Search - Thelonious Monk :: Straight No Chaser

Thelonious Monk stands as one of the great, oblique giants of 20th-century jazz. And while a single disc can never hope to encompass his triumphant art and eccentric, ultimately tragic personal life, this soundtrack offers up considerably more than merely a sketch of Monk's unvarnished genius. Launching from a sound bite ("Now I'm famous--ain't that a bitch?!") that tips listeners to the pianist-composer's troubled relationship with his own legacy, this anthology actually expands on the film (which centers around a trove of long-lost mid-'60s European tour footage). It offers up key studio and live recordings, a pair of rare, private solo performances ("Panonica" and a typically playful cover of "Lulu's Back in Town"), sprinkled with spare interview excerpts by Monk Jr. and sax player Charlie Rouse, a frequent late-'60s collaborator and member of the legendary octet featured here in three rare live European performances of "Epistrophy," "Evidence," and "I Hear You." Now expanded with the full, 11-plus-minute 1967 New York studio recording of the title track and newly annotated liner notes, this soundtrack serves as a compelling introduction to Monk's truly unique musical legacy--and, along with Bird, a tribute to executive producer Clint Eastwood's dedication to America's rich jazz history. --Jerry McCulley