It’s so silly - kind of a Blues Chopsticks, plinking a couple of keys, following a blues pattern. Then he stretches out for some solo work, dropping in his impressionistic phrases, with a bit of Thelonious slop because fuck you I’m Thelonious Monk and my ideas transcend technique bitch ;).
But if you let it play out, it’s like a Steve Martin routine about cat juggling. It’s absurd on its face, but you are fully aware that the guy is brilliant and figuring out the exact perfect Silly to be delivering at that moment. That is so, so hard to do.
I fuckin’ love that. Happy Sunday morning.
And ETA: gotta ask a Mod to correct the spelling of Thelonious in the title. Darn you Monk!
A great example of developing something out of almost nothing, which Monk excelled at. It’s tempting to give up on this performance after the first several bars, but if you stick with it you’re rewarded with improvisation that exceeds the promise of the riff that it’s based on.
That was the first jazz album I ever bought as a college freshman. “In Walked Bud,” “Boo Boo’s Birthday.” A few months month later, that brilliant documentary *Round Midnight * was playing up at the Music Box – fascinating how the man had trouble dressing himself, but (as others have pointed out in this tread) could make so much out of not much. Anyway, thanks as always, WordMan.
So much music flowed through him. Excellent interplay with the bass before the five-minute mark.
In recent weeks, I’ve been enjoying this performance on Danish TV from just over 51 years ago:
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Nice! Just a camera up close on the fingers, the whole time. I’ll show it to my 6-year-old, who started piano lessons a couple months ago and is enthusiastic about it.
