Thelonious Monk

When I was a kid my dad played jazz on the HiFi. He was member of what he and his friends called the Modern Jazz Club in D.C. They'd get together every couple of weeks and play all the new jazz albums. The cigarettes and booze flowed freely. One of his good buddies, "Smash" was the hot man, so the albums were in ready supply.

My dad and his friends would scream and holler when some live or difficult passage was played. They were "hip." Jazz was their god and their worship.

I think the meanings came like sunlight to me, as to many other recipients of "the music" and the culture. Jazz is second nature. Our giants composing on the fly, responding to one another in tones and phrases rehearsed and practiced late into the night.

Monk's role was that of the jester god. Strange associations flowed from the improvisational crossroads. Dichordant notes, rhythms ebbing and flowing, he made me laugh. His music literally tickled my funny-bone and the feeling is still there. Not only did he make me laugh but the meaning of melancholy, of "Blue", is "Round Midnight." Eternal Peace to Monk.
(note: there are 20 clips, 2nd button reveals pic-buttons. 11-20 are "Straight No Chaser"- a great doc. Click 11 and it will play through.)