CDOTD 08/13/2025

 Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Himself (Riverside)

There's a clip somewhere of Charles Mingus talking about pianists. He said most of them drive him crazy. They'll play the same voicings on particular chords over and over. He said the two exceptions were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. 

It is a problem with being the harmonic filler in a jazz ensemble. It's an even bigger issue with guitarists: how do you not play the same C7 chord over and over? I'd occasionally try to coach my aspiring CAPA guitar students on this point. At least the piano has far greater resources. 

I think Mingus' comment is important to consider but not accurate. I've listened to a lot of Thelonious Monk. Maybe as much as any other artist, if not more so. He's my guy, you know? Whether it's reflected in my music or not (and it surely must be, at least subtly) I feel a connection to his music I feel for few others. In spite of Mingus' comment, Thelonious definitely does play the same voicings on chords sometimes. He's freer than most, but even he has his limits. 

By the way, Charles Mingus himself was an excellent pianist. His solo piano album is worthy of a listen. He also played piano on a few of his sessions, hiring someone else for the bass seat. Yikes, I can only imagine how that must have felt, playing bass on a Mingus session.

If you listen to a solo Monk album expecting what you'd hear on a solo Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, or Fat Waller record, you're going to probably be disappointed. It's not that Monk is lacking in technique, but he's rarely if ever flashy. An occasional flourish, that's all. Mostly it's...chunky. Monk was not the most subtle of pianists. He pounds out his thick harmonies. If you like that, he's your guy too. If you're looking for more flash or finesse, maybe look elsewhere. 

About half this program is old songs that he semi-reinvents: "April in Paris", "(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of Chance", "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "I Should Care", "All Alone". I posted a video of "I Should Care" on Facebook, saying that I felt like I understood Monk more as I aged. My father checks in with Facebook, pretty much just to see what I've posted. He misinterpreted what I wrote to mean the opposite. I said no no, the older I get, the more I get Monk solo. There's a melancholy to Monk's solo playing that didn't affect me so much when I was younger. Now I feel it far deeper.

I guess this is what I needed this afternoon.