28 “What Do I Have to Do? Play Myself to Death?”
1 Sandra Capello interview, July 19, 2003.
2 Harriet Choice, “The Jazz Sound,” Chicago Tribune, June 12, 1970; Harriet Choice, “Jazz by Choice,” Chicago Tribune, September 18, 1970.
3 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
4 Howard Mandel, “Dewey Redman: Nobody’s Foil,” Down Beat (February, 1983), 18.
5 Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, pp. 38–39; Pat Patrick, interviewed by Phil Schaap, WKCR, March 16, 1976; Szwed, Space is the Place, 87–88; Maurice Cullaz, “Pat Patrick,” Jazz Hot, no. 330 (1976), 34. His son, Deval Patrick, went on to be the first African American elected governor of Massachusetts.
6 Pat Patrick, interviewed by Phil Schaap, WKCR, March 16, 1976.
7 Gene Feehan, “Black Baseball to Black Music.” Downbeat (March 15, 1973), 18–21; Ed Hazell, “Portraits: Beaver Harris,” Modern Drummer (November 1989), 51–52.
8 Wilmer, As Serious as Your Life, 85, 187; Jef Langford, “Monk’s Horns,” Part I, Jazz Journal (November 1970), 2; Jeff Langford, “Monk’s Horns,” Part III Jazz Journal (February 1971), 4.
9 Pat Patrick, interviewed by Phil Schaap, WKCR, March 16, 1976.
10 Ibid.
11 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
12 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
13 Ibid.
14 Doug Quackenbush was among several friends who volunteered to drive Nellie to Hunt’s Point at 5:00 a.m. to purchase fresh produce. Doug Quackenbush unpublished typed notes, ca. 1996.
15 Quote from Lorraine Gordon, Alive at the Village Vanguard, 224; on Nellie and juicing, see interviews with Jackie Bonneau, Evelyn Smith, T. S. Monk, Binetta Bines; Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003; Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
16 Nica to Mary Lou Williams, April 21, 1970, Personal Correspondence, Box 4, Mary Lou Williams Collection.
17 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
18 Ponzio and Postif, Blue Monk, 346; Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 450.
19 Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, pp. 39–41.
20 Audio tape, Jazz Workshop, February 24, 1970, in author’s possession. Patrick played these two cuts during a Monk birthday broadcast at WKCR hosted by Phil Schaap.
21 Bob Rusch, “Beaver Harris: Stories–Part Three,” interview transcribed by Kathy Joyce, Cadence 9, no. 4 (April 1983), 20.
22 Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, 42–43; Rusch, “Beaver Harris: Stories,” 20.
23 Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
24 Barry Harris Trio, Magnificent ! (Prestige PR7733). The recording was made in New York, November 25, 1969.
25 Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
26 AFM Local 802 Contract, Thelonious Monk at Frog and Nightgown, February 24, 1970. Copy courtesy of Sam Stephenson.
27 Nica to Mary Lou Williams, April 21, 1970, Personal Correspondence, Box 4, Mary Lou Williams Collection. Nica’s letter does not say what Monk was hospitalized for, but as late at April 21, five weeks after he was admitted, she wrote: “Thelonious has been very sick . . . He is MUCH better, now, and should be out of the hospital any day.”
28 Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, p. 43; Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
29 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
30 Sam Stephenson, “Thelonious Monk–Is This Home?” Oxford American 58 (2007), 112–114
31 Raleigh News and Observer, May 15, 1970; Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003; Sam Stephenson, “Thelonious Monk–Is This Home?” 116.
32 Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
33 Nellie Monk interview, January 12, 2002.
34 Timothy Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story (New York: Crown, 2004), 118–145; “N.C. Negro Describes Execution,” Washington Post, May 15, 1970; “Tension Racks Oxford,” Chicago Defender, May 14, 1970; “Ben Chavis,” in Bud Schultz, ed., It Did Happen Here: Recollections of Political Repression in America (Los Angeles and Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989), 198–199.
35 Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name, 220–246; “Father, Son Acquitted in Negro’s Death,” Atlanta Daily World, August 4, 1970.
36 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
37 Recordings in Paul Jeffrey’s possession.
38 Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
39 Bill Morrison, “Monk and His Piano—Too Much Anticipation,” Raleigh News and Observer, May 19, 1970.
40 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
41 AFM Local 802 Contract, Thelonious Monk at Frog and Nightgown, April 17, 1970; Jack Whittemore to Peter Ingram, May 6, 1970, copies courtesy of Sam Stephenson.
42 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
43 Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name; 155–159; Burlington Times-News, May 26, 1970.
44 Ad, New York Times, June 25, 1970; Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, 43; Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003; Pat Patrick, interviewed by Phil Schaap, WKCR, March 16, 1976.
45 “Black Is – Featuring Freddie Hubbard Quintet, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner Quintet, August 14, 1970,” flyer in author’s possession; Ad, Amsterdam News, August 8, 1970.
46 By 1969, Macero was producing pop music, Dave Brubeck, the demanding Miles Davis, Andre Kostelanetz, and handling the Ed Sullivan line of products. Marmostein, The Label: The Story of Columbia Records, 383.
47 Dennis Katz to Jack Gold, memo July 9, 1970, Dennis Katz to Jack Gold, memo, July 21, 1970, Box 30, Teo Macero Collection.
48 Teo Macero to Jack Gold, July 10, 1970, Box 30, Teo Macero Collection.
49 Advertisement for “Greatest Hits,”; Memo from Teo Macero to John Lemmermeyer and Russ Payne, November 19, 1968, Box 30, Teo Macero Collection.
50 Newport Jazz Festival in Jappan [sic], ’70 Oct. 1–13 (Program, Morioka Printing Co., Ltd., 1970), program in Monk family papers. Most of the text is in Japanese. I’m grateful to Chris and Fujiko Kelley for translating this material for me.
51 Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
52 Larry Ridley interview, September 7, 2001; Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003. Both men had toured Japan in June and recorded with Kohsuke Mine and Attila Zoller during their brief stay; Kohsuke Mine, Morning Tide (Philips (Jap)FX8508); Attila Zoller Trio, Guitar Genius in Japan (Over Seas (Jap)UPS81).
53 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
54 Ibid.
55 Larry Ridley interview, September 7, 2001.
56 “Legat Tokyo (163–2971) to Director, FBI, August 27, 1970 re: Japanese Immigration Bureau Name Check Requests,” and “Visa Application, July 17, 1970,” both documents in FBI/FOIA file Subject: Thelonious Monk.
57 The personnel on the recording were Koji Hatori, Bunji Murata, Kenichi Sano, Kunio Fujisaki (tp), Teruhiko Kataoka, Masamichi Uetaka, Seiichi Tokura, Takeshi Aoki (tb), Hiroshi Takami, Shinji Nakayama (as), Kosuke Ichihara, Shoji Maeda (ts), Shunzo Sunahara (bar), Masahiko Satoh, Yoshinobu Imashiro (p), Kozaburo Yamaki (g), Masao Kunisada (b), Teiichi Tabata (d), Toshiyuki Miyama (cond). Thelonious Monk Quartet, Thelonious Monk in Tokyo (Far East ETJ-60006). On Miyama, see Atkins, Blue Nippon, 156–176; Yozo Iwanami and Kazunori Sugiyama, “Miyama, Toshiyuki.” In The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed., edited by Barry Kernfeld. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/J304700 (accessed November 30, 2008).
58 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
59 Ibid.
60 Thelonious Monk Quartet, Thelonious Monk in Tokyo (Far East ETJ-60006).
61 Larry Ridley interview, September 7, 2001.
62 Russ Wilson, “Thelonious Monk Opens at S.F.,” Oakland Tribune, October 16, 1970; “Beyond Central: Putter Smith Interviewed by Alex Cline [July 30–September 10, 2003],” UCLA Oral History Project (2007), transcription. Used by permission, UCLA Oral History Project.
63 “Putter Smith Interviewed by Alex Cline,” 173.
64 Ibid., p. 176.
65 Ibid., p. 177; the story is also repeated in Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 262.
66 Wilson, “Thelonious Monk Opens at S. F.”
67 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
68 Ibid.
69 In 1970, he appeared on Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi (Warner Bros WS1898). It was Henderson’s first recording session.
70 Eddie Henderson interview, January 11, 2004.
71 Ibid.
72 Ibid.; also, Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; James H. Leary email to author, November 11, 2009.
73 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; James H. Leary email to author, November 11, 2009.
74 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
75 Memorial Service for Barbara Evelyn Monk, Program, January 17, 1984, in author’s possession; “Eubie Blake Now 89; In Show Biz 72 Years,” Amsterdam News, February 12, 1972.
76 Eddie Henderson interview, January 11, 2004. Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
77 James H. Leary email to author, November 11, 2009.
78 Sammy Mitchell, “Caught in the Act,” Down Beat (March 4, 1971), 31.
79 Ibid., p. 31.
80 Leon Ndugu Chancler, interview, September 30, 2008. In an article about Young Soul, Chancler is described as one of its outstanding graduates who went on to play with Hugh Masekela and Monk, but he is not mentioned by name. Erwin Washington, “Group with Plenty of Soul,” Los Angeles Times, June 16, 1971.
81 Leon Ndugu Chancler interview, September 30, 2008.
82 Leonard Feather, “Thelonious Monk Spins Original Tunes,” Los Angeles Times, January 8, 1971.
83 Quoted in “Putter Smith Jazz Wolverine,” All About Jazz, May 12, 2008, http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=18383.
84 As Smith tells it, “An agent signed me and nothing ever happened. It was about a year of nothing, absolutely nothing.” Ten years later, a friend of his became an agent and tried to resurrect his acting career. “So for about a year I went out on interviews and I did about ten small jobs, and then he got enough money to buy himself a Roto-Rooter franchise in Las Vegas, and so now he’s cleaning toilets in Las Vegas, which is a step up. [laughs] . . . So I thought, well, that’s a perfect end to my acting career.” “Putter Smith Interviewed by Alex Cline,” 186–87. He appeared in the films Love Thy Neighbor (1984), In the Mood (1987) and Win, Place, or Steal (1975). See Putter Smith, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0809623/.
85 Leon Ndugu Chancler interview, September 30, 2008.
86 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
87 A&R Recording Authorization Form, February 12, 1971, Memo from Dennis Katz to Mallory Rintoul, March 18, 1971, Box 30, Teo Macero Collection.
88 Bobby Colomby interview, August 14, 2003.
89 James Lichtenberg, “Making Rock Respectable,” New York Times, February 28, 1971.
90 Tom Zito, “Blood, Sweat and Tears: No Spontaneity,” Washington Post, March 8, 1971. The review ranged from lukewarm to negative. Zito took BS&T to task for their lack of spontaneity and overly slick performance style. “Instead of feeding off each other, it’s almost as if all the musicians are being controlled by a central computer.”
91 Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, p. 47.
92 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; Oral History Interview with Wilbur B. Ware Sr. by Gloria L. Ware, December 18, 1977, p. 47.
93 John S. Wilson, “The ‘Jazz Doctors’ Prescribe Music as the Best Therapy,” New York Times, October 10, 1971; John S. Wilson, “Jazz at Noon—Anyone Can Have Lunch With Jam,” New York Times, May 25, 1975. Dr. Markewich recorded as a leader in 1957, while he was still in college at Cornell University. The LP is Reese Markewich Quintet, New Designs in Jazz (Modern Age MA134). Personnel were Markewich (piano and flute), Nick Brignola (alto and baritone sax), Jesse Avery (tenor), Steve Fillo (bass), and Ronnie Zito (drums). He also published books and articles about jazz throughout the 1970s and ’80s. Perhaps his best known book is The New Expanded Bibliography of Jazz Compositions Based on the Chord Progressions of Standard Tunes (New York: Reese Markewich, 1974). On Reese Markewich’s biography, “Maurice Elish Markewich.” Marquis Who’s Who ™. Marquis Who’s Who, 2008, Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. (Farmington Hills, MI.: Gale, 2008), http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC. I spoke with Dr. Markewich on November 30, 2008, but he was restricted by Beth Israel from sharing any information pertaining to Thelonious Monk’s case—medical or otherwise.
94 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
95 Doug Quackenbush unpublished typed notes, ca. 1996, pp. 23–24.
96 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
97 T. S. Monk, interview, April 4, 2005; Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
98 The Philly Joe Jones Quintet included Nico Brunick on piano, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Monty Walters on alto. Their gigs were limited to the Sunday jazz concerts held at the Jazz Center on West 57th Street and short-term gigs. Jones told critic John S. Wilson that the group was temporary and he planned to work with Red Garland. John S. Wilson, “Joe Jones, Drummer, and Quintet Fill in at Jazz Interactions,” New York Times, May 18, 1971. Paul Jeffrey, on the other hand, insists that Philly Joe planned to come back but Nellie blocked him. “Philly Joe said something to me just before he died. He said, imagine putting your kid in my place. I didn’t know what he was talking about because I didn’t connect the two. And I’m trying to say, what is he talking about? He was talking about Toot [replacing him]. He said, ‘But I left him in the hot seat.’ But that was Philly Joe’s feeling about that. And I didn’t know that it had bothered him all them years.” Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
99 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
100 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005; Ran Blake interview, March 22, 2005.
101 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
102 C. Gerald Fraser, “Ellis Haizlip, Producer, 61, Dies; Mentor to Many Black Performers,” New York Times, January 30, 1991. Also, I’m grateful to Louis Massiah and Gayle Wald for their extensive research on Ellis Haizlip and Soul!
103 “Week’s T.V. Highlites,” Los Angeles Sentinel, May 20, 1971; Bridgeport Telegram, May 20, 1971; Oneonta Star, May 20, 1971; Lumberton, NC, Robesonian, May 20, 1971. In New York City it aired twice, once on Thursday, May 20 and then Sunday, May 23. [“What’s On TV?” Amsterdam News, May 22, 1971.] In addition to Monk’s set, the show featured poetry readings by Frank Adu, Anna Maria Horsford, Peter Bailey, W. Adell Stevenson, and Imam Tawfig, and performances by the George Faison Dance Experience.
104 Larry Ridley interview, September 7, 2001.
105 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
106 T. S. Monk, interview, April 4, 2005.
107 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005; Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008; Bill Lane, “People, Places, and Situwayshuns,” Los Angeles Sentinel, April 22, 1971; Pearl Gonzalez, “Monk Talk,” Down Beat (October 28, 1971), 12–13.
108 Larry Ridley interview, September 7, 2001.
109 Ibid.; Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 275.
110 The gig at the Cellar Door, August 9–14, was due to a last-minute cancellation by Miles Davis who was scheduled to play. Hollie I. West, “Movies on Billie Holiday,” Washington Post, July 30, 1971; Ad, Washington Post, August 3, 1971.
111 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
112 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
113 Ibid.
114 Gonzalez, “Monk Talk,” 12–13.
115 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
116 George Wein, Myself Among Others, 226–27; and original liner notes by George Wein, Giants of Jazz (Atlantic SD2-905). Paul Jeffrey tells a different story. Roach reportedly organized some of the other musicians so they could hold out for a better contract, but then he alleged that Dizzy “went behind everybody’s back, from what I understand, and got his price.” The other musicians followed suit, including Monk—though Nellie negotiated with Wein on his behalf. Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
117 For a five-night engagement at Lennie’s–Village Green, Monk earned $2,000 minus ten percent for his booking agent, Jack Whittemore, leaving him $1,800 to divide between him and his sidemen. He paid his sidemen $250 each, leaving Monk with $800 for himself. AFM Contract, Thelonious Monk Local 802, Lennie Sogoloff, March 20, 1972, in author’s possession.
118 The Jazz Weekend (Program, Victoria Theater, 1971), in author’s possession; original liner notes by George Wein, Giants of Jazz (Atlantic SD2-905); Shipton, Groovin’ High, 336; Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 457–58; Wein, Myself Among Others, 227.
119 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003. Jeffrey even implied that Monk exhibited some suicidal tendencies during this period, though it may have also been expressions of his humor. Jeffrey: “I remember, I was driving in the tunnel and it was two-way traffic, and Monk said, ‘Crash.’ I was fighting with Monk over the wheel. I don’t know how I got out of there, big as Monk was, but he grabbed the steering wheel and was trying to crash the car. You know, when he’d go out, he’d got out. So he’d laugh, you know.” Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003. In what may have been another telling sign, Monk told interviewer Pearl Gonzalez that the purpose of life is “To die.” Gonzalez responded, “But between birth and death, there’s a lot to do.” To which Monk replied, “You asked a question, that’s the answer.” Gonzalez then noted that he said these words while staring out of a twelfth-floor window. Gonzalez, “Monk Talk,” 13.
120 Jaki Byard interview with Taylor Ho Bynum, November 14, 1997, transcript in author’s possession.
121 See also, Alain Gerber, “Giants of Jazz,” Jazz Magazine (December 1971), 22–31; Randi Hultin, “Caught in the Act,” Down Beat (January 20, 1972), 32; Barry McRae, Dizzy Gillespie: His Life and Times (Tunbridge Wells: Spellmount, 1988), 98; Shipton, Groovin’ High, 337–38. The only major problem they encountered was in Japan, where Sonny Stitt was denied entrance into the country because of prior drug convictions. In 1948–49, he served time in federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, for drug dealing. Sleepy Matsumoto substituted for Stitt, whom the Japanese refused to pay for the two weeks he was absent. The Giants decided to share their earnings from the next performance with Stitt so he wouldn’t lose money. George Wein and Hideki Sato, Liner notes to Giants of Jazz in Berlin (EmArcy 834 567–2); Wein, Myself Among Others, 227. On Stitt’s drug conviction, see Kenny Mathieson, Giants of Bebop, 102.
122 Wein, Myself Among Others, 227.
123 My comments on the music are based on radio and television broadcasts, as well as bootleg and authorized recordings of the Giants of Jazz tours in my possession. I’m grateful to T. S. Monk, Peter Grain, Lewis Porter, and various collectors for making these recordings available to me. Below is a near-complete list: ABC Radio concert recording, Melbourne, Australia, September 24–25, 1971; RAI recording, Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, Milan, Italy, Wednesday, October 20, 1971, released on CD as The Bop Fathers 1 (Jazz View COD026); The Bop Fathers 2 (Jazz View COD027); ORTF “Jazz s’il vous plait” and “Jazz sur scene” radio recordings, Theatre National Populaire, Paris, Friday, October 22, 1971; Television Broadcast in author’s possession, Concert Lucerna Hall, Prague, Saturday, October 30, 1971; NOS radio recording, De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands, October 31, 1971; JRT radio recording, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, November 2, 1971, released as Giants of Jazz and The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet—Live (Jazz Door JD1277); Berliner Jazztage concert recording, Philharmonie, Berlin, November 4, 1971, authorized and produced by George Wein, released as Giants of Jazz in Berlin (EmArcy 834 567–2); SDR “Treffpunkt Jazz” recording, Congresshalle, Boblingen, Germany, November 7, 1971; Television Broadcast, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Tuesday, November 9, 1971 (in author’s possession); and the 2-LP concert recording from the Victoria Theater in London, November 14, 1971: The Giants of Jazz (Atlantic SD 2-905).
124 Gillespie, To Be or Not to Bop, 488–89.
125 According to the recorded evidence, it appears that both songs were dropped after the Paris performance on October 22. ABC Radio concert recording, Melbourne, Australia, September 24–25, 1971; RAI recording, Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, Milan, Italy, Wednesday, October 20, 1971, released on CD as The Bop Fathers 1 (Jazz View COD026); The Bop Fathers 2 (Jazz View COD027); ORTF “Jazz s’il vous plaît” and “Jazz sur scene” radio recordings, Theatre National Populaire, Paris, Friday, October 22, 1971.
126 Wein, Myself Among Others, 227; (Quote) George Wein and Hideki Sato, Liner notes to Giants of Jazz in Berlin.
127 Bob Rusch, “Al McKibbon Interview,” transc. Kea D. Rusch, Cadence (March 1987), 18.
128 Jaki Byard interview with Taylor Ho Bynum, November 14, 1997.
129 His physical condition is evident in television broadcasts in my possession. Television Broadcast, Concert Lucerna Hall, Prague, Saturday October 30, 1971; Television Broadcast, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Tuesday, November 9, 1971.
130 Rusch, “Al McKibbon Interview,” 19.
131 Jaki Byard interview with Taylor Ho Bynum, November 14, 1997.
132 Dick Hughes, “Caught in the Act,” Down Beat (December 9, 1971), 27–28.
133 Alain Gerber, “Giants of Jazz,” Jazz Magazine (December 1971), 22–24.
134 Randi Hultin, “Caught in the Act,” Down Beat (January 20, 1972), 32.
135 Giants of Jazz in Berlin (EmArcy 834 567–2).
136 George Wein observed, “I remember noticing Dizzy’s astonishment at the recognition and applause that Thelonious’s tunes evoked.” Wein, Myself Among Others, 227.
137 Television Broadcast in author’s possession, Concert Lucerna Hall, Prague, Saturday, October 30, 1971.
138 Television Broadcast, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Tuesday, November 9, 1971.
139 John Litweiler, “Bu’s Delights and Laments,” Down Beat (March 25, 1976), 15.
140 Guy Warren interview, August 12, 2004; Brian Priestley, “Monk in the Studio,” Melody Maker (July 22, 1972), 30.
141 Guy Warren interview, August 12, 2004; Alun Morgan Liner notes, Thelonious Monk—The London Collection: Volume One (Black Lion BLCD760101).
142 Thelonious Monk—The London Collection: Volume One (Black Lion BLCD760101); Thelonious Monk—The London Collection: Volume Three (Black Lion BLCD760142).
143 Priestley, “Monk in the Studio,” 30.
144 Ibid., 30.
145 Rusch, “Al McKibbon Interview,” 19.
146 Thelonious Monk—The London Collection: Volume Three (Black Lion BLCD760142); Thelonious Monk—The London Collection: Volume Two (Black Lion BLCD760116).
147 Guy Warren interview, August 12, 2004.
148 Wein, Myself Among Others, 304–12.
149 “Stars to Lend Hand in Benefit to Aid Newport Jazz Festival,” Pittsburgh Courier, December 4, 1971; “Newport Salute Set for Boston Garden,” Hartford Courant, December 9, 1971; Victor E. Sasson, “Thousands Hail Newport Event at Monumental Jazz Session,” Hartford Courant, December 12, 1971; Roderick Nordell, “A Jazz Galaxy’s Six Hour ‘Salute to Newport,’ ” Christian Science Monitor, December 27, 1971; “Stars Turn Out For Newport,” San Francisco Sun Reporter, February 5, 1972.
150 T. S. Monk, interview, April 4, 2005. Toot was there, too; he celebrated his 22nd birthday that night. The Duke Ellington Orchestra began a three-week engagement at the Rainbow Grill on December 13, 1971. “Arts Roundup,” Amsterdam News, December 11, 1971; John S. Wilson, “Ellington Back with 9 Jazzmen; Pianist is at Rainbow Grill after his Soviet Tour,” New York Times, December 16, 1971.
29 “I Am Very Seriously Ill”
1 One of the foundational texts for orthomolecular psychiatry is David R. Hawkins and Linus Pauling, Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia (San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1973); see also, Eric R. Braverman, The Healing Nutrients Within: Facts, Findings, and New Research on Amino Acids (New Canaan,CT: Keats Pub., 1997); Carl Pfeiffer, Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry (Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1988); Carl Pfeiffer, Mental and Elemental Nutrients: A Physician’s Guide to Nutrition and Health Care, (New Canaan, CT: Keats Pub. 1976); and articles in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine launched in 1972 as Orthomolecular Psychiatry.
2 Elliot S. Valenstein, Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental Health (New York: Free Press, 1998), 42–52; Mogens Schou, Lithium Treatment of Mood Disorders: A Practical Guide (Basel, Switzerland: S. Karger Pub., 2004); Johan Schioldann, “Mogens Abelin Schou (1918–2005)–Half a Century with Lithium,” History of Psychiatry 17, no. 2 (2006), 247–252; Samuel Gershon and Baron Shopsin, eds., Lithium. Its Role in Psychiatric Research and Treatment (New York: Plenum Press, 1976).
3 Sally Quinn, “Most Widespread Illness,” Washington Post, April 4, 1970; Lynn Lilliston, “Megavitamin Controversy: Part II; Schizophrenia–The Key Target Response In Schizophrenics Rewarding Results In Schizophrenics,” Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1972.
4 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
5 Geraldine Smith interview, February 12, 2004.
6 Ibid.; T. S. Monk, interview April 4, 2005.
7 Geraldine Smith interview, February 12, 2004.
8 Ibid.
9 On Sunday afternoon, January 23, Boo Boo performed with Weston at the Harlem Music Center on St. Nicholas Avenue. Press Release, Harlem Music Center, n.d., Box 5, Joseph Black Papers, Schomburg Library, Special Collections; “Strictly Ad Lib,” Down Beat (March 2, 1972), 11. The following month they performed at the North Park Hotel in Chicago. “Randy Weston Plays Jazz at North Park,” Chicago Defender, February 19, 1972.
10 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 280.
11 Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 280.
12 (Quote) Pfeiffer, Nutrition and Mental Illness: 70; Kay Redfield Jamison, Touched with Fire, 240–246.
13 See, for example, P. Polatin and R. R. Fieve, “Patient Rejection of Lithium Carbonate Prophylaxis,” Journal of the American Medical Assocation 218 (1971), 864–866; Mogens Schou, “Artistic Productivity and Lithium Prophylaxis in Manic-depressive Illness,” British Journal of Psychiatry 135 (August 1979), 97–103; Jamison, Touched with Fire, 240–47.
14 “Strictly Ad Lib,” Down Beat (March 30, 1972), 36.
15 Leonard Feather, “Thelonious Monk at Shelly’s Manne-Hole,” Los Angeles Times, February 19, 1972. Colman Andrews’s assessment of the band was far more charitable, but he echoed Feather’s point about repetition: “If he sounds less than shocking (less than exciting, for that matter) today, it’s only because he’s been playing pretty much the same thing for a very long time. To see and hear Monk in 1972 is not a thrilling, convention-shattering experience. It’s more like paying homage to a legitimate, living American musical tradition.” Colman Andrews, “Two Evenings at the Manne-Hole,” The Staff, March 10, 1972.
16 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
17 Paul de Barros, Jackson Street After Hours, 95; Charles Mingus, Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Charles Mingus, ed. Nel King (New York: Knopf, 1971), 156.
18 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
19 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008. They moved on March 9. Receipt, Same Day Moving & Storage Co., Inc., March 9, 1972, Thelonious Monk Personal Papers.
20 AFM Contract, Thelonious Monk Local 802, Lennie Sogoloff, March 20, 1972, in author’s possession; Matt Robinson, “Years After Hosting Jazz Legends, Lennie’s on the Campus,” Boston Globe, September 23, 2006.
21 Jeremiah Rickert, “Ron McClure Interview, November 1, 1998,” www.rdrop.com/users/rickert/mcclure.htm; Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 281–82.
22 Quoted in Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 283.
23 “Wein Schedules Five Major U.S. Festivals,” Down Beat (June 8, 1972), 9; Harriet Choice, “The Best of an Era Blowing Together,” Chicago Tribune, May 7, 1972; Oakland Tribune, June 10, 1972; San Mateo Times, May 12, 1972; Hayward Daily Review, June 2, 1972; San Mateo Times, June 17, 1972; “Lineup for Bay Area Jazz Fest,” Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1972; “Annual Hampton Jazz Fest Set for June Weekend,” Amsterdam News, June 17, 1972; “Atlanta Jazz Festival to Feature the Nation’s Best,” Atlanta Daily World, June 1, 1972; Ad, Atlanta Daily World, June 4, 1972; “Jazz Artist Slated to Appear at Festival,” Atlanta Daily World, June 22, 1972; Murray Schumach, “City Feels Vibrations as 9-Day Jazz Festival Begins,” New York Times, July 2, 1972; Hollie I. West, “Here’s Newport in New York,” Washington Post, June 11, 1972; Leonard Feather, “Jazz Festival in New Setting,” Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1972; San Antonio Express and News, July 2, 1972; Ad, Amsterdam News, June 17, 1972; “Jazz Schedules,” New York Times, July 8, 1972; John S. Wilson, “Jazz Sessions Prove an Attraction for the Purists,” New York Times, July 10, 1972; Hollie I. West, “Newport Jazz: A Rousing Welcome,” Washington Post, July 3, 1972; “Giants Set for Festival,” Chicago Defender, June 17, 1972; “11th Annual Ohio Jazz Festival Feature Great Musicians,” Chicago Defender, July 15, 1972; Leonard Feather, “Jazz Reigns in Monterey,” Los Angeles Times, September 18, 1972.
24 Giants of Jazz Itineraries, 1972, Robert Jones Personal Papers. Of course, compensation varied; sometimes they earned less for a shorter set.
25 Tom Bethell, “Jazzfest Number Five,” Jazz Journal (June 1972), 6.
26 Harriet Choice, “The Best of an Era Blowing Together,” Chicago Tribune, May 7, 1972.
27 Voice of America Broadcast, “Newport in New York” Concert, Philharmonic Hall, July 1, 1972, in author’s possession, courtesy of Brent Edwards; Broadcast “Newport in New York,” Yankee Stadium, New York, July 8, 1972, in author’s possession; Don Heckman, “An All-Star Night at Philharmonic Hall,” New York Times, July 2, 1972. See also Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 216–217.
28 Don Heckman, “An All-Star Night at Philharmonic Hall,” New York Times, July 2, 1972.
29 Leonard Feather, “Jazz Festival in New Setting,” Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1972. Hollie West came to the opposite conclusion. She thought the drum duel was the highlight of the evening. Hollie I. West, “Newport Jazz: A Rousing Welcome,” Washington Post, July 3, 1972.
30 Recording in author’s possession, courtesy of Brent Edwards.
31 The Houston concert was scheduled for July 7, the night before the New York event. Herbie Mann’s pianist subbed for him. Lyle Jones, “Caught in the Act,” Down Beat (October 27, 1972), 31.
32 Larry Ridley interview, September 7, 2001.
33 Leonard Feather, “Jazz Reigns in Monterey,” Los Angeles Times, September 18, 1972.
34 Voice of America Broadcast, Tape 217, September 16, 1972, Monterey Jazz Festival, Braun Music Library, Sound Archives, Stanford University.
35 Ibid.
36 The quartet played the Vanguard June 13–18 and August 1–6. “Strictly Ad Lib,” Down Beat (July 20, 1972), 12; Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 461–62.
37 Thelonious Monk Quartet at the Village Vanguard, June 15, 1972, recording in author’s possession, courtesy of Jacques Ponzio.
38 Wilson was a member of the Young Workers Liberation League. Formed in 1970, it was an outgrowth of the Young Communist League and the W. E. B. DuBois Clubs in the 1960s.
39 Joseph Wilson interview, July 1, 2003.
40 Ibid.
41 Here is the official itinerary:
October 25—Brussels; Palais des Beaux Arts
October 27—Paris, Olympia Theater
October 28—London; Odeon Theater, Hammersmith
October 29—Rotterdam; De Doelen
October 30—Budapest; Erkel Theatre
October 31—Aarhus (Denmark) Performed at Royal Hotel
November 1—Helsinki
November 3—Bucharest [Cancelled, went to Berlin instead and played the Berliner Jazztage]
November 4—Vienna; Stadthalle Vienna
November 6—Venice, Teatro la Fenice
November 7—Belgrade; Dom Sindikata Hall
November 8—Frankfurt, performed at Jahrhundert Haller
November 11—Bologne; performed at Teatro Communale
November 15—Sochaux, performed at Maison Des Arts et Des Loisirs
November 16—Barcelona; Palacio de la Musica
Source: Giants of Jazz Itineraries, 1972, Robert Jones Personal Papers
42 Harriet Choice, “European Trip a Test for the Pros,” Chicago Tribune, November 12, 1972.
43 Ibid.
44 ORF Recording, Stadthalle, Vienna, November 4, 1972; Private Recording, Cologne, Germany, November 5, 1972; Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 220. Haynes and Terry were traveling with the Jimmy Smith Jam Session and Anderson was with Charles Mingus’s group.
45 Peter Gamble, “The Giants of Jazz,” Jazz Journal (December 1972), 26.
46 Choice, “European Trip a Test for the Pros”; Michael James, “Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk [Review],” Jazz & Blues 2 (February 1973), 11; Down Beat (April 26, 1973), 22; Jazz Hot (October 1972), 25; Melody Maker (November 18, 1972), 46; Jazz & Blues 2 (January 1973), 30–31.
47 Giants of Jazz, Giants of Jazz (Concord GW 3004). On Monk in Dizzy’s big band, see Chapter 10. The recording of “I Waited for You” was recorded on Dizzy Gillespie ’46 Live At The Spotlite (Hi-Fly H 01), and rereleased on CD as Dizzy Gillespie, Big Band, Showtime at the Spotlight: 52nd Street, New York City, June 1946 (Uptown 2754).
48 Tom Piazza, “Caught in the Act: Thelonious Monk,” Down Beat (December 1972), 26.
49 “Hall Overton of Juilliard Dead; Symphonic and Jazz Composer,” New York Times, November 26, 1972.
50 In an interview with Sam Stephenson, the conductor Dennis Russell Davies had seen Monk at Overton’s gig in September, and between sets the two men interacted in a very warm and friendly manner. E-mail correspondence from Sam Stephenson to author, January 14, 2004.
51 Barry Harris interview with Phil Schaap, October 9, 1996, WKCR Broadcast. In another interview, he described Monk’s playing as “real fluid like maybe Bud Powell would play, Art Tatum would play.” Barry Harris interview with Quincy Troupe, November 30, 1990. Media Transcripts Inc., for film “Thelonious Monk: American Composer.” Used by permission from Avalon Archives, Ltd.
52 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
53 Morris Zuckerman to Nellie Monk, May 15, 1973; Corporate Tax Return, Bar-Thel Music, 1972; Federal Tax Return, Bar-Thel Music, 1972; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to Monk Thelenious [sic]/Zuckerman, October 6, 1972, Monk family papers. Zuckerman grew quite frustrated with Nellie over time, in part because he had worked for a few years without receiving compensation, until he decided to draw it himself from their revenue. Zuckerman to Nellie Monk, February 24, 1974, Monk family papers.
54 Flatbush Moving Van Co., Inc. “Sale Notice” January 5, 1973, Lot no: 3383-A, Nellie Monk & Evelyn Newkirk, Monk family papers. She made the payment just before the contents of the space were to be auctioned off.
55 Between 1971–72, for example, Monk received royalty checks amounting to less than $1,700 for reissues of his 1952–54 sessions. Artist Royalty Card, Thelonious Monk, Prestige, March 1, 1971–December 31, 1972. His royalties from Consolidated Music during the same period came to $338.59. Music Sales Royalty Statement: Thelonious Monk, Period Ending June 30, 1972. Monk Family Papers.
56 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
57 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
58 Bertha Hope interview, July 15, 2003.
59 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
60 Interviews with Jackie Bonneau, Evelyn Smith, Binetta Bines, Bertha Hope, T. S. Monk.
61 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005. Nellie did not drive, but family and friends often drove her to Nica’s, including Doug Quackenbush and long-time family friend Marcellus Green. Marcellus Green interview, June 27, 2002; Doug Quackenbush unpublished typed notes, ca. 1996, pp. 22–23.
62 Marion White interview, with Quincy Troupe, December 1, 1990.
63 Nica de Koenigswarter quoted in Charlotte Zwerin, Straight, No Chaser.
64 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
65 I think the rumor began in Down Beat, but it has been repeated many times, recently in Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 223. (Sheridan also mistakenly asserts that Monk played Carnegie Hall on June 6 of the same year. He did not.) The pianists billed for the So-Lo Piano evening were Bill Evans, Earl Hines, Art Hodes, Ellis Larkins, Dave McKenna, Jimmy Rowles, George Shearing, Billy Taylor, Eubie Blake, and Brooks Kerr. “Jazz Events,” New York Times, July 7, 1973. On Toot’s performance with Natural Essence that same night, see Rudy Johnson, “The Accent is on Rhythm,” New York Times, July 7, 1973.
66 Music Sales Corp., Royalty Statement: Thelonious Monk, Period Ending, June 30, 1974; Music Sales Corp., Royalty Statement: Thelonious Monk, Period Ending, December 31, 1974; Music Sales Corp., Royalty Statement: Thelonious Monk, Period Ending, June 30, 1975; United Artists Music, Statement of Publisher Royalties, Bar-Thel Music Corp, Period Ending December 30, 1976; United Artists Music, Statement of Publisher Royalties, Bar-Thel Music Corp, Period Ending September 30, 1976; Artist Royalty Card, Thelonious Monk, Fantasy Records, December 31, 1972–December 31, 1975; BMI Contract, Modification of Agreement, June 24, 1976; Stanley Catron to Thelonious Monk, September 13, 1976. Copies of all statements in Monk Family Papers. In spite of Keepnews’s role in producing these re-issues, Fantasy Records payments were delayed for three years because they sent the checks to the wrong address. In August of 1975, Monk received a check for $4,579.97 for back royalties. H.M. Wolstencroft, Castle Bank Trust, LTD to Thelonious Monk, August 1975; Malcolm Burnstein to Mrs. Nellie Monk, December 8, 1975.
67 Artist Royalty Card, Thelonious Monk, Fantasy Records, 12/31/1972–12/31/1975.
68 Thelonious Monk, Who’s Afraid of the Big Band Monk? (Columbia KG32892); A&R album release info.; Artist job sheet; Promotional flyers, n.d., Box 30, Teo Macero Collection.
69 Billboard Magazine (September 7, 1974), 48; CBS Records Earnings Summary, “Thelonious Monk,” Period Ending December 31, 1976, Monk Family Papers.
70 Jimmy Owens interview, April 5, 2005; also, Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003; T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005; Matthews, “Eddie Bert Interview,” 16; Wein, Myself Among Others, 228.
71 Martin Williams confidential letter to Guggenheim Fellowship re: Thelonious Monk, November 25, 1975, Monk Family Papers; Wein, Myself Among Others, 228; T. S. Monk, interview, April 4, 2005; Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008; Evelyn Smith interview.
72 Peter Keepnews, “Thelonious Monk: Caught,” Down Beat (July 1974), 37.
73 T. S. Monk, interview, April 4, 2005.
74 Martin Williams confidential letter to Guggenheim Fellowship re: Thelonious Monk, November 25, 1975, Monk Family Papers.
75 Wein, Myself Among Others, 228.
76 See for example, Alan Rosenthal, “The Music of Thelonious Monk,” Nation (September 21, 1974), 247–250; Alan Goodman, “Thelonious Gestalt: Monk Disrobed,” Crawdaddy (November 1976), 72; Alan Groves, “The Loneliest Monk,” Jazz Journal International 30 (November 1977), 10–13.
77 Ran Blake interview, March 22, 2005; Marianne Votta, Public Affairs New England Conservatory to Thelonious Monk, October 23, 1975, Monk Family Papers.
78 Edwin McDowell, “Ten Days When Jazz Was King,” Wall Street Journal, July 8, 1975.
79 John S. Wilson, “Full House for Thelonious Monk,” New York Times, July 5, 1975.
80 Whitney Balliett, “Jazz,” New Yorker (July 19, 1976), 85.
81 Wilson, “Full House for Thelonious Monk.”
82 Martin Williams confidential letter to Guggenheim Fellowship re: Thelonious Monk, November 25, 1975, Orrin Keepnews, Confidential Report on Candidate for Fellowship, November 21, 1975, Monk Family Papers.
83 “Grants Awarded by Guggenheim,” New York Times, April 4, 1976.
84 Gary Giddins, “Rabbi Monk Reasserts His Mastery,” Village Voice (April 12, 1976), 99; John S. Wilson, “Thelonious Monk Is in Fine Fettle with a Quintet,” New York Times, March 28, 1976.
85 Ira Gitler, “Thelonious Monk Returns to Carnegie Hall,” Radio Free Jazz 17 (May 1976), 10.
86 Monk was scheduled to make a brief appearance at Radio City Music Hall the following night for “A Salute to Reverend John G. Gensel,” but he never made it. “Jazz Events,” New York Times, June 30, 1976; C. Gerald Fraser, “Jazz Minister’s Flock to Honor Him Tonight,” New York Times, July 1, 1976; Chuck Berg, “Newport, ’76,” Down Beat (September 9, 1976), 40.
87 Whitney Balliett, “Comment,” New Yorker (March 1, 1982), 37. John S. Wilson came away with a more positive take, concluding that Monk’s solos were interesting and that his style “is so personal that no other jazz pianist even approaches it.” John S. Wilson, “Monk and Gillespie Share Bill at Carnegie,” New York Times, July 2, 1976.
88 Lee Jeske, “Thelonious Monk, 1917–1982,” Down Beat (May 1982), 11. Barry Harris’s trio had a regular gig that summer at Bradley’s. “Arts and Leisure Guide,” New York Times, July 25, 1976.
89 Johnny Griffin once ran into Monk, supposedly in Central Park, when Griffin and Illinois Jacquet were playing together. If this happened, it would have been 1979, since they did work together as part of Wein’s Kool Jazz Festival. Ad, New York Times, May 20, 1979.
90 This description is based on many interviews with family and friends who visited.
91 Nica de Koenigswarter quoted in Whitney Balliett, “Comment,” New Yorker (March 1, 1982), 37.
92 Barry Harris interviews; Gourse, Straight, No Chaser, 292–93.
93 Leroy Williams interview, June 24, 2003.
94 Robert Kraft, a talented young musician/composer, sent Monk Christmas and birthday cards every year beginning in 1974. After Monk died, Nica found them among the stacks of his correspondence under his bed. Robert Kraft interview, June 6, 2007.
95 T. S. Monk, interview, April 4, 2005.
96 Keepnews, The View from Within, 126.
97 Paul Jeffrey interview, August 31, 2003.
98 “A History of WKCR’s Jazz Programming: An interview with Phil Schaap, conducted, transcribed, and edited by Evan Spring,” October 5, 1992, http://www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr/jazz/schaap.html.
99 Nica to Mary Lou Williams, November 3, 1977, Box 8, Mary Lou Williams Collection. Nica never mentions him by name, but evidence from her letters and oral testimony from Toot and others indicate that she is referring to Dr. Pfeiffer and the Brain Bio Center (which is not affiliated with Princeton University). Coincidentally, Nica found the Brain Bio Center just after it had been revealed that Dr. Pfeiffer participated in experiments in behavior control for the CIA from 1955–1964. Under CIA financing and direction, he and other researchers administered LSD to prisoners, reportedly with the consent of the subjects. “Carl C. Pfeiffer, Pharmacologist, Dies at 80,” New York Times, November 23, 1988.
100 Nica to Mary Lou Williams, February 15, 1979, Personal Correspondence, Box 4, Mary Lou Williams Collection.
101 “Wilbur Ware, Bassist, 56, Dies,” New York Times, September 13, 1979; John S. Wilson, “Mary Lou Williams, a Jazz Great, Dies,” New York Times, May 30, 1981.
102 Thomas Monk, Sr. interview with Phil Schaap, WKCR, Thelonious Monk Birthday Broadcast, 1984.
103 Marion White interview, with Quincy Troupe, December 1, 1990.
104 Don Sickler interview, September 9, 2003.
105 Social Security Death Index, “Evelyn Newkirk,” 4 May 1923 to May 1977; Evelyn Smith and Benetta Bines interview.
106 Robeson died January 23, 1976. On his final years, see Duberman, Paul Robeson, 539–550.
107 Clifford Jordan, Remembering Me-Me (Muse MR5105). It is worth noting that the bassist on the date was none other than Wilbur Ware.
108 Evelyn Smith and Benetta Bines interviewed by author, July 6, 2005.
109 T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005.
110 Jon Sanders, “Jazz Rocks Rockefeller Center,” Amsterdam News, September 4, 1976.
111 Flyer for Cycles, “Jazz/Funk/Concert/Party,” Sun Drop Lounge, Jan. 29, 1977, Press Kit, “Natural Essence,” Atlantic Records, n.d., in author’s possession.
112 T. S. Monk Band, House of Music (Mirage); T. S. Monk interview, April 4, 2005; “T. S. Monk–Beautiful Day Productions,” Press Release, in author’s possession; Gene Gillis, “Turntable Talk,” Amsterdam News, January 3, 1981; Stephen Holden, “T. S. Monk in Showcase Led by Thelonious Monk, Jr.,” New York Times, April 9, 1981; Geoffrey Himes, “Up From Disco,” Washington Post, February 11, 1982; “T. S. Monk’s House of Music,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 23, 1981.
113 Nica to Mary Lou Williams, February 15, 1979, Personal Correspondence, Box 4, Mary Lou Williams Collection.
114 Barry Harris interview with Quincy Troupe, November 30, 1990. He tells the same story in Barry Harris interview with Phil Schaap, October 9, 1996, WKCR broadcast.
115 Certificate of Death, 568–3450, “Thelonious Sphere Monk,” February 17, 1982; “Jazz Pianist Monk, 61, Suffers Stroke,” Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1982; “Personalities,” Washington Post, February 9, 1982; John S. Wilson, “Thelonious Monk, Created Wry Jazz Melodies and New Harmonies,” New York Times, February 18, 1982; Jerry Belcher, “Jazz Great Thelonious Monk Dies,” Los Angeles Times, February 18, 1982; Sam Sutherland, “Thelonious Monk Dies; Sowed Seeds of Bebop,” Billboard (February 27, 1982); Brian Case, “Monk’s Dream,” Melody Maker (February 27, 1982), 18; Robert Palmer, “Thelonious Monk: 1917–1982,” Rolling Stone (April 1, 1982); Ronald Atkins, “Jagged Edged Genius,” The Guardian (London). February 18, 1982; Richard Harrington, “Thelonious Monk, 63, Jazz Pianist, Composer Dies,” Washington Post, Feburary 18, 1982; Orrin Keepnews, “The Monk of Jazz: Memories of Thelonious,” Washington, Post, February 18, 1982.
Postlude
1 Thelonious Sphere Monk, October 10. 1917–February 17, 1982 (Funeral Program, 1982); Ira Gitler, “Playing Tribute to Monk,” Jazz Times (April 1982), 9; Ted Joans, “The Funeral of Thelonious Monk,” Coda 183 (April 1982), 33; John S. Wilson, “Friends Pay Tribute to Monk with His Music,” New York Times, February 23, 1982; Paul Morris, “Theatrical Briefs,” Amsterdam News, February 27, 1982.
2 Gitler, “Playing Tribute to Monk,” 9.
3 Jackie Bonneau interview, October 30, 2008.
4 Matthew 20:16.
5 While my discussion is limited to Boo Boo’s efforts to preserve and expand her father’s legacy, it is important to acknowledge the many tributes for Monk immediately after he died. Dan Morgenstern organized one of the first, held at Carnegie Hall on July 1, 1982. It involved over two dozen musicians, including Max Roach, Walter Bishop, Jr., Clifford Jordan, Paul Jeffrey, Teo Macero, Teddy Charles, Frankie Dunlop, Percy Heath, Barry Harris, Charlie Rouse, Sweets Edison, Al Grey, Buddy Tate, Al Cohn, Hank Jones, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, Shelly Manne, Clark Terry, Jimmy Owens, Eddie Bert, Cecil Payne, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams. “Musicians for Monk–Musicians’ Fund Benefit,” n.d., vertical files, IJS.
6 Paul La Rosa, “The Battle to Save Phipps Houses,” New York Daily News, December 31, 1982.
7 With the expansion of the Amsterdam Houses, West 63rd Street was turned into a cul-de-sac, blocking automobile access between West End and Amsterdam.
8 Thelonious Sphere Monk Foundation, application for Incorporation, New York State Education Department, July 20, 1984; “A Memorandum of Understanding, to Carlos V. Morales from Boo Boo Monk, Thomas Monk, Nina Garland, and Willie Jones, October 29, 1982”; “Outline of a Documentary Entitled ALWAYS KNOW, TWO IS ONE: The Philosophy of Thelonious Sphere Monk,” pp. 4–6; Lynda Simmons, President of Phipps Houses to Ms. Barbara Monk, January 14, 1983, all documents in Monk Family Papers.
9 Memorandum From Barbara Monk to George Wein, June 7, 1983, Monk Family Papers; Maurice Carroll, “Strokes of a Koch Pen Yield Laws Broad and Narrow,” New York Times, July 7, 1983; Amsterdam News, July 2, 1983.
10 Health Insurance Claim Form: Boo Boo Monk, June 30, 1983, Monk Family Papers.
11 See Virginia Wuerthele Caspe Livingston, Cancer, A New Breakthrough (Los Angeles: Nash Publishing Corp, 1972); Virginia Livingston-Wheeler and Edmond G. Addeo, The Conquest of Cancer: Vaccines and Diet (New York: Franklin Watts, 1984). Despite the searing critique by the American Cancer Society, Dr. Livingston-Wheeler was beloved by many of her patients and a few eminent doctors who subscribed to her ideas. See Ralph W. Moss, “Virginia Livingston, 84,” The Cancer Chronicles 6 (Autumn 1990), http://www.ralphmoss.com/livingston.html; Alan Cantwell, M.D., “Virginia Livingston, M.D.: Cancer Quack or Medical Genius?” http://www.rense.com/general72/cancer.htm.
12 “Unproven Methods of Cancer Management: Livingston-Wheeler Therapy,” CA: A Cancer Journal of Clinicians 40, no. 2 (March/April 1990), 103–108.
13 “Obituary,” New York Times, October 27, 1983; State of California Department of Health Services, California Death Index, 1940–1997.
14 State of California Department of Health Services, California Death Index, 1940–1997; Memorial Service for Barbara Evelyn Monk, Program, January 17, 1984, in author’s possession. Boo Boo died on January 10, 1984; her memorial service was held at Riverside Church.
15 Willie Jones, “Report from the Monk Cultural Center Committee, October 14, 1986,” “Memorandum Regarding the Location of Thelonious Sphere Monk Center for Jazz Studies, October 18, 1986,” “Thelonious Sphere Monk Center for Jazz Studies,” n.d., all in Monk Family Papers; Geoff Mayfield, “N.C. Benefit Honors Monk,” Billboard (May 13, 1989), 27; Peter Keepnews, “Blue Notes: The funding Search is on for D.C.’s Monk Center,” Billboard (February 21, 1987), 29; W. Royal Stokes, “Monk Center for Arts: Closer to Reality,” Jazztimes (December 1986), 8–9; T. Wilborn, “Monk Conservatory Announced,” Down Beat 55 (October 1988), 13.
16 Beginning in 1991, Toot formed a sextet and included several Monk tunes in its repertoire. The band cut three LP’s, Take One (Blue Note CDP7-99614-2); Changing of the Guard (Blue Note CDP7-89050-2); and The Charm (Blue Note CDP7-89575-2). His focus on Monk culminated in his Grammy-award winning LP Monk on Monk (N2K Encoded Music).
17 The concerts were recorded and released on four discs as, Interpretations of Monk, Vol. I (Koch CD-7838) and Vol. II (Koch CD-7839). The other performers were Mal Waldron, Muhal Richard Abrams, Don Cherry, Charlie Rouse, Richard Davis, Ben Riley, and Ed Blackwell.
18 Sphere, Four in One (Elektra Musician 60166-1). “Sphere” was never intended to be a Monk tribute group. The name was coincidental—Kenny Baron came up with it as a way to symbolize the band’s closeness, then Ben Riley reminded them that “Sphere” was Monk’s middle name. They planned to dedicate their first album to Monk because he was so sick. David A. Franklin, “Charlie Rouse Interview,” Cadence 13, no. 6 (1987), 10.
19 For a brilliant examination of Monk’s impact on contemporary jazz, see Gabriel Solis, Monk’s Music: Thelonious Monk and Jazz History in the Making (Los Angeles and Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008).
20 Farrell, “Loneliest Monk,” 86.
21 Max Jones, “Monk Talks to MM,” Melody Maker (May 6, 1961).
Appendix A
1 My descriptions of Monk’s harmonic and rhythmic approach to the piano derive partly from my own transcriptions and analysis, but owe a great debt to the following sources: Ran Blake, “The Monk Piano Style,” Keyboard (July 1982), 26–30; Lawrence Koch, “Thelonious Monk: Compositional Techniques,” Annual Review of Jazz Studies 2 (1983), 67–80; Mark S. Haywood, “Rhythmic Readings in Thelonious Monk,” Annual Review of Jazz Studies 7 (1994–95), 25–45; Gabriel Solis, Monk’s Music: Thelonious Monk and Jazz History in the Making (Los Angeles and Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); Eddie S. Meadows, Bebop to Cool: Context, Ideology, and Musical Identity (London and Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2003), 219–240; James Kurzdorfer, “Outrageous Clusters: Dissonant Semitonal Cells in the Music of Thelonious Monk,” Annual Review of Jazz Studies 8 (1996), 181–201; Charles Blancq, “Standard Tune Transformation: A Retrospective Look at Thelonious Monk,” Jazz Research Papers 3 (1983), 17–19; David Kahn Feurzeig, “Making the Right Mistakes: James P. Johnson, Thelonious Monk and the Trickster Aesthetic” (Ph.D. diss., Cornell University, 1997); Laila Rose Kteily-O’Sullivan, “Klangfarben, Rhythmic Displacement, and Economy of Means: A Theoretical Study of the Works of Thelonious Monk” (M.M. Thesis, University of North Texas, 1990).
2 Gillespie, To Be or Not to Bop, 135.
3 The most common progressions for the A-section of “I Got Rhythm” usually called for the following changes: Bb Gm7 | Cm7 F7 | Dm7 G7 | Cm7 F7 | Fm7 Bb7 | Eb7 Ab7 | Dm7 G7 | Cm7 F7 Bb.
4 Joe Guy/Billie Holiday, Harlem Odyssey (Xanadu 112). The title, “Monkin’ the Blues” was written on the original acetate, but when the song was issued on Xanadu, the title was changed to “Rhythm Riff.” On the latest reissue, Thelonious Monk, After Hours at Minton’s (Definitive Records, DRCD1197), it was simply called “I Got Rhythm,” See Sheridan, Brilliant Corners, 8.