All language subtitles for Thelonious.Monk.Straight.No.Chaser.1988.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

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"Thelonious...

"Thelonious Sphere.

"born 1918,
question mark.

U.S. Jazz pianist
and composer."

It appears you're
famous, Thelonious.

That's what that means?

'Yeah. They list
all the Popes in here..'

'...and presidents.'

You're famous, then they put you
in-in-in, uh..

In this book.

Well, I'm famous.
Ain't that a bitch?

[male narrator]
Born in Rocky Mount,
North Carolina, in 1917.

Moved to New York city
in 1922

with his mother and family.

They settled
in the West 60s

in a neighborhood called
San Juan Hill.

The pianist James P.
Johnson lived there

and Eubie Blake's musical,
"Shuffle Along"

opened in a local theater.

The streets
of San Juan Hill

were filled with music.

The sounds of singers

piano players,
and big bands

drifted from home radios

and blended with sidewalk
gospel music.

Monk began
playing the piano

without formal training.

Later he took lessons
and studied music theory

at the Juilliard School
of Music.

But his real teachers

were the master Jazzmen
of his time..

Fats Waller

Art Tatum

and Duke Ellington.

At 17, he toured
the United States

with a gospel group.

Monk returned to New York

and became
the house piano player

at Minton's Playhouse

the scene of a revolution
in music.

There, with Charlie Parker
and Dizzy Gillespie

Monk joined the revolution.

It was called "Bebop".

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Bebop got a lot of attention

but Monk's unique
contribution

was largely unrecognized.

He was known by very few.

One who knew was
the great saxophonist

Coleman Hawkins.

In 1944, Hawkins hired him

and Monk made
his first record.

By that time Monk had already

composed many
of his major works.

He wrote many more

and the language of Jazz
was changed forever.

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[Charlie Rouse]
'Bebop.. That's a strange word
sometimes, too.'

'He was a musician.'

When the music changed,
they just called it Bebop.

But, uh, Thelonious
was like a founder.

He was the f..

Like, he laid down
the foundation.

He was the piano player.

A lot of his compositions
is classics now.

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[Harry Colomby narrating]
He saw himself as modern.

He liked to use
the word "modern".

A modern Jazz player.

Blacks who were listening
to that music

saw an expression
of independence

and pride and strength.

Thelonious Monk
just represented that.

The earliest example
of the black revolution..

...of a black, uh,
uprising, in a sense

was in music,
was in the Bebop period

where the musicians
weren't obviously

trying to please
an audience

but they were playing
their music their way.

It was a real
independent expression.

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Here's what I gathered..

That his music at the time
was unorthodox.

It wasn't popular. Uh..

His records
really weren't selling.

He was more
an underground figure.

He was also a man

about whom stories about
unreliability were circulating.

[instrumental music]

Live television
is the scariest medium of all

because it's
millions of people.

If you're going to
act silly or be late

it's going to be
a glaring omission.

I just remember being
very, very nervous.

He sat down and he played

and I was aware
of a real professional.

There he is. What's there
to be nervous about?

He's there.

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I remember, though,
on the way back

he was a little
pissed off at Count Basie.

He said Count Basie
kept looking at him.

...looking at him
while he was playing.

He was at the piano.

And that somehow
bothered him.

He said, "The next time
he plays somewhere

I'm gonna look at him."

To be employed in New York

you needed a Police Card
or Cabaret Card.

If I wanted to be a musician

I'd have to go to the police

put my fingerprints down,
and get my card.

That card would be
in my possession

until I committed a crime.

Then that card
would be removed.

He had lost his.

His friend Bud Powell
was leaving town

and asked him to drive with him to the airport.

They made a stop

and Bud Powell got out,
got back in with some drugs.

The cops saw
whatever they had

flying out the window.

Who threw it out?
Thelonious Monk.

So he was arrested
and convicted

and got, I think, 90 days.

He said he never used. He was
not guilty at that time.

The police then.. in the
fifties, maybe earlier..

their favorite targets
seemed to be Jazz musicians.

There were some cities
that were outright unfriendly

and I think
that bothered him.

He'd rather stay
in New York.

During that period

in the process
of getting his card.

I found this little bar
on 3rd avenue

called "The Five Spot".

[instrumental music]

And he was going to appear there
five, six months..

As long as crowds
were coming in

and-and we did that.

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The response
was staggering.

The pressure's been building
all these years.

Suddenly you take it off

and all that stuff
comes out.

That's what you felt.
That's how he played.

He was just great.

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Whoever came
loved what they heard.

I felt Thelonious
was vindicated

because all this time

he had been an artist
that had never had his due

in terms of recognition

and here was a beginning
of that changing.

There were phone calls
for engagements, of course.

We were now lucky enough to say

we don't go out of town
right now

while before
this engagement

we would have
considered anything.

I do that on the street
if I can.

Somebody else do that

they put him in
a strait jacket.

I say, "Oh, that
Thelonious Monk, he's crazy."

[applause]

Thank you.

The applause
comes anyway.

Hello, guys.

How you doing today?

Hey, I was in this studio
once before.

That was a good year.

[Teo Macero]
'Hey!'

How we doing?
How you feel, man?

Hey, man.
What's cookin'?

What's that?
You got a new hat?

Uh...oh, yeah,

this was given to me
in Poland.

- Poland?
- Yeah.

Hey, Larry.

Is Charlie Rouse here?
Everybody's here?

Where's Big Ben?

That's what
I want to know.

You guys
came on time.

Hell, everybody's here..
Only half an hour late.

[Rouse]
'Baby! Hold it like
it's a Christmas present.'

[laughing]

Hey, Charles.

Hello, T.
How you doing?

Doing great.

Teo!

Hey.

Play that again, Teo.

Teo!

Yeah, man.

We're always
supposed to be on time.

I made a bet.

Man, let me
see the glasses.

Oh, you're jivin' me.

Oh, man.

[Rouse]
I like that.
I like it.

[Teo]
'The glasses!'

Where can I get
another pair like that?

'I want to get a pair.'

Now I can see.

Have you got
anything in them?

I tell you...that's funny.

You mean it's invisible?

I got invisible
glasses on. That's right.

Just little
sketches, right?

'Yeah. I write down
four bars or something.'

You know, you get
four bars done

you can play later on.

You know, I haven't seen you
for a month.

Since-since
the vanguard.

Yeah. That's right.

So the time flies.

I'm getting older.

You're getting younger.

It's good of you
to say that.

I'm hearing now.

Heard you
before you said it.

Let's see something..

Let's see some free form
things today.

Free form, huh?

What, you mean,
uh, like, uh..

...Dixieland?

[Teo]
'No, no, no, no.'

'Let it wail
in different keys.'

I want it easy as possible
so people can dig it and then..

...and still be good.

My songs are like that..

It's easy..you know.

The melody and the time,
it's alright.

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[Teo]
'Monk?'

'Let's-let's really do one.
We're all set.'

Huh?

'Let's do one.'

We were running it over.

Why you stopping us for?

Shit.

Not necessary to start over.

Now, where was we at, huh?

Where was we at

before we were
so rudely interrupted?

Trying out that bass solo.

One or two,
however you feel.

[Charlie Rouse narrating]
We'd start out
and we'd do a take.

Usually, we'd take
the first take.

Sometimes the second,
but never the third.

He'd say once you play it
the first time

that's the way
the feeling is.

After that,
you start going downhill.

So, uh, it's more like
a challenge when you do that.

You know that, uh..

...you got to play it correctly
the first or second take

or that's it.
He would take it anyhow.

If you mess up,
well, that's it.

You know,
that's your problem.

You have to hear that
all the rest of your life.

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[Teo]
'Stand by, please.'

You get all that down?

You play all that?

Huh?

I'd like to hear
how that sounds.

'We're still fooling
with the sound in here.'

Let's make one,
then we'll play it back.

Why does nobody want to do
what I ask them to do?

I asked to play the song first
before that other jive.

'Keep rehearsing.
We'll tape some.'

I wanted to see
how it sounds.

You rehearse every time you play
on your instrument.

You should know that..
A saxophone player.

I don't think
he taped that one.

He said he was going to.

'I said we were gonna make one.'

'You said
you wanted to rehearse.'

I didn't say anything.

I didn't say shit.
I didn't say nothing.

Well, can we hear
what that sounds like?

'We didn't record it.'

[Teo]
'Stand by, please.'

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[Columby narrating]
Somebody named Barry Farrell

exacted a promise
from the Time people

to do a cover
on Thelonious Monk.

When I first heard
I didn't believe it.

The first-first meeting,
uh, with Barry

was in the evening,
and, uh, I forgot the month.

But we were there.
It was the first meeting.

"Hello. I'm Barry.
I'm doing the cover."

"I'm Thelonious Monk.
Ok, I'm your cover subject."

And on the way down,
I noticed the beginning

of a period of..of..of
strange behavior.

The timing was just..
You know

a couple times a year
that would occur.

And I noticed that
and I was terrified.

If that was spotted
in the room

that cover would be blown.

So I went up with him.

It was just Thelonious Monk,
Barry Farrell, and myself

in this dark Radio City office.

Barry said, "Hello.
Listen to this record

"with Bill Evans playing
'Round Midnight.

What do you think?"

I was watching
Thelonious Monk's behavior

progressively..you know,
getting progressively..

uh, it wasn't obvious yet.

It was, to me, obvious
it was going to get bad.

I didn't know how long
it would take.

I was just so paranoid about
someone spotting something.

I remember he got up,
looked out the window,

and he stared a little bit, but
apparently it wasn't spotted.

By the time he got
downstairs with me

he was, uh, very withdrawn.

He was already
off somewhere.

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Things that people
would do to him

he would just
internalize them

and they would
manifest themselves

in tremendous fits of depression
and euphoria..

A very schizophrenic
type thing.

And when this would happen

on certain occasions, yeah,
we had to hospitalize him.

He would generally, uh..

...close up.. introvert.

And then...he would get excited.

And he may, you know,
like I say, pace for four days

something like that.

Then eventually
he would get exhausted.

So it was, you know, uh..

It's hard to say
how it moved.

It was very complex.

He was a very
complex individual.

Ready to go.

Go.

♪ Don't you know that
it's getting closer ♪

Ain't it?

Ain't it?

I got something I want
to tell you.

I guess they started
somewhere in the mid-fifties

but, um, they didn't..

I'm not sure
the first time

Thelonious spent any time
in the hospital for them.

I don't think
that happened.

I don't recall that happening
until the sixties

till the, uh,
mid to late sixties.

Uh, but my mom told me that she
saw the signs of it

much, much earlier.

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Most people run from it.
That was the one thing

Nellie wouldn't
allow us to do that.

My tendency was
to run from it.

I didn't know
what was going on.

It's a startling thing

when you look
your father in the eye

and you know he doesn't exactly
know who you are

and you tend to not want
to face that at all.

You want to act like
this is not happening.

But my mother
clearly let me know

that it was
our responsibility

to look out for him
the way he did for us

every minute
he was able to.

[Columby narrating]
She was trusting.

She was a terrific friend.

A friend. Total trust
and dependence.

She was operated on at that
time and was in the hospital

and he was very, very tense..

...really very tense
and unsettled.

But he was working
on that tune at that time.

[piano music]

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I don't know..

...if he would have made
the strides he made musically

had there not been
a Nellie for him

to cover the other bases

and-and have it all wrapped
n love at the very same time.

[Thelonious Jr. narrating] She actually understood before anyone else around him..

...back when they
were teenagers..

She understood what it would
take to allow this to grow.

[Rouse narrating]
Nellie was like
his right hand, you know.

She would
tell him what to..

You know, you should
wear this today, or whatever.

And she looks..
looking after him, whatever

You know, food
and everything.

Yeah, they were very,
very close together.

I think he wouldn't..

He'd be lost without her
out on the road.

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[Bob Jones narrating]
We had sold a tour
based on an octet.

The complication
with the octet

was that Monk
had the music.

And before we could figure out
what to do musically

we had to get a hold of this.

Monk never gave it to us

until we got
on the plane.

I remember going up
to first class..

Nellie and Thelonious
were there..

and I said,
"I need the music.

"The guys have to see
what's going on.

Don't worry.
You'll get it back."

We brought it back,
and it was distributed

to the musicians
in the back

so all five of us copied the
music all the way to London.

We were going to
arrive in London

and play the same evening.

It had to be nerve-racking
to him how this would happen.

Given his Druthers

this man would have stayed
in New York, period.

That would be the end of it.

[instrumental music]

Hold it.

[whistling]

[applause]

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[Columby narrating]
He must have thought that
it got off on the wrong foot

and it was never
going to get back.

I know he was nervous

about the number
of people we had.

He must have thought
there weren't enough horns.

Unless somebody really worked
on the charts

they wouldn't sound right.

[Ray]
'How's this start?
Does the band start?'

- Uh... band starts.
- 'The band goes.'

What do you play, Ben,
four bars, eight bars?

Does Ben play..

I play an introduction

then I let him play
an introduction

and then Rouse will play it
with us together..

About two times,
you know, a chorus

then the band comes in.

Yeah.

Ready?

Hmm.

[laughing]

[piano music]

[instrumental music]

Tenor saxophone.

[saxophone playing]

Alto solo.

Say, Ray?

Hey, you follow..
You follow Rouse.

[Ray]
You want me
to follow Rouse?

[Thelonious]
'Yeah, that's right.'

It's tough..
It's exactly what you said.

There's horns missing.

- That's the first half.
- Half, not the time.

The second half..

Uh-huh.

How we going to do it
three times?

Same way. Go up
the second time.

There'll be six times.

Six times?

It's going
to be lower..

Oh.

Medium, and then high.

The whole 16 bars
every time!

Right, instead of eight bars.

Ah so!

I dig. I see
what he's doing.

Slowly, slowly
but surely.

[piano music]

Any preference
for solo order?

The way we did
it alright?

Charles first?

Uh, yeah,
he plays it first.

We'll figure out
how who's going, okay?

When you see
a nice place to go in

you pick your spot to blow.

Pick it.

[saxophone music]

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[applause]

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[applause]

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[applause]

Johnny Griffin.

Johnny Griffin.

[Columby narrating]
I remember the audience
went crazy.

They were just..
they were stunned,

and he was literally
stunned himself

by the audience
reaction to this

and suddenly discovered

"Well, yeah. I mean,
it's all working.

It's not going to be
the disaster."

[applause]

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

We would like to have
your signature

if you would.
We all, uh..

If you please
can do it.

Oh, Thelonious Monk.

I thank you
very, very much.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

[Bob Jones narrating]
When they went
on the first world tour

they went from
Geneva to Australia.

And in Australia,
customs found

all these empty
coke bottles in their bags.

Empty coke bottles..

And overweight,
they paid overweight.

The people were furious.

"Why do you have
these empty coke bottles?"

Nellie said,
"We're taking them back."

How are you?

- Is Gracie with you?
- Huh?

No? Gracie with you?

Nellie?

Oh, yeah.
She's over there.

Oh, yes.

You never
stay home alone, huh?

No.

You like to travel
with Mr. Monk here, huh?

Yes.

- Yes?
- Oh, yes.

You know me.

I know you, yes.

And I know him.

Thelonious!

Thelonious Monk.

[piano music]

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[applause]

Where you buy those?

- 'What's that?'
- Those crazy pants.

Copenhagen.
Danish ones.

Tell my mama Denmark.

[Griffin]
'Sassy. Sassy.'

Some bad motherfuckers.

'Yeah, that's right.'

'Go.'

We better get
out of here.

We finished
the whole thing.

The trip is over.

Thought he was going
to ride us all the way..

...we're straight
ahead, right?

Have you got
chicken livers and rice?

Chicken?

Chicken livers.

Chicken liver.

I don't think
we have it, sir.

Just a second, please.

Chicken salad
we have here, sir.

You like chicken salad
or chicken..chicken?

'Or chicken salad?'

How about just liver?

- 'Liver. Yeah.'
- And what goes with it?

- 'Veal liver.'
- Uh-huh.

[male waiter]
'Veal liver with potatoes..'

'French fried potatoes
or mashed potatoes.'

- 'Mashed potatoes.'
- 'Mashed potatoes, yeah.'

He's coming in
with your food.

Here you are, sir.

Alright. You're going to get up
though, aren't you?

Where's the ice?
You didn't bring no ice.

[applause]

[piano music]

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What is more important
in your work

playing the piano
or composing?

I do both.

Beide sind gleich wichtig..

componieren und klavierspielen.

Mr. Monk, you always wear
different hats and caps

in your concerts.

Do they have an influence
in your music?

No.

That's a good question.

Maybe they do.
I don't know.

Do you think the piano
has enough keys..88?

Do you want more or less?

Uh, I mean, it's hard work
to play those 88.

I was in the room, Nellie
was in the room.. Backstage.

A reporter came in

and asked him what kind
of music he liked.

And Thelonious,
"I like all kinds of music."

Perfectly legitimate answer.

Then the reporter said,
"Do you like country music?"

Thelonious didn't answer him.

Then the reporter said,

"Uh, well, do you like
country music?"

Thelonious looked
at me and said

"I think the fellow's
hard of hearing."

[pipe-organ music]

Uh-1, uh-2..

[playing"I Mean You"]

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[instrumental music]

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[applause]

[music continues]

Solid.

[applause]

What's up?
Hey, man.

Get away from him.
I'm taking his picture.

How you been, man?

Well, I dig it.

How you doing?
You look great.

How you doing?

Great, man.

Yeah, but towards the end
of the month

I'll be busy,
you know.

I'll be going everywhere

but I don't know
what I'll do here.

[cheering]

- How are you feeling?
- Alright.

Good.

You're looking
your best tonight.

Oh, this is an old suit

and, well,
it's an old suit here.

Still looks
pretty good.

I don't wear
none of my new shit.

I can tell
it's brand-new.

[Nica]
'Hey, I got
a present for you.'

Million dollars?

- No.
- Oh.

Not quite.
Here. Here.

It's a..
It's a marker, you know.

Is this to sign autographs?

[Nica]
'No. It's a..'

I don't never
carry no pen..

'A marker
for your autographing.'

I don't like
to carry a pen on me.

'You will.
That's the point.'

That's why I haven't
gotten a pen.

Saves energy.

[Nica]
'This time you can have
a pen you do like.'

'I'll grab
some paper for you.'

Is that jive,
or it's real?

What is this, silver?

'It's silver,
but try the marker.'

It's like
a magic marker.

Well, that's
not much for paper.

'Ha ha ha ha!'

'You see?'

Shut my mouth
wide open.

'There's a proper
piece of paper.'

Proper piece of paper.

So I'll do it
etiquettely.

'Can you read that?'

A beautiful message.

Somebody can decipher
that for you

and tell you
what it means.

You know,
it will upset you.

That's right.
You'll flip.

I mean, flip for real.

You know, over.

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

Isn't that right?

The royal family
came to..

came to your..your,
uh, grandfather

and said, uh,
all that begging.

And you laid
all that bread on him

so he could
beat Napoleon.

Ain't that a bitch?

[Nica]
'And threw in the Suez canal.'

That changed..
that changed the world.

[Rouse]
'Ain't nobody's fault
around here.'

[Nica]
'That was in Europe.'

This is the United States.
I'll tell people who you are.

She's a billionaire.

You know,
the Rothschild.

[Columby narrating]
She told me that she wanted
to meet him in the worst way.

I know that she
needed him a lot.

She told me that..

She said that she would feel
a source of strength.

She had an interesting
background.

A woman of..
What was it..

With the free
French army

and flew Lancaster bombers
during the war

was in De Gaulle's resistance.
Kind of a rebel.

But Nellie never saw in that relationship a threat.

Sometimes Nellie may have
felt relieved

she came around when Thelonious was a little difficult.

She was splitting duties.

They didn't plan that.
It just turned into that.

You see the tongue?

I think he had a problem.

Thelonious,
that's your land

as you put it,
very jauntily, I thought.

[Nica narrating]
I didn't meet Thelonious
until 1954.

Flew to Paris

and got there
just in time

for his first
overseas concert.

And I went backstage
afterwards

and Mary Lou Williams
introduced me to him.

That's how I met him.

But we hung out
and had a ball.

He was there
about a week.

Then I came back
to New York

a couple of months later.

I was then living
in the Stanhope

and all musicians
used to come up there.

But after a bird died there,
they threw me out.

Did you do
the matinee?

On Sunday?

- No?
- Mm-mmm.

No. Too much.

Then I went
to the Bolivar.

And that's when
I got my piano.

Thelonious and I
got it together.

That's where he wrote
brilliant corners

and "Bolivar Balues Are",
I believe.

At night we'd go out
'round the clubs

then all musicians would come
back with us to the Bolivar

and we'd have these
fantastic jam sessions

until 8:00 or 9:00
the next morning.

So, of course, eventually
that caused trouble

and I was thrown
out of there.

Then we decided I'd
get a house of my own.

And I got this house..

...which was known at first
by Thelonious as "Catville".

[Monk narrating]
Hi, everybody.

I'm very glad
to be here today.

And I would
like to play

a little tune I composed
not so long ago

entitled "Pannonica".

It was named after
this beautiful lady here.

I think her father gave her
that name..

...uh, after a butterfly
that he tried to catch.

I don't think
he caught the butterfly.

But anyway, here's the number
I composed

named after her.
"Pannonica".

Merci beaucoup,
ladies and gentlemen.

[Nica narrating]
Thank you,
Thelonious Monk.

What are the chords?

[playing notes]

'D flat?'

Uh, yeah.
D flat. Mm-hmm.

- G?
- D. D flat.

That means my E flat.

E flat what?
D flat what?

Uh, D flat 7.

D flat 7.

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

Then I'm thinking
about right here.

'G minor 7
to D flat.'

Yeah.

'G minor 7.'

'G minor 7.
A minor 7.'

'To what? To D flat.'

That's two beats apiece.

Yeah.

And then the next bar is..

The next half
of the bar is G flat 7.

- 'Huh?'
- D flat 7?

- 'G flat.'
- 'G flat.'

G flat.

This'll be "Boo Boo's Birthday",
take three.

[piano music]

What you want me to hit?
I just wrote..

You want me to hit
the top note?

What you want me
to hit here?

You want me to hit,
uh, uh, uh, C?

Or are my notes contrary?

What you want,
the top notes?

Hit any of them.
Any notes you want.

Any notes I want to?

You know,
any note that's here.

You can hit
any one of them.

I can hit..

I can hit D and C
then, huh?

I hit the top note.

When I was..
Yeah, I hit this note, C.

But here it's two notes.

It's either a C sharp
or a C natural.

Uh-huh.
Yeah. Uh-huh.

Either one
of those?

Yeah. Uh-huh.

[humming]

F sharp 7,
B-7, B flat.

♪ De dum de-duh de-duh ♪

A flat,
A flat, G.

Now hold on
scale there.

A hold on
scale there?

Then an
A flat 7.

Oh? Okay.

A flat 7. Then he ends it
in D flat.

♪ De dum de dum ♪

That's it. He does
something like that.

[humming]

[piano music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

Gee, that's
very hard to say about..

Because he was..
The time I was with him

just before..
prior to leaving..

he was right into it.

I never thought that he would
stop suddenly and don't play.

But something happened.

Something really clicked in him

and he didn't want
to play anymore.

I've asked him
several times

and he never
gave any reason.

He said, "I just don't feel
like playing no more."

Whatever ailed him
just overwhelmed him

and he just withdrew.
I don't think it was an anger

or a...about music.

It had nothing to do
with music.

It was him and his energy
and his outlook and his life.

Nothing to do with music
like "I haven't got it anymore."

I know it wasn't that.
I'm not in his brain

but that could never
have been what it was.

[instrumental music]

[Nica narrating]
We were driving home
from New York.

This was the first year
he lived here. 1972.

He suddenly
turned to me and said

"I am very seriously ill."

This is the only thing

Thelonious was ever heard to
say about being ill.

He never said it again.

[mellow music]

[music continues]

[Columby narrating]
Thelonious died
on February 17, 1982.

He had
a cerebral hemorrhage

and he was in a coma
for 12 days.

And he passed away
very quietly in his sleep.

And the last person
with him was Nellie.

[saxophone music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[playing "Sweetheart
Of All My Dreams"]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[applause]

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]