Monk - downbeat blindfold test (1966)...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

This has recently been re-posted in full on the Jazz Speakeasy (US) site and it always makes me laugh...(when they played Monk an Oscar Peterson track he asked to leave for the toilet...)

"1. Andrew Hill. Flight 19 from 'Point of Departure' on Blue Note.
(After two minutes, Monk rises from his seat, starts wandering around the room and looking out of the window. When it becomes clear he is not listening, the record is taken off.)
TM: The view here is great, and you have a crazy stereo system.
LF: Is that all you have to say about that record?
TM: About any record.
LF: I'll find a few things you'll want to say something about.



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2. Art Pepper. Rhythm-a-ning from 'Gettin' Together' on Contemporary.
(With Conte Candoli, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb.)
TM: He added another note to the song. A note that's not supposed to be there. (Sings.) See what I mean?
LF: Did I hear you say the tempo was wrong?
TM: No, all tempos is right.
LF: How about the solos? Which of them did you like?
TM: It sounded like some slow solos speeded up, to me.
LF: How about the rhythm section?
TM: Well, I mean, the piece swings by itself. To keep up with the song, you have to swing.
LF: How many stars would you rate it?
TM: (Indicating Mrs Monk.) Ask her.
LF: It's your opinion I'm asking.
TM: You asked me for my opinion, I gave you my opinion.
LF: Okay, let's forget ratings.

AND much more...

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

....here is the much more

3. Dizzy Gillespie. Medley: I Can't Get Started / Round Midnight from 'Something Old - Something New.'
(With James Moody on alto.)
TM: Dizzy, He had a crazy sound, but he got into that upper register, and the upper register took the tone away from him. That was the Freddy Webster sound too, you know, that sound of Dizzy's.
(Later) That's my song! Well, if that's not Diz, it's someone who plays just like him. Miles did at one time too.
LF: You like the way they put the two tunes together?
TM: I didn't notice that. Play it again. (Later) Yes, that's the Freddy Webster sound. Maybe you don't remember Freddy Webster; you weren't on the scene at the time.
LF: I remember Freddy Webster. And the records he made with Sarah.
TM: Remember I Could Make You Love Me? The introduction? Play that for me.
LF:I don't think I can find it. You think Freddy influenced Diz?
TM: Every sound influenced Diz. He had that kind of mind, you know? And he influenced everything too.
LF: You liked the alto player on here too?
TM: Everybody sounded good on there; I mean, the harmony and everything was crazy . . . play it again!



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4. Bob Florence. Straight, No Chaser from 'Here and Now' on Liberty.
(John Audino, lead trumpet; Herbie Harper, trombone & Bob Florence, arranger.)
LF: You liked the arrangement?
TM: Did you make the arrangement? It was crazy.
LF: No.
TM: It was a bunch of musicians who were together, playing an arrangement. It sounded so good, it made me like the song better? Solos . . . the trombone player sounded good . . . that was a good lead trumpet player too . . . I've never heard that before. I don't know how to rate it, but I'd say it was top-notch.



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5. Phineas Newborn. Well, You Needn't from the 'Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn' on Contemporary.
TM: He hit the inside wrong - didn't have the right changes. It's supposed to be major ninths, and he's playing ninths (walks to the piano, demonstrates). It starts with a D-flat Major 9 . . . See what I mean? What throws me off, too, is the cat sounds like Bud Powell. Makes it hard for me to say anything about it. It's not Bud; it's somebody sounding like him.
LF: Outside of that, did you like the general feeling?
TM: I enjoy all piano players. All pianists have got five stars for me . . . but I was thinking about the wrong changes, so I didn't pay too much attention to the rest of it. Maybe you better play it again.
(Later) It's crazy to sound like Bud Powell, but seems like the piano player should be able to think of something else too. Why get stuck with that Bud Powell sound?



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6. Bud Powell. Ruby, My Dear from 'Giants of Jazz' on Columbia.
TM: That's Bud Powell! . . . All I can say is, he has a remarkable memory. I don't know what to say about him - he is a remarkable person, musically.
LF: You think Bud is in his best form there?
TM: (Laughs) No comment about him, or the piano . . . He's just tired, stopped playing, doesn't want to play no more. I don't know what's going through his mind. But you know how he's influenced all of the piano players.
LF: Of course. I was just questioning whether this is his best work.
Mrs.Monk: (To Monk) You don't think so.
TM: Of course not.



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7. Oscar Peterson. Easy Listenin' Blues from 'With Respect to Nat'
(With Herb Ellis and Ray Brown.)
TM: Which is the way to the toilet? (Waits to end of record, leaves room, returns . . laughs.) Well, you see where I went. (To Mrs.Monk) Could you detect the piano player?
LF: How about the guitar player?
TM: Charlie Christian spoiled me for everyone else.



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8. Denny Zeitlin. Carole's Garden from 'Carnival' on Columbia.
(With Jerry Granelli, drums)
LF: You liked that one?
TM: I like all music.
LF: Except the kind that makes you go to the toilet.
TM: No, but you need that kind too . . It reminded me of Bobby Timmons, and that's got to be good. Rhythm section has the right groove too. Drummer made me think of Art Blakey. Hey, play that again.
(Later) Yeah! He sounds like a piano player! (Hums theme) You can keep changing keys all the time doing that. Sounds like something that was studied and figured out. And he can play it; you know what's happening with this one. Yeah, he was on a Bobby Timmons kick. He knows what's happening.




. . . thanks to Leonard Feather and Down Beat magazine.

aaahh Monk and Solal as critics share a certain something no?

[Ian Thumwood]

I found these comments very amusing and definately the kind of comments by someone who is a bit fed up but sparky enough to be really amusing. There was a similar interview in "Jazz Hot" several years ago with Paul Bley whereby he commented upon how he loved to tease critics in interviews too and was more than pleased when the person was was asking the questions went away scratching their head. I always thought that Monk was mischievious and I am sure that there are plenty of others who share the same humour.

Actually, the point that has been missed is how Monk was more in favour of some pretty unexpected choices. I've never heard the Bob Florence record even if I have heard quite a few others by this arranger as my father has a few of his records in his collection. Florence was a prolific and very respected arranger in big band circles until his untimely death from a heart attack several years ago but Monk's endorsement is interesting. You would have put money on the Florence and Zietlin tracks to have been the least preferred as well as an endorsement of Andrew Hill's music who seems to me to share Monk's "individualist" approach to the instrument. I was very much put in mind of the Jelly Roll Morton interview where he singled out Bob Crosby's pianist Bob Zurke for praise albeit the "movers and shakers" in 1930's jazz such as John Hammond were extremely critical of his work.

One of the American jazz magazines has a Blindfold Test on it's website which I used to enjoy reading. The comments were often quite revealing even if most of the musicians seemed to be familiar with the records presented. I can recall Ralph Towner discussing Charlie Byrd's guitar playing and how he hadn't properly appreciated what was required when playing Bossa Nova music as the understanding of Brazilian musicin the states was particularly limited at that time. It was quite an interesting insight into the technical requirements of this music. The observations of musicians can be fascinating and I've been to several workshops where jazz musicians have taught you to re-think some performances. I felt that Steve Gray's analysis of certain big band scores on Radio 3 several years back was another fine example of this. On other occasions, I've found that some quite celebrated musicians haven't been quite as willing or capable of explaining music. Whilst amusing, the Monk interview doesn't reveal much about the music being played.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Calum - many thanks for posting the rest of this.

I find Theolonious pretty sharp and "acid", but his enthusiasm for Bobby Timmons is interesting. I have a French double CD of Blakey in Paris with Shorter and Morgan where Timmons plays a trio feature on "Funny Valentine" with Blakey shouting at him (constructively) and he does sound Monkish. Now he's just regarded (if at all) as a somewaht lumpy "soul" pianist but he certainly had his moments - and he came out of Bud Powell.

BN.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

MONK: It sounded like some slow solos speeded up, to me. ref ~ Art Pepper/Conty Candoli ("Getting Together", 1960)

AND everytime I hear this track (which I deeply love) I think of Theolonious's comment!

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Buenas Dias El Senor Blues ...

here they are playing one of my fave tunes ... up and on speed mebbe but not speeded up, just love the last few choruses after Jimmy Cobb's solo, little licks dropping like confetti ...


here is a version of Valentine by Timmons with Sam Jones and Jimmy Cobb [less thrash eh] showing his chops [Powell Garner and Chopin get referenced too ...] and Sam does a passable line from the canon of JSB ... brilliant track they were up for this ... ta for the skyv to go find it ...