful to both my dad and the music if I failed now to post this signature piece from Thelonious Monk. Where Coltrane was an innovative genius on the saxophone, Monk was plain scary on the piano – coming up with riffs than other musicians of the time thought impossible (and many still can’t play today).
Turn off your television. Listen and enjoy. And then listen again. This is Monk.
Rhythm-a-ning – The Thelonious Monk Quartet
Yet again, I’m going back through some of these videos and learning that several, including Rhythm-a-ning. So, I’m replacing it with another Monk classic – “Blue Monk.” I’m just wondering how long YouTube will be online if it keeps enforcing ridiculous copyright provisions. Oh well, nature abhors a vacuum.
3 Responses to “The Genius of Thelonious Monk, Part I”
(I don’t know if my last comment submitted correctly. Anyway…)
I love Thelonious Monk and this post is made of win. =)
Excellent work. Sounds like your dad and mine have something in common. I remember as a kid, every Christmas or birthday I would ask for Soundgarden or Metallica or Fugazi albums. My dad would then gleefully present me with Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery or Miles Davis CD’s. At first, I was annoyed. But now, I’m forever grateful.
Thanks fs!
TK, Yep, sounds familiar. Ironically, my dad and I still have problems with “musical distribution.” Now, however, it’s not the music itself. Over the holidays, my dad just sent me a cassette tape with John Hodges, Coltrane, Miles, Buddy Greco, and more. The problem? I don’t own a cassette player. D’oh.