Saturday, 19 January 2013

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)



☆ ☆ ☆ 

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) -- C. Zwerin

Largely lets the music speak for itself...and what complicated music it is!  The film briefly charts Thelonious Monk's rise from Coleman Hawkins sideman to leader in his own right and lavishly offers us concert footage from the late 1960s.  A few talking heads tell us about his probable mental illness (sounds like bipolar) but we do not get to know the man through his own words, as he seems mysterious and not interested in talking for the camera.  If you haven't checked Monk out, you really should.


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