in the context of jazz and its traditional sound and feel - thelonious monk was a standout. this is a passionate personal vendetta of sorts dating all the way back to school. i think monk is one of the most interesting characters in the history of the genre, and I’ve got a special thing for piano players, but hear me out.
his wacky = so. f. good.
why -> that not-so-well-enough-known concept of dissonance in music.
to me, it’s impossibly hard for an artist to achieve while still giving me (the listener) that visceral feeling in my heart or my gut when i hear something that i truly love. it’s a phenomenon that few explore because it’s literally just.. out there. only the most creative thinkers can make it work. and monk had it. he defined it. this could 100% be traditional thursday for his influence, but dude was WEIRD in such a good way (equally famous for his fresh variation of hats, shades and suits).
here’s only a high-level example - blue monk from the live album in san francisco (because it’s completely acoustic) and i apologize to the jazz connoisseurs for my layman’s explanation. you can press play now and read on if you want.
in general, listen for the way he uses rhythm, chords and harmonies. in the first :45 seconds he’s giving you a pretty basic jazz structure, which he’ll use as his foundation to improvise over the top of. it sounds aesthetically pleasing, warm, kind of happy. then it gets a little awkward, like all the circuits start to misfire in his head. a couple notes here or there, a little riff, each beginning to step outside of the melody he’s built. it’s so fascinating to listen to - it’s like those moments when you sit down at a piano and just wish you could make 5 notes in a row sound “right”, and you hit a couple wrong keys. thelonious monk, unlike anyone else, innately made that sound good.
in a nod to the sneakerheads, it’s those shoes that everyone else thinks are ugly and you love wearing them because of that. i’d honestly recommend anyone start listening to some of his catalog to expand and challenge what you hear in music. it opens up your perception (or atleast it did for me) of what really sounds and feels right/good. -c
