Home > Blogs > Post Content
|
|
JAZZ PIANIST,WHEN MONK WAS FOUR YEARS OLD HIS FAMILY MOVED FROM HIS NATIVE NORTH CAROLINA TO NEW YORK, WHERE HE BEGAN TAKING PIANO LESSON AT AGE 11. HE WON SEVERAL AMATEUR NIGHT COMPETITIONS AT THE APOLLO THEATER, BUT LEFT NEW YORK AT THE APOLLO THEATER BUT LEFT NEW YORK AT AGE 16 TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH A WOMAN EVAGNGELIST. RETURNING TO NEW YORK A YEAR LATER, HE WORKED WITH SMALL GROUPS BECOMING CLOSELY INVOLVED WITH MUSICIANS DIZZY GILLESPIE, CHARLIE PARKER, KENNY CLARKE AND CHARLIE CHRISTIAN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEBOP. MONK WAS KNOWN FOR HIS UNUSUAL MELODIC LINES AND RHYTHMIC IDEAS. THOUGH HE LED THE FIRST BEBOP GROUP AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD IN 1948, HE BEGAN DRIFTING AWAY FROM THE MAINSTREAM BEBOP AND HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING STEADY WORK. HIS CAREER REVIVED IN 1957 WHEN HE OPEN AT THE FIVE SPOT WITH JOHN COLTRANE. IN THE EARLY YEARS1970'S HE TOURED WITH DIZZY GILLESPIE IN A GROUP KNOWN AS THE GIANTS OF JAZZ. MONK'S UNIQUE COMPOSITIONAL ABILITY IS APPARENT IN SUCH WORKS " ROUND MIDNIGHT" "EVIDENCE" " WELL YOU NEEDN'T, " RUBY MY DEAR",AND "BLUE MONK".
Posted By: barbara robinson
Thursday, July 19th 2012 at 7:15PM
|
Blogs Home
|
|
|
|
