Cheap Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser (DVD) (John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk) (Charlotte Zwerin) Price

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Customer Reviews of Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser

The Dead Sea Scrolls of Jazz?
Here it is-Clint Eastwood's *other* jazz film. The core of this biographical documentary about the innovative pianist and co-founder of bebop Thelonious Monk is footage of a recording date and tour from 1968, plus priceless scenes of Monk offstage. Filmmaker Bruce Ricker lets the 1968 film, shot by Michael and Christian Blackwood, speak for itself, interspersing stills, interviews, and some equally priceless early Fifties television footage. The 1968 film is shot in gorgeous black and white; the dark smoky club is especially impressive, visually.

Monk himself is imposing in black and white, with his greatcoat, pointy beard, and assorted headwear. In one scene he rolls into the recording studio wearing a lensless eyeglass frame and a Polish cavalry officer's cap. He shambles through the film, all sweat and bulk and cigarettes and raspy voice. There are a couple of great shots of his distinctive, spinning dancing, full of little surprises.

The recording studio scene is fascinating on a couple of levels. We get to see Monk and sax sideman Charlie Rouse go over the score of a song together. But we are also reminded that this is the late Sixties, when jazz isn't selling, and Monk is not a legend yet. The clueless producer and recording engineer, while friendly, keep telling him to play something to warm up, and then neglecting to record it. Monk finally loses patience and stomps off to a corner to angrily suck down a cigarette.

The film also records a European tour, which also has its problems. The octet that is supplied to him for the tour is oversized and under-rehearsed. They learn their parts on the plane to London, and can't get it together onstage the first night there. Much to the band's embarrassment, Monk has to stop songs to get everyone back on track. But in a day or two they shine, and receive rapturous applause.

The tour has its lighter moments. Perhaps the funniest moment is Monk lying in his bed in a Copenhagen hotel, trying to get his familiar down home cooking from room service. "Say, man; you got any chicken livers?" "Umm...Ve haff chicken sahlad." "You got any regular liver?" "Regular..." "Beef liver?" "Umm...Ja, ve haff beef liffer."

Here and there we meet a surprise guest. Some late Fifties/early Sixties New York club concert footage shows a room full of heavy-lidded white hipsters enjoying music by Monk and none other than John Coltrane. In a club kitchen, Monk clowns with Baroness Nica, who befriended many jazz musicians and in whose apartment Charlie Parker died. There's a montage of his records, including _Underground_, which boasts the single coolest album cover in the history of recorded music. The interview segments, with T. S. Monk, Jr. and Monk's manager are touching, giving insight as to how Monk struggled with the black dog, depression. And a couple of greybeards play some of Monk's music arranged for two pianos. It's lovely, fitting for the tribute it is. Just like this film.

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A beautiful black and white view of Americian Jazz
This film contains some very rare footage of John Coltrain on stage with Monk in New York(mid/late 50's). Coltrain, is so junked out that only after Monk ends the set and gets up from the piano to walk away, does Coltrain, open his eyes, remove the horn from his mouth, look around and follows the band off the stage. Also a great stage rehearsal in Europe with a young Phil Woods in the band. And of Monk in the studio chewing out the producer of the recording session, Teo Macero, for not turning on the tape machine when the band did a take. This is a great movie about a great American composer, who just so happened to live in our time. And lucky for us somebody decided to point a movie camera at that man, and turn it on.

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More of a Documentary than a Concert Video
Wow - I'm only giving this DVD 3 stars! Why? Well, it's NOT because it's not well done -- it is. When you consider how old alot of the footage is, you have to give credit to the producers of this DVD for making it so "watchable." However, it just isn't what I'm looking for in a DVD. [...] What I really enjoy in a concert DVD is a recording that makes me feel like I'm AT the concert. (The Fourplay DVD is an excellent example of that. There they are on stage with feedback and mistakes here and there -- it's just like really being there!) The Thelonius Monk DVD is much more a documentary. Also, I took a chance not knowing exactly what kind of music this artist performed. It is an older-fashioned type of jazz.

If you like older jazz (1950's), and you're interested in knowing all about this artist's life, etc., then I highly recommend this DVD.