The Music of Thelonius Monk, in His Own Words by Ronn Branton

[whomre]

The Music of Thelonius Monk, in His Own Words

Thelonious Monk, one of the most influencial Jazz pianists of the Twentieth Century, is something of a mystery to many listeners who read fanciful stories about his dancing on stage during horn solos or other little eccentric things. It's really a challenge to talk about Monk and to be honest, we should listen to his music instead, but since we are here, right now, I would like to paint a portrait of Monk through his own words and ideas.

Talking about music is difficult because the words get in the way of the message and medium which is music. Even Monk observed that "Trying to explain music is like trying to dance architecture." Monk believed that the best way to understand music was through direct experience. Monk said, "Jazz is my adventure. I'm after new chords, new ways of syncopating (making rhythm), new figures, new runs. How to use notes differently. That's it. Just using notes differently." A very important part of that musical adventure is learning how to hear. Even nothing can be something. The space between the notes, that is: "The loudest (sound) in the world is silence." Monk observed. To Monk, the attempt to hear and to listen is an ongoing process for the musician which requires imagination  — "Don't play everything (or every time); let some things go by... What you don't play can be more important than what you do." Oddly enough, this way of thinking is also found in the work of Miles Davis, whom Monk knew very closely in the 40's though they sometimes had difficulty reconciling how they heard music. Robin Kelly, in his biography "Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original" noted that Sometimes Monk and Davis's practice sessions would turn sour when Miles would make disparaging remarks about Monk’s playing of harmony. Monk would say that they were playing his music whereupon Miles would claim that he wasn’t playing it right.

Monk realized that how the musician hears music is the key difference between one musician and another. When asked about his musical choices in performance, he said that "there are no wrong notes; some are just more right than others." which means that any note can be a part of the musical thought, at any time. As a pianist, Monk mused upon these choices when facing a keyboard ". . . there can't be any new notes. When you look at the keyboard, all the notes are there already, but if you mean a note enough (especially hear one note), it will sound different. You got to pick the notes you really mean!" As a Jazz musician, this is one of the biggest challenges we face.

Monk's sense of musical time was very important and was integral to his style. He observed that "Just because you're not a drummer doesn't mean you don't have to keep time." Monk was famous for getting up and dancing during a solo by Charlie Rouse and when asked about this, Monk said "I get tired sitting down at the piano! That way I can dig the rhythm better.", meaning that it was his way of experiencing musical time better. Monk knew that all musicians develop their own way to keep time since he thought that "All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians."

For me, in music and in the choices we make in life, Monk reminds me that "A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the world; it depends on your imagination." For us all, the imagination is a tool that enables us to find a better path through life, if only we are brave enough to follow it, no matter where it may lead.