Monk's Music: Thelonious Monk and Jazz History in the Making (Roth Family Foundation Music in America Imprint)

255 Pages·2007·1.23 MB·English

by  Gabriel Solis

ROTH FAMILY FOUNDATION
Music in America Imprint
Michael P.Roth
and Sukey Garcetti
have endowed this
imprint to honor the
memory of their parents,
Julia and Harry Roth,
whose deep love of music
they wish to share
with others.

Monk’s Music

Monk’s Music
thelonious monk and
jazz history in the making
Gabriel Solis
university of california press
berkeley los angeles london
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished
university presses in the United States, enriches lives around
the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, so-
cial sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are sup-
ported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic
contributions from individuals and institutions. For more
information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2008 by The Regents of the University of California
An earlier version of chapter 2 appeared in The Musical
Quarterly86, no. 1 (Spring 2002): 82–116, published by Ox-
ford University Press, copyright © 2002 by Oxford Univer-
sity Press. Reprinted by permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Solis, Gabriel, 1972–.
Monk’s music : Thelonious Monk and jazz history in the
making / Gabriel Solis.
p. cm. — (Roth Family Foundation Music in
America imprint)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn978–0-520–25200–4 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn978–0-520–25201–1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Monk, Thelonious—Criticism and interpretation.
2. Monk, Thelonious—Influence. 3. Jazz—History and
criticism. I. Title.
ML417.M846S55 2008
786.2165092—dc22 2006102231
[B]
Manufactured in the United States of America
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on Cascades Enviro 100, a 100% post-
consumer-waste, recycled, de-inked fiber. FSC recycled cer-
tified and processed chlorine free. It is acid-free, Ecologo
certified, and manufactured by BioGas energy.
for ellen, coleman, and isabella,
who give me reasons to work and
reasons to play

contents
acknowledgments / ix
introduction / 1
part one
monk and his music
1. A Biographical Sketch / 19
2. Hearing Monk: History, Memory, and
the Making of a Jazz Giant / 28
part two
monk, memory, and
the moment of performance
3. The Question of Voice / 63
4.Three Pianists and the Monk Legacy: Fred Hersch,
Danilo Perez, and Jessica Williams / 81