A really great video of Monk Live. Starting about 10 minutes he has a passage that's swinging stride but he finds jarring atonal notes that just make it swing harder. youtu.be/ZzWjR6xO-BE?...
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Even better, Monk is playing Ellington songs. His love of the Duke is palpable, but he introduces dissonances that only work in his musical universe. He smashes minor 2nds that add an alien sweetness to the songs.
aug 27, 2025, 6:12 pm • 1 0 • view
On top of that he plays "Crespicule with Nellie" with Ellington still on his mind. It's one of his set pieces, where he plays it almost the same every time. This time he drops in wild flourishes that never stray from the melodic skeletons.
aug 27, 2025, 6:12 pm • 0 0 • view
In "Blues for Duke" it's a piano duet/battle with Joe Turner, where it's unpredictable who's soloing and who's comping. You can hear him drop in stabs to try and throw Turner, but Turner is unthrowable, and returns a few jabs of his own.
aug 27, 2025, 6:12 pm • 0 0 • view
The bonus song is not Monk, but Sarah Vaughn singing the Beatles song "And I Love Her." Monk's not even in the room but you can hear his influence in the primacy of the melody. Monk made songs new every time, without straying from its melodic essence.
aug 27, 2025, 6:12 pm • 1 0 • view