Thanks for more jazz education, Brett. I love hearing that Monk was a mysterious figure given to long silences, more proof for me that behind so many intense artistry lies deep introspection, something we have chalked off over the centuries as eccentricity, and yet is is this very "eccentricity" that sets genius above the rest of us.
T. S. in the ‘90s. I remember him telling me that Monk was the only person in jazz who could not be imitated. He said that your job in jazz is to be yourself, and no one did that better than Monk.
I believe his title “Ugly Beauty” best expresses his uniqueness.
Very cool, good to hear! No doubt ‘twas an interesting interview - if was for a mag or journal and you’re able to share, would love to read it. TS is such a nice guy & talented drummer, met him a couple of times but not for an extended interview.
Unfortunately it was a segment for public radio, and I have no transcript of the interview. I have a DAT tape but no longer anyway to play it! A fad of the early ‘90s.
Thanks, Bret - enjoyed the article very much and the film was very interesting / to see the foreign spelling of the band names, etc., in the credits and the funny images at the very beginning too.
One of my main regrets in life was not becoming aware of Thelonious enough to see him at the Frog & Nightgown jazz club in Raleigh when I was growing up there in the 60s/ early 70s. I’ve read the interesting details about his club gig there in the excellent Monk biography by Robin D.G. Kelley. I subsequently saw a lot of great bands there and then finally made it to NYC to see Monk’s Quartet at Avery Fisher Hall, Summer of 1975.
His sax player that night was Paul Jeffrey who later moved to NC to become the jazz teacher at Duke Univ & hired me to play drums w/ his local combo for a Duke frat house party gig early 90s when I was a volunteer for a lot of Durham/Chapel Hill community jazz concerts, incl initial formation of the Monk Institute.
Thanks for more jazz education, Brett. I love hearing that Monk was a mysterious figure given to long silences, more proof for me that behind so many intense artistry lies deep introspection, something we have chalked off over the centuries as eccentricity, and yet is is this very "eccentricity" that sets genius above the rest of us.
I interviewed Monk’s son
T. S. in the ‘90s. I remember him telling me that Monk was the only person in jazz who could not be imitated. He said that your job in jazz is to be yourself, and no one did that better than Monk.
I believe his title “Ugly Beauty” best expresses his uniqueness.
Very cool, good to hear! No doubt ‘twas an interesting interview - if was for a mag or journal and you’re able to share, would love to read it. TS is such a nice guy & talented drummer, met him a couple of times but not for an extended interview.
Unfortunately it was a segment for public radio, and I have no transcript of the interview. I have a DAT tape but no longer anyway to play it! A fad of the early ‘90s.
Understandable, no worries!
Thanks, Bret - enjoyed the article very much and the film was very interesting / to see the foreign spelling of the band names, etc., in the credits and the funny images at the very beginning too.
One of my main regrets in life was not becoming aware of Thelonious enough to see him at the Frog & Nightgown jazz club in Raleigh when I was growing up there in the 60s/ early 70s. I’ve read the interesting details about his club gig there in the excellent Monk biography by Robin D.G. Kelley. I subsequently saw a lot of great bands there and then finally made it to NYC to see Monk’s Quartet at Avery Fisher Hall, Summer of 1975.
His sax player that night was Paul Jeffrey who later moved to NC to become the jazz teacher at Duke Univ & hired me to play drums w/ his local combo for a Duke frat house party gig early 90s when I was a volunteer for a lot of Durham/Chapel Hill community jazz concerts, incl initial formation of the Monk Institute.
Thelonius, Alvin Ailey, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix. Yeah.
Though an icon in music he remains entirely overlooked in the world of dance.