Monk: Straight, No Chaser

"This is a new album by Thelonius Monk, and therefore it is an important event – because everything musical that Monk does is of real imporatnce."  

Orin Keepnews, 1967.

Heavy statement for a heavy artist. Monk was a big hitter in the jazz world. An individual who ploughed his own furrow for more than three decades. He was also one of the coolest cats in the era of cool. Always dapper in some kind of interesting head gear, with his trademark pointed beard, Monk was a wizard of the piano. Looking at images of him on the internet I was struck by how, in many his hands are a blur, running up and  down the ivory keys with a fluidity that at times is breathtaking. His compositions were solid, quirky and unforgettable. "Straight no Chaser" was a relatively late piece in Monks cannon, but it ranks among my favourite of his long players. The title track is worth the price of admission alone. His body of work is huge, but for anyone curious about this "genius of modern music" as blue note titled him you could do worse than investing in a copy of this great slab of '60's jazz.