| DVD Roundup July 2006
Thelonious Monk: Celebrating
an American Jazz Original
 If you read this when it’s
posted, the Fourth of July will be right around the corner -- that most American holiday
when most of us in the US celebrate our uniqueness. And yet, during this one-day festival
of all things American, one of the most homegrown and proudest of all our accomplishments
continues to be marginalized into insignificance. That’s a real shame, because jazz
is the one true art form that is unique to this country. Though now enjoyed and played the
world over, jazz owes nothing to any outside influence -- it is ours and ours alone. But
if we pay even the least attention, we can find that there are, languishing on the shelves
of our video stores, a wealth of material that can help us celebrate jazz right along with
all the rest that is special about the USA.
Among the jazz DVDs available today, I have found many that
document the contributions of one of American jazz’s unique, All-American
individuals, Thelonious Monk. Monk was misunderstood for most of his musical life -- he
wrote his music his way and his way alone, figuring that if it was good enough, the public
would eventually catch on. Fortunately, the public did -- though a little on the late
side. Monk came into prominence long after he’d written most of his major works, and
then for only a brief period before mental illness silenced his creative genius. He has
left us with a wealth of compositions that have gone on to become jazz standards, played
by everyone who is anyone, due to the considerable ability required to get them to sound
right. Think of his most famous composition, "Round Midnight," and other tunes,
such as "Bemsha Swing," "Straight, No Chaser," "Criss
Cross," "Nutty," and "Let’s Cool One."
Just Monk
Two of the DVDs I discovered are about Monk alone. The
better is Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (****) [Warner 11896]. The other, a
part of the Masters of American Music series, is Thelonious Monk: American Composer
(**) [BMG/AIX 72333 80065-9]. Three other discs contain enough glimpses of Monk to be
considered a part of his video canon: Bert Stern’s Jazz on a Summer’s Day
(***) [New Yorker Video DVD 16500], The Greatest Jazz Films Ever (***1/2)
[Idem Home Video IDVD 1059], and A Great Day in Harlem (****1/2) [Image
Entertainment HVE3035DVD].
Looking at the two discs that deal only with the man and
his music, Straight, No Chaser gives us the closest look into his life and what it
meant to be Thelonious Monk. This 90-minute film was directed by Charlotte Zwerin, and
produced by her and Bruce Ricker; the executive producer was jazz buff Clint Eastwood. Straight,
No Chaser also includes footage, shot by Michael and Christian Blackwood during a 1968
studio session and tour, that gives us a glimpse of Monk backstage in all his glory.
Giving a brief history of Monk’s life, Straight, No
Chaser focuses on his contributions to jazz, with descriptions or demonstrations of
why his life and music were so important from such jazz veterans as Billy Taylor and Tommy
Flanagan; Monk’s longtime tenor-sax man, Charlie Rouse; his manager, Harry Columby;
his road manager, Bob Jones; the Baroness Panonica de Konigswater; and Monk’s son,
Thelonious Jr., himself a musician. Their insights will give you a complete picture of one
of the more complicated musicians you’re likely to encounter. There is also footage
of Monk backstage, and playing his music onstage and in the studio, where his personality
truly shone. The only fly in the ointment is that the DVD edition of this wonderful film
lacks any bonus features. Still, that does little to diminish what is the clearest look
we’ve had at one of America’s most creative jazz composers.
The 60-minute Thelonious Monk: American Composer is
more a series of reminiscences -- by people who were with him at the time, such as
producer Orrin Keepnews and bassist Ben Riley, and musicians who felt and absorbed
Monk’s influence, such as Randy Weston, Billy Taylor, and Barry Harris -- alternating
with film clips of Monk playing some of his tunes. Like Straight, No Chaser, American
Composer has no extras, and it’s more choppy, though it fills in some of the
longer film’s omissions. I recommend Straight, No Chaser as the single DVD to
own if you’re looking for a film that will let you understand Thelonious Monk.
Monk’s place in jazz
The remaining three discs deal more with jazz in general,
but Monk appears as a central figure in each. The Greatest Jazz Film Ever -- 130
minutes on two discs -- contains, on disc 2, the complete Sound of Jazz, originally
broadcast on CBS TV. The section with Monk, totally serious and playing his "Blue
Monk" as Count Basie sits at the head of the piano, smiling indulgently, is worth the
price of admission. What made this show unique was that it attempted to display most of
the facets of jazz, from the swing of Count Basie to the vocals of Billie Holiday, through
to the modern stylings of Monk and Jimmy Giuffre. You’ll want this set for disc 1 as
well, which contains the great Lester Young film short Jammin’ the Blues,
along with three more segments: by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, a clip from Jazz at
the Philharmonic, and Miles Davis. Despite its lack of extras, this is an outstanding
collection of jazz in one convenient set.
Bert Stern’s Jazz on a Summer’s Day is a
still photographer’s view of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. This is no mere concert
video. For 84 minutes, Stern used every visual at his disposal -- from the festival
itself, the Americas Cup yacht race (which took place during that year’s festival),
shots of the city of Newport, and the people attending, to create a feel for how the music
intertwined with life during the festival. One of the special features of this disc is its
remastering in 5.1-channel sound -- few jazz films of this vintage have been accorded such
a luxury. Another is the range of musicians caught on film. From Louis Armstrong and Monk
to Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, Chuck Berry, and Mahalia Jackson, Jazz on a
Summer’s Day captures jazz in all its glorious facets. The bonus 30-minute
interview with Stern himself, insightful as it is, hardly captures the complete man, whose
personal demons finally caught up with him: he committed suicide just before this DVD was
released. I would use this and The Greatest Jazz Film Ever to introduce the
uninitiated to what jazz -- and Thelonious Monk -- are all about.
The final disc is built around one of the greatest -- if
not the greatest -- jazz photos ever taken: a single still shot, taken in August
1958 by photographer Art Kane, of 57 great jazz musicians. A Great Day in Harlem, a
film assembled by Jean Bach -- who, until she undertook this project, was a complete
novice in preparing a film for release -- is a simply fabulous documentary on the state of
jazz in New York City that summer. There are interviews with Kane, the surviving members
of the photo, and others involved in the picture’s existence. Short biographies of
all 57 musicians pictured are included, as well as stories of the day itself, everything
tied together with a narration by Quincy Jones. It shows a side of the jazz world rarely
seen by the casual listener, and what emerges is breathtaking in scope and insight.
Moreover, this disc comes with enough compelling extras to fill a complete second disc.
Highly recommended.
Still more Monk
I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend two more items
to complete your Monk collection. First there’s Monk in Paris, a CD that comes
with a short, three-song DVD titled Monk in Oslo (***) [Thelonious TMF 9316]. Not
overlong, it has good music and is interesting. If you’re looking for a definitive
biography of Monk, pick up Leslie Gourse’s Straight, No Chaser: The Life and
Genius of Thelonious Monk (Schirmer Books). It’s well-written and complete, and
fills out Monk’s life in ways the DVDs can’t.
As you stand around the BBQ on July 4, toasting and
boasting about yourself and your country, remember Thelonious Monk. Remember jazz music
and the men, like Monk, who helped create it. Remember what we’re capable of -- the
music we can produce with no help from anyone else. Buy some of the discs mentioned above.
Watch and listen -- and learn. Then you’ll really have something to celebrate.
...John Crossett
johnc@hometheatersound.com |
