Comments on: All reet!

All reet!

ericbop — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:20:00 -0800

Thelonius Monk's advice to Steve Lacy (as transcribed by Lacy)

By: cimbrog

cimbrog — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:25:14 -0800

I dig it.

By: rageagainsttherobots

rageagainsttherobots — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:25:49 -0800

"It must always be night, otherwise they wouldn't need the lights." - My new quote.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:28:57 -0800

Eponysterical.

By: LN

LN — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:47:17 -0800

"Make the drummer look good". This has to be the absolute best advice I've ever heard. Don't ignore the people who are the foundation of your group in favour of the people getting all the limelight and attention; without a foundation, a house falls down. If Theolonius Monk wasn't my hero before, he is now.

By: Glow Bucket

Glow Bucket — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:54:31 -0800

Interestingly, Pynchon quotes Monk on the first page of "Against the Day" with this: "It's always night, or we wouldn't need light."

By: yazi

yazi — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:55:35 -0800

I saw Monk and his group once, at Village Vanguard... god knows the year (I was about 19-20). He was playing energetically toward the treble end of the keyboard, and slipped off the bench ! People in the audience were agog. Mutterings about drugs. THen, at the intermission, he peed in the next urinal to me, and all this night I felt that he was a human, a grown man, a force, that I would not "feel" or "understand" at my current level of awareness. I left that nite just knowing that I had seen him.... the "hearing" part seemed even less important at that time. He seemed to me on a different plane, another space, you name it. ... Charlie Rouse played brilliantly that nite.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:06:41 -0800

It goes without saying that Monk was an incredible genius who was underappreciated for too long, but let me give a shoutout to Steve Lacy, who still isn't sufficiently appreciated for his own greatness and who was one of the few people who could consistently play Monk well (i.e. putting his own slant on it without its ceasing to be Monk). Check out his Monk recordings, especially Reflections, one of the most beautiful things ever set to ~~vinyl~~ whatever the kids are playing music on these days.

By: barrett caulk

barrett caulk — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:20:12 -0800

i'm trying to imagine lacy still needing advice after tangling with cecil taylor in the mid-fifties (and just how come 'jazz advance' [blue note 1956] isn't universally recognized as the first free jazz album anyway?). my favorite line: 'you've got to dig it to dig it, you dig?'. now that's hip shit.

By: kersplunk

kersplunk — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:20:41 -0800

Melodious Thunk

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:21:44 -0800

yazi: " at the intermission, he peed in the next urinal to me" Did you ask for an autograph? But seriously: that is probably the single coolest "brush with fame" anecdote I've ever heard. What makes Monk fascinating even amongst the ranks of jazz geniuses is that he didn't seem to require any period of artistic development. He just kinda showed up with this brilliant keyboard conception, refined it over a decade or so, then - apparently having said his piece - shut up and stayed home. I call that a paragon.

By: Outlawyr

Outlawyr — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:29:25 -0800

Good stuff, thanks for the post.

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:36:46 -0800

My favorite: "They tried to get me to hate white people, but someone would always come along and spoil it."

By: grounded

grounded — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:44:33 -0800

Some music just imagined. Love it.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:06:20 -0800

Whenever I hear about Thelonius, I think of that Bill Clinton interview (which may or may not be true).

By: Saxon Kane

Saxon Kane — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:07:27 -0800

My favorite: "A genius is the one most like himself."

By: kozad

kozad — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:56:20 -0800

I wouldn't be a piano player without the music of Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:57:30 -0800

filthy light thief: "which may or may not be true" It doesn't have the ring of truth. Clinton strikes me as more of a Herbie Hancock guy.

By: Lipstick Thespian

Lipstick Thespian — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:24:41 -0800

When you're swinging, swing some more. I think I get it now, everyone. Thanks for all of your help and assistance throughout the years, but I'm ascending now.

By: Alex Voyd

Alex Voyd — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:04:56 -0800

The advice about not playing everything hits home, I always did too much. Regeneration is pretty great, Roswell Rudd with Lacy.

By: rdone

rdone — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:42:20 -0800

Straight, No Chaser is an outstanding documentary with some real insights into Thelonius in his later years. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to dig an American original. Attention young MeFites: if you've never listened to the man's music, check out his late 40s recordings on The Best of the Blue Note Years. You will be able to hear what he meant by "imagined" music: Don't play everything (or every time); let some things go by. Some music just imagined. What you don't play can be more important than what you do. Words to live by.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:45:46 -0800

The Bill Clinton inteview remark about "the loneliest monk" was asked by Tabitha Soren on MTV in 1992.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:48:43 -0800

Actually, in the NYT article she denies that she ever said it.

By: Foosnark

Foosnark — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:03:25 -0800

This is awesome.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:53:40 -0800

Regeneration is pretty great, Roswell Rudd with Lacy. I was just listening to that! A wonderful record, as is Rudd's Flexible Flyer (from 1974, with Sheila Jordan, Hod O'Brien, Barry Altschul, and Arild Andersen). Don't play everything (or every time); let some things go by. Some music just imagined. What you don't play can be more important than what you do. That is indeed one of the all-time great artistic statements, applicable to just about any art. "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter..."