Saturday 22nd October 2022, 14:00 – Concertzender Live. Pianist/composer Thelonious Sphere Monk was not only completely unique in the notes he chose. The term “unorthodox” is not enough to describe his piano playing. During performances he would often leave the piano to dance on the stage, or go to the bar to get a drink – his accompaniers would have to carry on without him. And during the learning of new complex pieces – both in the studio as in public – he would drive the band to despair
Monk had a definite ‘percussive’ approach to the keyboard – a piano style his wife Nellie called “Melodious Thunk” . In melody lines he struck every key separately. He played with flat fingers, with the non-playing fingers floating way above the keyboard. He split melodies over two fingers, one from the left and one from the right hand in turn. If you want to see this go to the Icons-dvd “Thelonious Monk Live in ’66”, also on YouTube. During these concert recordings in Norway and Denmark the camera mostly covers the piano.
In 1958 the Thelonious Monk Quartet plays the Five Spot Café in New York, with tenor Johnnie Griffin. A tasty combination. Griffin occasionally had problems. No rehearsals beforehand, no, straight to the stage. Monk had his new pieces written down, but they stayed in his pocket. Griffin was required to make the music very quickly by ear. Monk would start the melody, and after the first chorus Griffin had to just join in. It really tired him out, but this is not noticeable in his brilliant, energetic playing.
Light Blue is a simple, rather slow theme, with a shortened form of just eight bars. Monk is busy behind Griffin’s solo, also melodically. The saxophonist feels trapped in this. He can develop more freely when Monk dances or gets a drink from the bar.
Coming on the Hudson is a more complex composition in a faster tempo.
That tempo speeds up in the famous, often played by Monk himself and others Rhythm-A-Ning; an obvious AABA-vorm in 32 bars. The high tempo offers more opportunities for bass Ahmed Abdul-Malik and drummer Roy Haynes, who both solo. And after two chorusses Griffin can go completely free: the piano remains silent. (A dance?) In the piano solo we can recognise Monk’s stylistic figures: multiple repeated falling sequences of fifths, and a few melodic whole tones.
The Epistrophy theme closes this selection. Monk used this theme a lot to close his sets.
The Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall (1959) is one of the rare recordings of Monk with a larger ensemble. In the tentet – with horn and tuba – we find tenor Charlie Rouse. He remains Monk’s faithful sideman for ten years. Arranger of the Monk compositions is Hal Overton. The theme of Little Rootie Tootie starts with two melodic motiefs, followed by starkly contrasting, biting dissonances. Three quarters of the way through the piece there’s a note-for-note orchestration of an original pianosolo by Monk. A special passage!
Then we go to the West Coast. Thelonious Monk Quartet at the Blackhawk (San Fancisco 1960), a sextet with Charlie Rouse. Rouse didn’t have it easy in Four in One, in which the 32 bars of the standard AABA scheme are very full of notes .
Epistrophy to finish with – of the set, and of this interesting episode.
Go to the Guide for the full play list.
This programme is part 1 of a double bill. Part 2 next week, 29th October, 14:00.
Concertzender Live – Jaap van de Klomp
