In the early 70s when I was anchoring at Channel 11 in New York, I took a film crew (remember film?) to Lincoln Center to do a feature about the Giants Of Jazz, the group with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Kai Winding, Al McKibbon and Art Blakey. Let’s set the scene with a piece written by Monk and introduced by Gillespie on the band’s 1971 world tour.
Returning to New York during the same period, the Giants were rehearsing in late morning for a concert. We did the filming and interviews and afterward the band, the crew and assorted Lincoln Centerites milled around and socialized onstage. I knew everyone in the group, but
Monk. Dizzy brought him over and introduced us. Monk stood staring into my eyes, expressionless. I remember thinking how big he was. Time passed, maybe a minute that seemed like five. Still no expression. Gillespie stood by, grinning. Then Monk put his hand out and shook mine. It was like something out of a Tuesday Rotary Club meeting. He broke into a grin and said, “I’m very pleased to meet you.” That’s what we should have filmed. Later, Diz told me, “I’ve never seen him do that before.” For at least a few minutes, he wasn’t the Thelonious described by Lewis Lapham in a lovely piece for The Saturday Evening Post in 1964.
The Lapham article, a long one, is now online. To read it, go here.
The Monk article is VERY well done!
Thanks for this posting. I’ve got all this group’s recordings, but never have I seen them play together. I’ve seen all of them in person but Mr. Winding. Needless to say, this clip brought tears to my eyes just thinking that they have all left the scene, along with so many others.
What a great quote at the end of the linked article from Monk: “You know what’s the loudest noise in the world, man? The loudest noise in the world is silence.” This reminds me of a story Ravi Shankar once told about his guru, Allauddin Khan, reacting to America landing a man on the moon. Khan had remarked about the enormous time and effort spent to make a journey deep into space, and said it was actually much more difficult and worthwhile for people to explore the fathomless regions within ourselves, for that is where one finds the most profound meaning and enlightenment. (Of course, science is essential for our survival too.)
One afternoon in the seventies, I was driving in traffic on the Southern State in Nassau County, and looking over to my right noticed a man who very much resembled Monk, including the trademark hat, driving what I seem
to recall was a station wagon with family members onboard. He seemed completely absorbed by the real-life polyphony of navigating his vehicle through the “melodies and rhythms” of other metal forms moving through space at variegated speeds. No doubt, this was part of the jazz he mentioned in the same article being in the air of New York: ” Asked, “What is jazz?” he once answered, “New York, man. You can feel it. It’s around in the air.”
One especially memorable tribute to Monk is the Conversations With Myself album by Bill Evans, featuring three compositions by Monk, including an unearthly interpretation of ‘Round Midnight.
Doug, could we ever see the material you filmed? Has it disappeared in Channel 11’s archives, or into the vast world of copyright exclusion?
44 years is a long time, Ted. Chances of the piece having survived on film are small; of it’s having been transferred to tape or digital storage, only slightly smaller. However, I am making inquiries. Stay tuned.
Hey Doug,
Thanks so much for sharing. Had kind of a difficult day and this just made me smile.
Hope you’re feeling better.
The other Doug
Well, that has decided my listening for today. Thanks, Doug.