Customer Reviews

Monk

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Obviously the reviewer for Kirkus Reviews knows nothing about jazz nor about Monk. There is very liitle biographical detail about Monk that is available because his family (particularly his wife Nellie) will not speak publicly about Thelonius. That said, de Wilde's book is a brilliant evocation of Monk's genius as both a player and a composer. As opposed to Straight No Chaser, Monk attempts to capture the esssence of the man by a mixture of musicological study, an analysis of the recording scene and industry at the time, and a vivid, imaginative journey through a master musician's mindset. Any lover of jazz will appreciate this effort!

No one should mistake this volume for a biography of one of jazz's most influential, enigmatic figures. It's a 200-page appreciation of Monk's music, but it's a mediocre one at best.

It's obvious the author has done a lot of listening to and dissecting of Monk's music, and he writes of it knowledgeably. But his over-the-top prose and Monk-can-do-no-wrong attitude becomes burdensome after the first 100 pages, and by the end of the book, I questioned whether the author had put any of the distance between him and his subject that would allow a thoughtful, valid critique of Monk's music and his place in jazz.

Adding to the flatness of the portrait of Monk is the fact that there is virtually no biographical information of note in the book. We learn nothing of his life, his bouts with mental illness, his drug use, his devotion to his family, his modest lifestyle or his wit and intelligence. The author alludes to these occurrences and qualities throughout the book, but never provides any detail. I came away frustrated and in search of a better book on this most interesting giant of jazz.

For an academic dissection look elsewhere but stop here for sheer enthusiasm and insight into Monk from an obvious admirer. I coulnd't put the book down and learned much from the numerous insights into the music business and cultural/social environment in which Monk lived. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand appreciate Monk's music.

I would agree that this is more of an appreciation than a biography. De Wilde tends to overwrite a bit, but his enthusiasm is infectious.

DeWilde is French, so the translation may have failed him, but the writing is rather scattershot and too dependent on "hipster" conversational asides. Biographical information is presented out of sequence and often without context. Where this book shines is in DeWilde's explications of Monk as a composer and technician. Those interested in a full-blown biography of Monk will probably have to wait until Peter Keepnews forthcoming book appears.