tomitstube (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Thanx, some theory in college, lotsa time on intervals, guitar is my main mistress. Just finished a short bio on T. Monk. Fascinating individual. Very little formal training. An enigma to most. Drugs and mental illness are attributed to his eccentricities by some. Suprised there was no diagnosis of dyslexia, which I've heard can create dysfuntional genious.At any rate, or tempo, ha ha, this one's in my faves. Note - his wife Nellie Smith described his style as "Melodious Thunk".

natureboy84 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

You couldn't have stated that any better. I am a piano player myself and there's only a select few of us who understand the meaning of "dissonant intervals." You must be a musician of some sort. Also, I think the way he plays flat fingered is how he gets his trademark sound.

DajaWaja (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

This is really BEAUTIFUL

izmirlig (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

--and more specifically the broadway shows themselves, the American aesthetic as seen in the popular media which at the time was even more xenophobic than it is today.

izmirlig (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Point well taken. Definitely I agree that he was genuinely influenced by the early stride pianists. BTW--the targets of the irony and sense of humor I was referring to were the showtune composers: Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Kern etc.

dec10 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I know it's hard to think of it in this way considering that our culture pushes us to eschew our influences, but did it ever occur to you that he was genuinely influenced by the early stride pianists and added his own style TO that? Not everything has to be making fun of those silly old farts...

izmirlig (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

What Monk does with a show tune is to combine irony and a kind of sardonic sense of humor into major 2nd clusters and long intervals like 9ths and 13ths, with the occasional laps into harlem stride in the left hand with ongoing comp in the right--and the result is a kind of satirical haunting commentary on broadway kitsch.

Btaz23 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Hes sweating balls

tomitstube (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

That jacket must fit well. I think his secret is the hat, The rings seem to be a source of magic. The guy can flat get it done. As most of you know, the piano is a percussive instrument, his touch with the hammers, along with those brilliant blue dissonant intervals... is just brilliant. Thank you YouTube. This is what it's all about. Without this venue, this great music would be relegated to once every five years on PBS.

zyruemusic (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

MONK is still the BADDEST on the Block!!!! HOLDIN IT DOWN fo sho!!!