Straight, No Chaser 4. The album was reissued on CD in 1996, including restored versions of previously abridged performances and three additional tracks. How important it is to the fans is shown by the high average vote it got before I voted. One of Monk’s greatest works. This film is a documentary of the late Thelonious Monk born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, who moved to Manhattan, New York, at the age of four. Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser was first shown at the New York film Festival in October 1989 and opened to strong reviews. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. "The high priest of bebop," one of the most brilliant jazz composers of all time, Thelonious Monk absolutely gave no fucks whatsoever about what you wanted his music, performance, or look to be. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea Only six tracks long, the album is almost therapeutic in its relaxing effect. 5.0 out of 5 stars "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser" Portrait Of Artist Reviewed in Canada on February 11, 2001 This documentary captures Monk as an artist probably better than any jazz musician has ever been captured on film. No one in the movie actually admits he was schizophrenic, but it seems pretty obvious and to me, makes him even more of a genius--that he could write and perform despite his disability. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1967 Vinyl release of Straight, No Chaser on Discogs. And trademark exotic hats (could anyone else in the 20th century look cool in that historic Polish head thingy?). This is a new movie, but the footage of Monk in it is more than 20 years old, shot for German TV by Christian Blackwood in 1967 and 1968. the title itself is a good summary of the film, More Of A Concert Than A Documentary, But That's Fine, super-cool and super out there, this is unfiltered Monk, This is a great movie and a great musician, The standard by which all documentaries should be judged. If you are not very familiar with Monk, you may not recognize the title, but if you have ever found yourself in a bar with a good jukebox, you will recognize the music. We See 5. At the same time, he drifted into himself. Using the Blackwood footage of Monk as their foundation, Ricker and documentarian Charlotte Zwerin began tracking down the survivors who knew Monk best: his son; his tenor sax player, Charles Rouse; his manager; his road manager, and Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter, who appeared in Monk's life at about the time his wife was near exhaustion with the effort of dealing with him and seems to have shared both the effort and the man with her. https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/thelonious-monk/straight-no-chaser-1 Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser at Amazon.com. Released 20 March 1967 on Columbia (catalog no. It is both a good and a bad thing that this film doesn't do that particularly, since it is not really a documentary in terms of having lots of facts and insight thrown at you. If you were ever curious about Thelonius Monk, the incomparable and (really) inimitable jazz pianist, this should answer most of your questions, at least about his mature years. [Some reissues add a studio take of "Straight, No Chaser" as a bonus track.] It was a shock to see Monk doing what my friend described so long before. This is an iconic film about a true Jazz icon. Song information for Straight, No Chaser - Thelonious Monk on AllMusic Features live performances by Monk and his band, and interviews with … A New York Times review claims it as "some of the most valuable jazz ever shot" as the close up shots of Monk's hands on the piano reveals his unusual technique. I suggest music lovers of all kind to watch this movie. Biographical details are filled in by friends and family but never probed in depth: was Monk, for example, actually suffering some form of mental illness, or was his peculiar behavior merely the pose of an eccentric artist? The song, a traditional blues with a wobbly melody that loops… Recorded live in Tokyo, this LP captures the quartet on their first Asian tour, performing mostly … As a jazz fan, it's like seeing a figure who intuitively knows the beats, the rhythms, and lays in his own interpretations of where and how these rhythms can be changed and modified for a particular, unique form in the realm of music. He is the greatest composer and the most influential musician of the jazz era. This is a documentary but almost a straight concert, featuring jazz pianist who performed mainly in the 1950s and 1960s and is a legend in music circles. The TV Homages of WandaVision are an Amusing, Unfulfilling Distraction, On the Disempowerment of Promising Young Woman, Entertaining 30 Coins Examines Depths of Evil with Style. Two decades passed before the by-now forgotten footage was mentioned by Blackwood to Bruce Ricker, whose "Last of the Blue Devils" (1980) was a landmark documentary about Kansas City jazz. Here, that's not the case, despite the playing being as brilliant as ever. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. As a documentary it has no universal appeal. Afterwards I felt very strongly how closed the circle of jazz-lovers is, I learned very little. The facts in the life of the virtuoso jazz pianist are somewhat neglected in favor of the music itself, with most of the film devoted to various live performances and rare, behind-the-stage rehearsal footage. And a note about unusual, long-lasting friendship between Thelonius and Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter. No copyright infringement Addeddate 2020-11-04 11:51:28 Identifier straight-no-chaser_202011 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4. plus-circle Add Review. [font=Century Gothic]"Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser" is an interesting and entertaining documentary about the innovative jazz musician, Thelonious Monk, and his music. He was in fact a genuine, hard-working artist trying to make ends meet. Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (Straight, No Chaser ) Reviews. It is simply sublime, actually. Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious Monk. Clint Eastwood really did well with this film. One of the best films on Jazz to date. They included the track “Straight, No Chaser,” which was put on wax on this day (July 23) in 1951. What the film gave me was an opportunity to see Thelonious Monk creating some of it, and, just as importantly, an opportunity to see how those who knew him loved him. Complete your Thelonious Monk collection. 3. Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious Monk (Album, Post-Bop): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music Straight, No Chaser, an Album by Thelonious Monk. A documentary film about the life of pianist and jazz great Thelonious Sphere Monk. By mid-film — no doubt as a conscious parallel to real-life events — Monk's illness has taken over Straight No Chaser, to the degree that the viewer watches him play the piano in a state of utter suspense: The music itself sounds like it's about to go off the rails. Combine that with the fact that these bands and musicians represent the most important and significant change in Jazz, perhaps in all music, and you get some idea of how colossal this film is. Thelonious Monk might just be the greatest jazz composer who ever lived, and this film is a tribute to his entire career. This time it exclusively focuses on one artist who was in that Newport show, directed by Charlotte Zwerin it's Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser. User Reviews ↓ ... Monk's Moods: Straight No Chaser. External Reviews They all seem to remember more or less the same man; there are not a lot of different versions of Monk in this movie. I had heard the music before. Straight, No Chaser book. Like the title says, straight music without much detail, but enjoyable for that, The life and times of not just one of the greatest pianists but also an amazing time in Jazz history. A documentary not just about Thelonius Monk and what made him tick, but also the bands he worked with and other famous musicians. This particular song is a happy one, but it is not mood that carries the stamp of Monk, it is authority. Track listing. There was one shot of him where he was spinning around and his eyes momentarily went dull for half a second as if he had a mild stroke or seizure. Before seeing this movie, I wasn't much into Jazz, focussing most of my musical interest in rock: especially punk, new wave, classic, and industrial. This documentary is not an invitation to join them, it is absolutely not meant for 'outsiders'. We can sense there is something wrong here, and unless we know the life history of Monk we don't know … And throughout the movie, when Monk talks, it seems to be in a kind of code, and when he looks at the camera, he doesn't quite look at the camera. The last years of his life, we learn, were spent sitting quietly in the room of a friend. Constructed around pre-existing footage of the legendary jazz pianist and composer, THELONIOUS MONK: STRAIGHT NO CHASER is a lively and loving tribute to the genius of Thelonious Monk. The film I will be reviewing is the documentary Thelonious Monk Straight No Chaser. Clint Eastwood presents: a documentary about jazz genius. This is the sixth studio album cut by Thelonious Monk under the production/direction of Teo Macero for Columbia and as such should not be confused with the original motion picture soundtrack to the 1988 film of the same name. Throughout the late ’40s and early ’50s pianist, Thelonious Monk recorded a series of sessions for Blue Note Records to be released as 78-rpm singles. What amazes me about Monk besides his brilliant musicianship was the fact that he wasn't the person the media made him out to be. AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer [+] This is the sixth studio album cut by Thelonious Monk … Proper Records: 2:57 (I have my own opinion as to which album of Monk’s is my favorite, but I’ll probably review that one some other time) With a great group of musicians, jazz standards, and unique and still refreshing to this day compositions. He's almost in his own sort of world, but one that can tune into things that most musicians would never ever think of tapping into. | Add to Collection Add to Wantlist Remove from Wantlist. | As a documentary of little value. About fifteen years ago, I first saw "Straight, No Chaser." He could see the clear line through to the end of a composition that baffled other people, and his squiggles on a piece of paper, interpreted by Monk as if anybody should have been able to understand them, often turned out to be immortal works of jazz. Straight No Chaser is a masterpiece. Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" is one of those few. Straight, No Chaser: Thelonious Monk is a fine primer as well as audio documentary. The musical crosstalk between Monk and Charlie Rouse (tenor sax) is vividly captured. [Some reissues add a studio take of "Straight, No Chaser" as a bonus track.] He was, they agree, a musical genius, and of course history has proven them right. The band featured here includes: Monk (piano), Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Ben Riley (drums), and Larry Gales (bass). It shows the deep devotion of his wife Nellie, and others who helped him, and finally, how he sank into his illness before he died. It would be great if it had both: universal appeal and rare footage of the musicians on tour. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. We See 5. Straight, No Chaser is an album by jazz musician Thelonious Monk, released in 1967. Thelonius Monk is portrayed as an artist both blessed and cursed just by his genius. It portrays the great and legendary playing and composing of Thelonious Monk and also his hard time during his life. If for no one else the film is a must for jazz fans and musicians (it was produced by Clint Eastwood). Thelonious was an American jazz pianist and composer, widely considered one of jazz's biggest figures and the founder of bebop. This film is a documentary of the late Thelonious Monk born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, who moved to Manhattan, New York, at the age of four. He did not play jazz anymore, but when friends would come over to play, they knew he could still listen, because he would leave the door of his room open. Chamber, suggestive film in black and white about an extraordinary man. Although I love Monk's work with John Coltrane, I believe that this is his warmest, most accessible album. And a must not just for "jazz purists" but music lovers in general. I knew nothing of this musician before seeing the documentary. Monk's angular, overtly logical piano playing can come across cold or distant at times. FAQ His genius was that of a kind of strange maverick who used the piano like one of the surrealist painters, in a style that would be furthered along in the horn section by Coltrane and the avant-garde jazz scene, where the tempo is not one easily distinguishable. "I Didn't Know About You" is brush drums, bass and piano and is smoothly atmospheric. As a jazz musician myself I have yet to see a film which captures the true essence of not just being Thelonious, but being a jazz musician in general. We can sense there is something wrong here, and unless we know the life history of Monk we don't know what it is. The latter scenes give this otherwise straightforward portrait its most revealing moments, showing how complex and exacting the work of jazz composition and arrangement can be. The music is great, free-spirited and liberating, but in the person of Monk there is a shadow of some kind, a vagueness, a disinclination to connect. When people are still listening to him hundreds of years from now, they can see him in your wonderful movie. Perhaps interesting if you like the music. User Ratings Even though I knew enough about Thelonius Monk before watching Straight, No Chaser- mostly from the Ken Burns Jazz documentary- I never would have expected the guy to be like this. That is why "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser" is vaguely disturbing right from the opening scenes. Monk is one of those artists that even the very casual jazz fan knows – a group which I very much include myself in. Read the Empire Movie review of Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser . | If you want to know what it is like to live be a jazz musician, it is important that you see this movie. The film I will be reviewing is the documentary Thelonious Monk Straight No Chaser. "Straight, No Chaser" was released on Columbia Records in 1967. There is no mention of the 1959 Town Hall Concert, painstakingly reconstructed in 2009 by MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran. If you want to learn about a great musician, the life of being a jazz musician or even just how to make a good documentary, you must see this film. This first full-length biography of the legendary pianist/compos... Straight, No Chaser book. Records: 2:57 the musical crosstalk between Monk and Charlie Rouse ( tenor )! 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