Monk’s Notes.
Thelonious Sphere Monk
When I was in college, I decided I wanted to learn how to play piano like Thelonious Monk.
Fat chance. I had a strong left hand, knew how to boogie with the best of ‘em, I had syncopation down -hey, I was a college student; I understood it was an “unsteady progression from bar to bar,” and our nights were filled with that…
But Monk? As Wikipedia will tell you, “his compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists, and are impossible to separate from Monk’s unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations; a style nicknamed “Melodious Thunk” by his wife Nellie.”
At any rate, my friend Junior Valentine recently sent me copies of some notes that were transcribed by a young drummer while rehearsing for a gig with Monk back in 1960 -things that Monk said during their session. Stuff like “Don’t play everything (or every time), let some things go by. Always leave them wanting more.” And “You got to dig it to dig it! You dig?”
About what you’d expect from a man whose middle name is “Sphere.” No lie, that.
Fascinating reading, even if you’re not a musician. Read them for yourself right here.
Dig?
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