Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser [DVD]

Lots and lots of footage of Monk -- that makes up a high percentage of the film. And it communicates a flavor and lots that could not be communicated otherwise. Also some short, but insightful comments by family and friends. And plenty of music. But I would have liked more background information as well, to give a fuller picture and put things in context. Left me somewhat disappointed. But still quite striking in what it is able to capture.

Imagine watching Beethoven perform, compose, talk to the other musicians, order dinner in a restaurant, clown with his friends, show how uneasy certain people make him, doze in a carriage -- this is what Charlotte Zwerin's documentary has given us on the most rare and improbable musical genius since Beethoven, Thelonious Monk.He liked to turn in circles. The only musician he really liked was Johnny Griffin. When Teo Macero spoke him in the recording studio he said, "I heard you before you said it."When two women in Europe ask him for his "signature," he sits down on a bench in the airport, signs for them, and says "You're welcome."In the European concert he stops the octet twice to correct their playing of "We See." The audience applauds, impressed by his perfectionism.It is obvious that he is never really comfortable with anyone but his wife and Nica de Koenigswarter. His introduction of "Pannonica" in the Baroness's house in New Jersey is the only time in the whole documentary when he sounds truly relaxed. Fittingly, it is to her that he confides one day, "I am very seriously ill."His son gives crucial context to Monk's mental problems, which were never clearly diagnosed. His sudden retirement from music in 1971 remains a mystery. But, knowing him as we know him from this superb documentary, we understand that his gift was a fugitive thing that could be taken away at any moment.In two interludes, Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan play his music. Their efforts make painfully obvious that no one but Monk himself could really play Monk.The world of music would be much poorer if this precious piece of film had never been shot.

This is a great documentary. I first saw it in college and it introduced me to Monk's music, which makes it invaluable to me personally, but I've recently purchased this film from Amazon and am reminded of why I initially loved it. The film has plenty of great music from Monk, later in his years. There are some performances with a band and also solo playing (which I find to be the most moving). But what truly makes this great is the depiction of Monk in his personal moments and his relationship with his wife. The film shows some of Monk's idiosynchratic behaviors without being melodramatic but also shows the tenderness and trust of their marriage. Additionally, Monk is very funny with his mumbled, grumpy remarks, especially in a scene where he complains about Count Basie "looking" at him while he plays.

By any and all standards Thelonious Monk belongs amongst the most unique musicians and composers ever produced by this country. Thanks to Clint Eastwood, Monk's genius and odd behaviour will be preserved for future generations in a way that books could never hope to completely portray. The outstanding thing about Monk was his uniqueness and individuality. Yes he could play with other musicians and he could play compositions by other composers but regardless of what he played or who he played with, you always knew it was Monk. Others copied him but no one duplicated him and sadly there are very, very few artists/composers out there today with an original sound or style. I wish more people would wake up to the true genius of Monk and that may happen one day. And if it does, Mr. Eastwood should get a great deal of credit for his efforts and support.

Great copy of a great movie.

I don't think the filmmakers who shot this footage set out to make this film. I think they set out to make another film, but they made this one for better or worse. Thelonious Monk's "eccentricities" were well known to his fans, but this film shows more than just eccentric behavior.In the vein of eccentric behavior, a friend of mine told me about seeing Thelonious Monk live at Shelly's Manne Hole in Hollywood back in the late 1960's. It was a rare appearance for Monk in L.A. and it was not long afterward that the Manne Hole closed, as I recall. He said that Thelonious stopped playing in the middle of the set and got up from the piano and began to spin around in a slow circles like a dervish. My friend showed me how Monk did it. My friend said he was disappointed. He didn't pay to see Monk dance; he wanted to hear him play piano. But I didn't give it too much thought at the time. It seemed harmless, eccentric.About fifteen years ago, I first saw "Straight, No Chaser." It was a shock to see Monk doing what my friend described so long before. It looked much more ominous than his description. 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. Even more shocking was how poorly Monk was functioning at times as he appeared in this movie. Although I'm not a physician, the word "brain tumor" just leapt into my mind. That he died of a cerebral hemorrhage confirms my guess. It was so shocking that I think I missed most of the filmI recently saw this film again. The commentary by Monk's son was most poignant in describing his own childhood, coping with Monk's strange behavior and hospitalizations. It didn't sound to me as if anyone really understood what was wrong with Monk at the time. Rethinking this film's significance: what Monk accomplished --- impressive as it was --- is even more impressive when you think that while he was writing and performing, in the background, was this thing destroying him inside his own head. He was struggling and straining to keep going against odds that were gradually slipping away from him. Every day, life got just a little harder for him. The effort eventually overcame him. No wonder he stopped playing.Monk was lucky in leaving his unique music as his legacy under these circumstances. He was also lucky in having married Nellie. She was a great woman who clearly kept him going and loved him and took care of him. We were lucky that he married Nellie as well for those same reasons.The music choices were well placed and add to the bittersweet quality of this video portrait. There was always the playful quality of Monk's music, in a way reminiscent of Erik Satie, but deeply rooted in the blues.The film does have a few comic moments. The business where they had shipped a trunk full of empty Coke bottles halfway around the world in order to return them for deposit, struck me as hilarious. I guess you had to grow up in an earlier era for that one. Also, the "Copenhagen pants" and the "chicken livers" scenes were pretty funny.The exact medical facts will probably never be known. But this is a story of a great artist---and may I add, a good man---who suffered a terrible and tragic fate.

Great music by Jazz icon

This is a fascinating and moving documentary on the great modern jazz pianist/composer Thelonious Monk(1917-82).There are intelligent contributions from his son T.S. Monk, manager Harry Colomby & saxophonist Charlie Rouse with tremendous footage of Monk in performance and backstage.The film also shows how dependent Thelonious was on his caring wife Nellie and his friend Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter(Nica).Charlotte Zwerin's 'Straight No Chaser' is an illuminating portrait of the life and music of this hugely influential modern jazz pianist & composer.

You'll come back again and again to the performances on this video, recorded in studio and on the European tour in 1968 with a hilariously under-rehearsed nonet - but, somehow, they pull it off. A few solo performances are the unforgettable highlights. But tell me, why do music documentary makers think we want to listen to a load of none-entities tell us how great someone is instead of just giving us the music? There's so little footage of Monk, I don't know why they don't just release what they have complete, without cropping it up with boring talking heads. Still, thank heaven it exists at all.

great piece of video archive, tied in with the book i am reading on the life of Thelonius Monk, very interesting, very informative. Thanks Mike T.