New Monk bio in progress by Robin Kelley

[ghost of miles]

Reading this has me curious about the band with Monk, Dave Holland and T.S. on drums. Anyone heard that era of Monk's music?

I was also really intrigued by the band with Pat Patrick, Wilbur Ware and Beaver Harris (pg. 409-412). Evidently Patrick recorded them in performance at the Jazz Workshop in Boston. Pretty amusing anecdote about why Monk ultimately kicked Harris out of the band.

[AllenLowe]

that was the band I saw at the Vanguard in 1970 - as I recall, Patrick was a far more interesting player than Rouse (though Monk introduced him at least once as Charlie Rouse) and Ware had a sound that you could hear on the street - and kept trying to borrow money from a friend of mine.

[ghost of miles]

that was the band I saw at the Vanguard in 1970 - as I recall, Patrick was a far more interesting player than Rouse (though Monk introduced him at least once as Charlie Rouse) and Ware had a sound that you could hear on the street - and kept trying to borrow money from a friend of mine.

Wow, can't believe that you saw that band, Allen! I don't think they were together all that long...who was the drummer? Was it Harris?

[WorldB3]

I am buying the book this weekend.

Does it explain or does anybody else have info on his relationship with Johnny Griffin or why the Quartet with Griffin, Haynes and Abdul-Malik was so short lived. Artistic differences/other commitments.

[AllenLowe]

it's funny but I have no memory of who the drummer was that night at the Vanguard - it was a strange night; Ware knew a friend of mine (a trumpeter named Dory DeQuatro who now plays commercial gigs in NYC) and between sets he ambled over and tried to borrow money from him - he already owed him, and Dory was broke, as I recall. Patrick was sort of hanging back, watching Ware try to get the cash.

Something of an education for a 16 year old guy from the suburbs.

[fasstrack]

Reading this has me curious about the band with Monk, Dave Holland and T.S. on drums. Anyone heard that era of Monk's music?

I was also really intrigued by the band with Pat Patrick, Wilbur Ware and Beaver Harris (pg. 409-412). Evidently Patrick recorded them in performance at the Jazz Workshop in Boston. Pretty amusing anecdote about why Monk ultimately kicked Harris out of the band.

I was friends with Pat Patrick and we played with Eddie Diehl. He was known for bari, but was a hell of a stompin' tenor player---a strightahead bebop player (again, known as an 'out' player from his association with Sun Ra). Great guy. He would've fit in perfectly with Monk and I'd love to hear it. I was sad when Pat died.

Beaver Harris used to come by Marshall Brown's Wednesday session around 1980-81, just to hang and listen. Good drummer, nice cat.

I don't know if people know that Clarence 'C' Sharpe auditioned for Monk. I'm not sure what happened there, but he would've done a hell of a job.

[rdgkelley]

I don't usually reply or respond to these blogs, though the discussions are always interesting! But I did want to address the question about the Baroness's address. No, her house was not demolished and Google Maps is simply off by a few doors. Here is a more accurate map:

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=63+Kingsw...NJ%2007086-6908

I've tracked the address from the beginning, and one of the most interesting pieces of evidence was a classified ad in the NY Times she put out when she lost her purse at the airport. The address is there, prominently. I've attached it, but if it doesn't come through I'm putting it on my website: www.monkbook.com

There were a few small mistakes I missed or corrections I made that were not registered by the printer/copy editor, to my dismay, but they have been corrected in subsequent printings and I have an errata sheet on my website.

And, by the way, I do refer to those notes that have mistakenly been attributed to Monk allegedly given to Steve Lacy in a footnote in the book. They were not written by Monk, though they MAY have been written by Lacy but many years later. My guess is that he jotted down his memories in preparation for the foreword he wrote for Fitterling's book. It's almost verbatim. I'm still amazed that he had not published the notes as is given how he published so much.

robin d. g. kelley

Nica_ad_1966.pdf

[J.A.W.]

Errata sheet

[save0904]

Nice interview with Robin D.G Kelley about the book Interview Robin D.G. Kelley

[six string]

I'm a little over half way through the book and I don't want it to end. With all the details of the day to day life it really does an excellent job of making you feel like you're right there in the room with Monk. I really feel like I know so much more about Monk and his music. It's clearly one of the best bios on a musician I've ever read. I can't imagine anyone topping this one on Monk. If you even have a mild interest in his music and you enjoy reading, I urge you to consider purchasing this book.

[Hot Ptah]

I am buying the book this weekend.

Does it explain or does anybody else have info on his relationship with Johnny Griffin or why the Quartet with Griffin, Haynes and Abdul-Malik was so short lived. Artistic differences/other commitments.

For what is it worth, I talked to Johnny Griffin in a bar for about two hours in the spring of 1980, while he was being interviewed by a friend, and he told us about how he was visiting Monk in those days, and how Monk was dying. He became quite emotional as he told us. He had only great things to say about Monk.

[WorldB3]

Thanks for the reply Hot Ptah.

I just started the book this week and just got to where Monk just got the gig at Mintons. I had no idea Monk traveled the south with a Pentecostal Preacher before that. Great read so far.

[papsrus]

Received the book for Christmas.

I had no reason to think that I might, but low and behold, like a Christmas miracle, there it was!

(along with Coltrane's "Side Steps" box )

[John Tapscott]

Received the book for Christmas.

I had no reason to think that I might, but low and behold, like a Christmas miracle, there it was!

(along with Coltrane's "Side Steps" box

Yep, it was under my Christmas tree, as well. Looking forward to reading it.

[brownie]

This was one of my Christmas present too!

Plunged into it yesterday evening. It looks as interesting as announced in the recommendations here!

[WorldB3]

Received the book for Christmas.

I had no reason to think that I might, but low and behold, like a Christmas miracle, there it was!

(along with Coltrane's "Side Steps" box )

You will be very happy with both the Monk book and Side Steps, I know I am.

[John L]

I am buying the book this weekend.

Does it explain or does anybody else have info on his relationship with Johnny Griffin or why the Quartet with Griffin, Haynes and Abdul-Malik was so short lived. Artistic differences/other commitments.

By chance, I just finished reading that part of the book. There are some interesting quotes from Griffin to the effect that he had very mixed feelings about playing with Monk. In particular, he appeared to find playing Monk's tunes with Monk to be rather restrictive for the development of solos.

[Van Basten II]

Just bought it on Boxing Day, seems i bought a gem

[WorldB3]

I am buying the book this weekend.

Does it explain or does anybody else have info on his relationship with Johnny Griffin or why the Quartet with Griffin, Haynes and Abdul-Malik was so short lived. Artistic differences/other commitments.

By chance, I just finished reading that part of the book. There are some interesting quotes from Griffin to the effect that he had very mixed feelings about playing with Monk. In particular, he appeared to find playing Monk's tunes with Monk to be rather restrictive for the development of solos.

Thanks, I am only at the part where he just recorded his first record with Prestige. No surprise in regards to Griffin's thoughts on playing with Monk.

The book is incredibly detailed, like Six String below I don't want it to end either.

[Lazaro Vega]

Nice two page review in The Nation:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100111/yaffe

[Chalupa]

Just got this yesterday at one of our last local mom & pop bookstores in town w/ the help of my Christmas gift card. Very excited to read this after perusing this thread.

[skeith]

Got this from the library and I am just about 100 pages into it, he's just cutting his first sides with Blue Note. It's well written, but sometimes I feel the book gives me too many details about friends, acquaintances etc. and find myself dying to get back to Monk!

[ghost of miles]

I interviewed Kelley recently for an upcoming Night Lights show, and he said that he had cut 70,000 words out of the book--much of it music analysis--and that he'd be posting some of the deleted sections on his website. Looks like some are now up:

Outtakes

[skeith]

Interesting as Kelley describes how plagued Monk's studio recordings were with problems: lack of rehearsal, tough heads that accomplished musicians (Hawkins and Coltrane)had problems with. "Brilliant Corners", the tune, is cobbled together from 25 takes. One wonders how these might have sounded with more prep. I had to laugh at this line "Upon listening,it becomes clear that the band had more difficulties playing the theme correctly and in unison than improvising." Well duh!!!

[danasgoodstuff]

I don't usually reply or respond to these blogs, though the discussions are always interesting! But I did want to address the question about the Baroness's address. No, her house was not demolished and Google Maps is simply off by a few doors. Here is a more accurate map:

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=63+Kingsw...NJ%2007086-6908

I've tracked the address from the beginning, and one of the most interesting pieces of evidence was a classified ad in the NY Times she put out when she lost her purse at the airport. The address is there, prominently. I've attached it, but if it doesn't come through I'm putting it on my website: www.monkbook.com

There were a few small mistakes I missed or corrections I made that were not registered by the printer/copy editor, to my dismay, but they have been corrected in subsequent printings and I have an errata sheet on my website.

And, by the way, I do refer to those notes that have mistakenly been attributed to Monk allegedly given to Steve Lacy in a footnote in the book. They were not written by Monk, though they MAY have been written by Lacy but many years later. My guess is that he jotted down his memories in preparation for the foreword he wrote for Fitterling's book. It's almost verbatim. I'm still amazed that he had not published the notes as is given how he published so much.

robin d. g. kelley

Dudes! Da author of da book posts and no one replies? Welcome to the board!

Dana