Re:Monk Style

reed ( (no email) )
Mon, 10 Feb 1997 09:51:35 +0000

At 12:11 PM 2/10/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Reed wrote:
>
>>Monk's stuff is really hard because he puts alot of strange notes in
>>the chords.For example he may add a minor second
>>next to any note. SOmetimes there is a third and minor third in the
>>same chord.
>>
>>I frankly would not have wanted him to comp for me. I've heard that
>>Miles told him "Don't ever comp while I'm playing".
>>
>>Some chord voicings are fine for solo piano or say playing the head
>>of a tune but just create a lot of problems for others while they
>>are trying to solo.
>
>This clears up (I think) something I had noticed on the "Misterioso"
>album: Monk comps for Charlie Rouse for the first 3 or 4 bars of Rouse's
>solo than lays out (maybe to dance :) ) and only comes back in for his
>own solo. I think it must have been tough to solo with him comping
>since he plays so much with the time. I also noticed that if he was
>messing with the time, his chords were pretty straight, and
>vice versa. Maybe it would have been too much for the soloist to do
>both at the same time.
>
Somewhere I have an accurate transcription of Monks chords for
the tune Jacqueing (spelling?). If I can find it I'll post it
one of these days.

My teacher Don has perfect pitch and he transcribed them.

Charlie Rouse and the bass player essentially ignored monk while
they were soloing.

>Does anyone have any references of some analysis of Monk's style? I
>haven't really seen anything around, but there must be something.
>I'd like to get a better idea because most of the time when I hear others
>play Monk tunes they sound kind of bland. It could be a style thing
>or maybe they aren't playing with the sheer exuberance and joy that
>Monk projected.
>
>Karl Helmer
>
>p.s. I was talking to my wife (a classical pianist) about tapping out
>the time with ones's foot and she said that she had been taught Never
>Never to tap since the foot should be free for the pedals. So I played
>some clips of Monk playing from "Straight, No Chaser" for her!
>
Yes, my classical teacher told me that too.

However, classical music is not so syncopated as jazz (in general).

If you don't tap it's really easy to turn the time around.

I mean there are alot of figures coming in an eighth note early and
if you are not tapping that, syncopated figure is liable to end up
on 1 instead of say the and of 4.

Some jazz players tap, some don't.

As long as you can keep the time, it doesnt matter I guess.

reed

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Reed Kotler
reed@justjazz.com
http://www.justjazz.com