Music in Monk Time

Last updated
Music in Monk Time
Music in Monk Time poster.jpg
Directed byJohn Goodhue
Screenplay by Jon Hendricks and Stephen Rice
Based onthe life and music of Thelonious Monk
Produced byPaul Matthews and Stephen Rice
Starring
Edited byRobert Burden
Music by Thelonious Monk
Production
companies
Songfilms International, Inc.
Distributed byDevillier-Donegan Enterprises
Release date
May 13, 1983
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Music in Monk Time is a 1983 American documentary film about improvisational jazz pianist Thelonious Monk and his music. Its full name is Music in Monk Time: A Retrospective Tribute to Thelonious Sphere Monk. [1] Although the film did not receive widespread distribution, it was praised by many film and music critics.

Contents

Production and content

Thelonious Monk in 1947. Photo by William P. Gottlieb. Thelonious Monk, Minton's Playhouse, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1947 (William P. Gottlieb 06191).jpg
Thelonious Monk in 1947. Photo by William P. Gottlieb.

Planning for the film began within weeks of Monk's death in 1982. The production company, Songfilms, had a history producing successful music videos, and the firm was a partnership between Paul Matthews and Stephen Rice. [2] The Los Angeles Herald Examiner reported that "Much hard work and detectivelike stealth went into the making of" the film. [3] Many calls across the Atlantic resulted in the NRK, the Norwegian government broadcasting company, releasing black and white film of Monk performing there in 1965. [4] The producers were also able to obtain film of a 1970 performance, also in black and white, of Monk playing solo in a TV studio in Paris. [3] The Paris performance "shows us Monk's face dripping with sweat and his fingers percussively poking and stabbing the keys as he creates his unique world of sound." [5]

Jon Hendricks agreed to narrate the film in "a bubbly, streetwise manner" and also sang "In Walked Bud", repeating his contribution to Monk's Underground album. [3] Monk had called Hendricks "the only one I want to lyricize my music," [6] and Hendricks was the only vocalist ever to record with Monk. [7]

The producers were able to obtain many still photos of Monk, which were difficult to obtain since many photos had been lost in fires at Monk's apartments. [3] These photos serve to "paint a picture of the man and his milieu", according to one critic. [5] Musicians who respected Monk and worked with him performed for the film, including solos by Dizzy Gillespie and Milt Jackson, with Carmen McRae singing Hendricks' lyrics to Monk's classic "'Round Midnight".

Notable showings

Music in Monk Time had its world premiere at the Reseda Country Club in May, 1983. Chick Corea opened for the film, with a band that included Chuck Mangione and drummer John Dentz. The trio played Monk compositions for an hour, and then the film was shown. [8] The film was also shown at the Video Gallery in San Francisco in March, 1985. The film's narrator, Jon Hendricks, appeared in person to discuss the film and Monk and his music. [9] The film was a featured presentation at the National Educational Film and Video Festival in Oakland, California in May, 1990. [10] The film was distributed in Europe and Japan [5] [4] but was never widely shown in the United States. In June, 2021, the film was broadcast online as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. [11] SFJAZZ originally premiered the film in 1985. [12]

Critical reception

Writing in the Los Angeles Times , jazz critic Leonard Feather called the documentary "surely the best jazz film in at least 25 years" and "an affectionate tribute, exquisitely expressed in words and music." [13] A review in the Los Angeles Daily News said that the film "stands today as one of the greatest jazz films ever made", a "masterful piece of work", and "the model for future jazz film endeavors." [8] In the Peninsula Times Tribune , a reviewer wrote, "The film's most outstanding attribute is its commitment to let Monk's own music stand as a kind of musical biography." [14] The same reviewer later wrote that the film's "aggregate effect makes it one of the most honest and moving films about jazz in several decades. Above all, the film presents a complete impression of Monk - as a musician and as a human being." [15] Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle , a reviewer said that the film is a "superbly crafted documentary that tells the story of his art by deftly mixing footage of Monk performances with interviews with musicians and family, still photographs, live performances of Monk's music by musicians who'd worked with him, and Jon Hendrick's pithy, lyrical narration." [5] A jazz reviewer for the San Francisco Examiner called the film "a warm, loving memorial." [10]

Awards

In 1984, the film won a bronze medal at the New York Film Festival. [16] In 1985, the film was a finalist in the Best Performance Film category at the Rose d'Or festival in Montreux.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelonious Monk</span> American jazz pianist and composer (1917–1982)

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. 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". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby McFerrin</span> American jazz singer and conductor

Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. is an American jazz singer and songwriter. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion. He is widely known for performing and recording regularly as an unaccompanied solo vocal artist. He has frequently collaborated with other artists from both the jazz and classical scenes.

Thelonious Monster is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, led by singer-songwriter Bob Forrest and named after jazz musician Thelonious Monk. Active from 1984 to 1994, again from 2004 to 2011, and reforming a second time in 2019, the band has released five original studio albums. The band has a large cult following and is considered to be a seminal and influential band in the 1980's L.A. underground music scene, alongside acts like Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They've been described as having "traced emotional dips and bends with exceptional acuity and impact".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Hendricks</span> American jazz lyricist and singer (1921–2017)

John Carl Hendricks, known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists, such as the big-band arrangements of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He is considered one of the best practitioners of scat singing, which involves vocal jazz soloing. Jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called him the "Poet Laureate of Jazz", while Time dubbed him the "James Joyce of Jive". Al Jarreau called him "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet—maybe that's ever been".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Lloyd (jazz musician)</span> American jazz musician (born 1938)

Charles Lloyd is an American jazz musician. Though he primarily plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has occasionally recorded on other reed instruments, including alto saxophone and the Hungarian tárogató. Lloyd's primary band since 2007 has been a quartet including pianist Jason Moran, acoustic bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Jazz Festival</span> Annual music festival in California since 1958

The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz disc jockey Jimmy Lyons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Moran (musician)</span> American jazz pianist, composer, educator (born 1975)

Jason Moran is an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator involved in multimedia art and theatrical installations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renee Rosnes</span> Canadian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger

Irene Louise Rosnes, known professionally as Renee Rosnes, is a Canadian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SFJAZZ Collective</span> Musical artist

The SFJAZZ Collective is an American jazz ensemble comprising nine performer/composers, launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, a West Coast non-profit jazz institution and the presenter of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Zenón</span> Puerto Rican alto saxophonist

Miguel Zenón is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, band leader, music producer, and educator. He is a multiple Grammy Award nominee, and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree in the Arts from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. Zenón has released many albums as a band leader and appeared on over 100 recordings as a sideman.

<i>Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall</i> 1997 live album by Clint Eastwood and The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band

Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall is a two-disc live album by American actor Clint Eastwood and various jazz musicians. Released on April 29, 1997, by Warner Bros. Records, it compiles material from Eastwood's film scores—including Play Misty for Me (1971), Honkytonk Man (1982), Bird (1988), Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988), and White Hunter Black Heart (1990)—performed by some of the most reputable practitioners of jazz. Issued five months after the concert, Eastwood After Hours coincided with celebrations for Eastwood's contributions to jazz, and was overseen by producer Bruce Ricker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gretchen Parlato</span> American jazz singer

Gretchen Parlato is an American jazz singer and two-time Grammy nominee. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz</span> Non-profit music education organization

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Esther Marrow</span> American soul and gospel singer

Queen Esther Marrow is an American soul and gospel singer.

"In Walked Bud" is a 1947 jazz composition by Thelonious Monk. It was composed by Monk in honor of his friend, fellow pianist Bud Powell, and based in part on the Irving Berlin standard "Blue Skies". Monk recorded many renditions of "In Walked Bud" throughout his career, and it has been covered numerous times by other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dmitri Matheny</span> Musical artist

Dmitri Matheny is an American jazz flugelhornist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SFJAZZ Center</span> American all-ages music venue

The SFJAZZ Center is an all-ages music venue in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, California, that opened in January 2013. It is considered the "first free-standing building in America built for jazz performance and education." It is home to SFJAZZ, a not-for-profit organization that both presents and facilitates jazz education in the San Francisco Bay Area. SFJAZZ has, since 1983, produced the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and since 2004, the SFJAZZ Collective. The SFJAZZ season, in addition to the SFJAZZ-produced San Francisco Jazz Festival and Summer Sessions, includes over 400 performances annually in the San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Stewart (saxophonist)</span> American saxophonist

Robert Darrin Stewart is an American saxophonist. He recorded several albums under his own name during the period 1994–2006. He has also recorded as a sideman, including on trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' Blood on the Fields. Stewart went on multiple national and world tours during his 30-year career as a performer, both under his own name and with the Marsalis band.

<i>Make It Funky</i> (film) 2005 American documentary film

Make It Funky! is a 2005 American documentary film directed, written and co-produced by Michael Murphy. Subtitled in the original version as "It all began in New Orleans", the film presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz. The film was scheduled for theatrical release in September 2005, but was pulled by distributor Sony Pictures Releasing so that they did not appear to take commercial advantage of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

References

  1. ↑ Sheridan, Chris (2001). Brilliant Corners: A Bio-discography of Thelonious Monk. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 333. ISBN   978-0-313-30239-8.
  2. ↑ "Songfilms: Taking A Fresh Approach to Video Project". Music Connection . Glendale, California. March 4, 1982.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Weiss, David (May 13, 1983). "A belated but worthy tribute to Thelonious Monk: The late jazz pianist honored with documentary and concert". Los Angeles Herald Examiner .
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Ted (March 8, 1985). "Thelonious Monk film in SF". Contra Costa Times . Walnut Creek, California.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hamlin, Jesse (February 23, 1985). "Monk, Historic Jazz in two films here". San Francisco Chronicle .
  6. ↑ Kelley, Robin (2009). Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. Free Press. p. 394. ISBN   9781439190494.
  7. ↑ "Jazz Great Jon Hendricks Introduces "Music in Monk Time"". Newsletter. San Francisco Video Gallery. January 1985.
  8. 1 2 Liska, A. James (May 1983). "'Monk Time' shows as masterpiece". Los Angeles Daily News .
  9. ↑ Elwood, Philip (March 7, 1985). "Rare footage captures Monk's music, times". San Francisco Examiner . Vol. 120, no. 231. p. E5 (archive p. 59). Retrieved December 29, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Elwood, Philip (May 25, 1990). "'Monk Time' videofilm a rare gem". San Francisco Examiner . pp. C-15.
  11. ↑ "Music in Monk Time". Virtual San Francisco Jazz Festival 2021. SFJAZZ Center. 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021. "Thelonious Sphere Monk was one of the few real geniuses of American music. The film captures that genius with a frequency and a communicative power rare for cinema in general..." - Stanley Crouch, Village Voice
  12. ↑ LaSalle, Mick (May 18, 2021). "SFJazz festival going virtual for second year in a row, this time with a twist". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  13. ↑ Feather, Leonard (May 14, 1983). "Affectionate Tribute to Monk". The Los Angeles Times . Vol. CII, no. 162. p. Calendar-4 (archive p. 68). Retrieved January 12, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Johnson, William (March 7, 1985). "Thelonious Monk gets his due even if it's late". Peninsula Times Tribune . Palo Alto.
  15. ↑ Johnson, Bill (April 8, 1987). "How PBS botched its chance at a good Monk special". Peninsula Times Tribune . Palo Alto.
  16. ↑ Cahill, Greg (March 9, 1985). "Local music video producers hope to find gold in long-form music projects". Marin Independent Journal .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.