After extended negotiations, Monk signed in 1962 with Columbia Records, one of the big four American record labels of the day. [24][25] Other theories abound: Leslie Gourse, author of the book Straight, No Chaser: The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk (1997), reported that at least one of Monk's psychiatrists failed to find evidence of manic depression (bipolar disorder) or schizophrenia. [29] His solos also feature space and long notes. From 'Underground'. They found narcotics in the car, presumed to have belonged to Powell. I mean literally maybe two words. He sent word back after the tour was over that the reason he couldn't communicate or play was that Art Blakey and I were so ugly. Monk continued to record studio albums, including Criss Cross, also in 1963, and Underground, in 1968. He died of a stroke on February 17, 1982, and was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. He attended Stuyvesant High School, a public school for gifted students, but did not graduate.[11]. In addition to hosting an annual International Jazz Competition since 1987, the institute also helped, through its partnership with UNESCO, designate April 30, 2012, as the first annual International Jazz Day. unabhängig & vielseitig seit 1987. In the film, Monk's son says that his father sometimes did not recognize him, and he reports that Monk was hospitalized on several occasions owing to an unspecified mental illness that worsened in the late 1960s. Down Beat 01-2016 Digital Edition Jazz fans will hopefully soon be able to discover something new from Theloni-ous Monk and John Coltrane again. [6] In the early to mid-1940s, he was the house pianist at Minton's Playhouse, a Manhattan nightclub. Thelonious Monk and Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter get into her Bentley outside the Five Spot cafe, New York, 1964. A brother, Thomas, was born in January 1920. Thelonious Sphere Monk (/ ... A daughter, Barbara (affectionately known as Boo-Boo), was born in 1953 and died of cancer in 1984. The name was later changed to The Mad Monkfish. Although this severely restricted his ability to perform for several years, a coterie of musicians led by Randy Weston introduced Monk to Black-owned bars and clubs in Brooklyn that flouted the law, enabling the pianist to play little-advertised, one-night engagements throughout the borough with a modicum of regularity. As had been the case with Riverside, his period with Columbia contains many live albums, including Miles and Monk at Newport (1963), Live at the It Club, and Live at the Jazz Workshop, the latter two recorded in 1964, the last not being released until 1982. In 1954, Monk participated in a Christmas Eve session, which produced most of the albums Bags' Groove and Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants by Davis. [10] A brother, Thomas, was born in January 1920. Thelonious Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in North Carolina to Thelonious and Barbara Monk. Bassist McKibbon, who had known Monk for over twenty years and played on his final tour in 1971, later said: "On that tour, Monk said about two words. The guitar is a 1946 gibson ES 300. His last studio recordings as a leader were made in November 1971 for the English Black Lion label, near the end of a worldwide tour with the Giants of Jazz, a group which included Gillespie, Kai Winding, Sonny Stitt, Al McKibbon, and Art Blakey. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. When he was 4, his family relocated to Manhattan, in New YorkCity, where he lived for nearly 50 years. His style was not universally appreciated; the poet and jazz critic Philip Larkin dismissed him as "the elephant on the keyboard". Although the police were authorized to search the vehicle and found narcotics in suitcases held in the trunk of the Baroness's car, Judge Christie of the Delaware Superior Court ruled that the unlawful detention of the pair, and the beating of Monk, rendered the consent to the search void as given under duress.[17]. It is Monk's concerto, if you will, and in some ways it speaks for itself. Thelonious Sphere Monk (Rocky Mount, North Carolina 10th October 1917 - Hartsdale, New York 17th February 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer.. This page was last edited on 4 January 2021, at 02:50. Monk's relationship with Riverside had soured over disagreements concerning royalty payments and had concluded with a brace of European live albums; he had not recorded a studio album since 5 by Monk by 5 in June 1959. Columbia's resources allowed Monk to be promoted more heavily than earlier in his career. His poorly written birth certificate misspelled his first name as "Thelious"[9] or "Thelius". In February 1948, she wrote to Ralph Ingersoll, the editor of the newspaper PM, and described Monk as "a genius living here in the heart of New York, whom nobody knows". In 1922, the family moved to 243 West 63rd Street, in Manhattan. Certainly the Grammy-winning cover art -- which depicts Monk as a World War II French revolutionary toting an automatic weapon -- gave the establishment more than the brilliant swinging sounds in the grooves to consider. "In Walked Bud", based in part on the Irving Berlin standard "Blue Skies", was composed by Monk in honor of his friend and fellow pianist Bud Powell.Many biographies have cited "In Walked Bud" as Monk's gratitude for Powell's actions in his defense during a police raid of the Savoy Ballroom in 1945. Africa Speaks, America Answers originated several years ago as the Nathan I. Huggins Lectures sponsored by the W. E. B. "So, the boppers worked out a music that was hard to steal. Monk started playing the piano at the age of six, taking lessons from a neighbor, Alberta Simmons, whose own performing career was cut short by raising children and who taught him stride playing in the style of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and Eubie Blake. Little of this group's music was documented owing to contractual problems: Coltrane was signed to Prestige at the time, but Monk refused to return to his former label. His mother also taught him to play some hymns, and he would sometimes accompany her singing at church. His compositions constitute the core of jazz repertory and are performed by artists from many different genres. He didn't say 'Good morning,' 'Goodnight,' 'What time?' In his autobiography, Miles, Davis claimed that the alleged anger and tension between them did not take place and that the claims of blows being exchanged were "rumors" and a "misunderstanding". He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". All of his many blues compositions, including "Blue Monk," "Misterioso," "Blues Five Spot," and "Functional," were composed in B flat; in addition, his signature theme, "Thelonious," largely consists of an insistently repeated B-flat tone.[31]. Monk did not form another long-term band until June 1958 when he began a second residency at the Five Spot, again with a quartet, this time with Griffin (and later Charlie Rouse) on tenor, Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums. "[27], According to Bebop: The Music and Its Players author Thomas Owens, "Monk's usual piano touch was harsh and percussive, even in ballads. [20] The cover article was originally supposed to run in November 1963, but it was postponed due to the assassination of President John F. He often attacked the keyboard anew for each note, rather than striving for any semblance of legato. Monk married Nellie Smith the same year, and on December 27, 1949 the couple had a son, T. S. Monk (called Toot), who became a jazz drummer. Its mission is to offer public school-based jazz education programs for young people around the globe, helping students develop imaginative thinking, creativity, curiosity, a positive self-image, and a respect for their own and others' cultural heritage. Monk's unique piano style and his talent as a composer made >him a leader in the development of modern jazz. He started to learn how to play piano by watching his sister practice. He was also noted for an idiosyncratic habit during performances: while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano. The guy has two left hands.' [28] He also had good finger independence, allowing him to play a melodic line and a trill simultaneously in his right hand. A brother, Thomas, was born a couple of years later. After the departure of Ore and Dunlop, the remainder of the rhythm section in Monk's quartet during the bulk of his Columbia period was Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums, both of whom joined in 1964. She proved to be a steadfast presence, as did his own wife Nellie, especially as his life descended into further isolation. The Five Spot residency ended Christmas 1957; Coltrane left to rejoin Davis's group, and the band was effectively disbanded. [3], The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars stating "Tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford works surprisingly well with Blake, whose phrasing and use of space are unusual, while his interpretations are sometimes based on the feeling he gets from song titles rather than the chord changes... Another intriguing Ran Blake set".[4]. In August 1951, New York City police searched a parked car occupied by Monk and his friend Bud Powell. It also did not list his middle name, taken from his maternal grandfather, Sphere Batts. 1949) Daughter: Barbara (b. 1953, d. 1984) High School: Stuyvesant High School, New York City, NY (dropout) Conservatory: Juilliard School of Music American Federation of Musicians Local 802 (Mar-1939) [12] Monk is believed to be the pianist featured on recordings Jerry Newman made around 1941 at the club. Monk was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. As a result, one of PM's best writers visited Monk to do a feature on him, but Monk wouldn't speak to the reporter unless Gordon was in the room with him. In 1947, Ike Quebec introduced Monk to Lorraine Gordon and her first husband, Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records. The announcement came as the organization revealed this year's additions to its Na … Monk had disappeared from the scene by the mid-1970s and made only a small number of appearances during the final decade of his life. "Art Blakey: Bu's Delights and Laments," by John B Litweiler in Downbeat magazine, March 25, 1976. assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Light Blue: Arthur Blythe Plays Thelonious Monk, Monk Suite: Kronos Quartet Plays Music of Thelonious Monk, Thelonious Sphere Monk: Dreaming of the Masters Series Vol. His musical vision was both ahead of its time and deeply "[21] A different side of Monk is revealed in Lewis Porter's biography, John Coltrane: His Life and Music; Coltrane states: "Monk is exactly the opposite of Miles [Davis]: he talks about music all the time, and he wants so much for you to understand that if, by chance, you ask him something, he'll spend hours if necessary to explain it to you. Along with Rouse, they remained with Monk for over four years, his longest-serving band. Monk was showcased at the club for a week, but not a single person came.[13]. No reports or diagnoses were ever publicized, but Monk would often become excited for two or three days, then pace for days after that, after which he would withdraw and stop speaking. Cover: Rokia Traoré, ‹Offbeat Series 2016/2017› u S. 36. Monk famously said, "The piano ain't got no wrong notes. A daughter, Barbara (affectionately known as Boo-Boo), was born on September 5, 1953 and died of cancer in 1984. Monk was basically a private man. Often seemingly unintentional seconds embellish his melodic lines, giving the effect of someone playing while wearing work gloves. ProgrammZeitung CHF 8.40 | EUR 8.00. This release has long been considered Thelonious Monk's acknowledgement to the flourishing youth-oriented subculture from whence the collection takes its name. [14], In 1954, Monk paid his first visit to Paris. [6] Much of Monk's style (in the Harlem stride tradition) was developed during his time at Minton's, when he participated in after-hours cutting contests, which featured many leading jazz soloists of the time. He willingly recorded two albums of jazz standards as a means of increasing his profile: Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington (1955) and The Unique Thelonious Monk (1956). 2002-06-28 04:00:00 PDT New York-- Nellie Monk, who as the wife of the jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was the prime supporter and muse of a … In September of the same year, Lorraine approached Max Gordon, the owner and founder of the Village Vanguard jazz club, and secured Monk his first gig there. After intermittent recording sessions for Blue Note from 1947 to 1952, Monk was under contract to Prestige Records for the following two years. "[28] In contrast with this unorthodox approach to playing, he could play runs and arpeggios with great speed and accuracy. When Monk refused to answer the policemen's questions or cooperate with them, they beat him with a blackjack. In 1922, the family moved to the Phipps Houses, 243 West 63rd Street, in Manhattan, New York City; the neighborhood was … Certainly the Grammy-winning cover art -- which depicts Monk as a World War II French revolutionary toting an automatic weapon -- gave the establishment more than the brilliant swinging sounds in the grooves to consider. Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington. With the arrival Thelonious Sphere Monk, modern music— let alone modern culture—simply hasn’t been the same. [23], The documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) attributes Monk's quirky behavior to mental illness. Thelonious Sphere Monk (/ θ ... A daughter, Barbara (affectionately known as Boo-Boo), was born on September 5, 1953 and died of cancer in 1984. This release has long been considered Thelonious Monk's acknowledgement to the flourishing youth-oriented subculture from whence the collection takes its name. Nellie Monk, who as the wife of the jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was the prime supporter and muse of a troubled genius, died on Tuesday at … Monk. The Women Who Made Thelonious Monk : A Blog Supreme Robin D.G. Children: son Thelonious Monk Jr. and daughter Barbara Monk. Advertisement. Nellie Monk, Self: Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser. When Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. graciously invited me to deliver the lectures in the spring of 2003, I was hard at work on a biography of the jazz pianist and com- poser Thelonious Monk. Mary Lou Williams, who mentored Monk and his contemporaries, spoke of Monk's rich inventiveness in this period, and how such invention was vital for musicians, since at the time it was common for fellow musicians to incorporate overheard musical ideas into their own works without giving due credit. It also did not list his middle name, taken from his maternal grandfather, Sphere Batts. [30] A further characteristic of his work as an accompanist was his tendency to stop playing, leaving a soloist with just bass and drums for support. 'This man's a genius, you don't know anything. I've seen them in Minton's busily writing on their shirt cuffs or scribbling on the tablecloth. ... who is a jazz drummer. Thelonious Monk With the arrival Thelonious Sphere Monk, modern music—let alone modern culture--simply hasn’t been the same. One studio session by the quartet was made for Riverside, three tunes which were not released until 1961 by the subsidiary label Jazzland along with outtakes from a larger group recording with Coltrane and Hawkins, those results appearing in 1957 as the album Monk's Music. Trio Thelonious Monk Trio (Prestige, 1954), here in a Rudy Van Gelder remaster edition, is the early Monk and also amongst the most eternal of his albums. I was playing Bolivar Blues (of Thelonious Monk) along an Aebersold or Davis cd , seen by my daughter with the handy camera. An amateur fan recording from the Five Spot (a later September 1958 reunion with Coltrane sitting in for Johnny Griffin) was issued on Blue Note in 1993; and a pristine quality recording of the quartet performing at a Carnegie Hall concert on November 29 was recorded in high fidelity by Voice of America engineers, rediscovered in the collection of the Library of Congress in 2005 and released by Blue Note. In 1958 Monk and the baroness were stopped by the police in Delaware. red By e w Look for our July 2015 Issue - July 9th - Now in our 23nd Year. After having his cabaret card restored, Monk relaunched his New York career with a landmark six-month residency at the Five Spot Cafe in the East Village neighborhood of New York beginning in June 1957,[6] leading a quartet with John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Shadow Wilson on drums. Monk spent most of the early and mid-1950s composing, recording at Blue Note, and performing at theaters, outer borough clubs and out-of-town venues. The following tribute albums to Monk have been released: In 1993, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The album, however, was largely regarded as the first commercial success for Monk. Kelley's new, definitive biography of Thelonious Monk takes pains to acknowledge the support of … During The Library of Congress has announced the discovery of a previously un-known recording by the two jazzlegends. She was married to Thelonious Monk. Short Life of Barbara Monk is an album by the American jazz pianist Ran Blake featuring saxophonist Ricky Ford recorded in 1986 and released on the Italian Soul Note label. 1), which showcased his talents as a composer of original melodies for improvisation. Monk's style at this time was later described as "hard-swinging," with the addition of runs in the style of Art Tatum. They found narcotics in the car, presumed to have belonged to Powell. [6], Monk is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine (the others being Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington and Wynton Marsalis). "Crepuscule with Nellie," recorded in 1957, "was Monk's only, what's called through-composed composition, meaning that there is no improvising. Down Beat 01-2016 - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. [6] According to biographer Kelley, the 1964 Time appearance came because "Barry Farrell, who wrote the cover story, wanted to write about a jazz musician and almost by default Monk was chosen, because they thought Ray Charles and Miles Davis were too controversial. From an early age, Monk had a strong interest in music. Monk was born 10th October 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of Thelonious and Barbara Monk, two years after his sister Marian. 2. Nellie Monk was born on December 27, 1921 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA as Nellie Smith. Monk's stated influences included Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and other early stride pianists. With Prestige, he cut several highly significant, but at the time under-recognized, albums, including collaborations with the saxophonist Sonny Rollins and the drummers Art Blakey and Max Roach. Thelonious Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In 1922, the family moved to the Phipps Houses, 243 West 63rd Street, in Manhattan, New York City; the neighborhood was known as San Juan Hill because of the many African-American veterans of the Spanish–American War who lived there (urban renewal displaced the long-time residents of the community, who saw their neighborhood replaced by the Amsterdam Housing Projects and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, though the Phipps Houses remained). [28], Monk often used parts of whole tone scales, played either ascending or descending, and covering several octaves. Oct 11, 2017 - Explore Robert Asherbraner's board "Thee Thelonious Monk" on Pinterest. 4: Marsalis Plays Monk, Melodious Monk: A New Look at An Old Master, "Thelonious Monk's Quiet, Slow Conquest of the World", "Looking At The Life And Times Of Thelonious Monk", https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/307789-the-piano-ain-t-got-no-wrong-notes, "Matthew Quayle: Introduction to the Round Midnight Variations", "MONK'estra – my new BIG BAND ‹ John Beasley", "GRAMMY.com — Lifetime Achievement Award", National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, "The 2006 Pulitzer Prize winners: Special Awards and Citations", Not So Misterioso: Robert Christgau on Monk, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk, Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall, Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thelonious_Monk&oldid=998158959, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.