Straight, No Chaser: The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk

by Leslie Gourse

Music/Jazz BiographyFirst English-language biography of a legendary and compelling jazz artist.Thelonious Monk was one of jazz's legendary figures, whose life story has yet to be told. Pianist and bandleader, he led the legendary jam sessions at Harlem's Minton's Playhouse where, along with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, he helped mold the nascent style of bebop. Monk's composition 'Round Midnight; Straight, No Chaser; Blue Monk; Misterioso; Rhythm-a-ning; and countless others have become classics in the jazz repertoire. Monk's piano playing was so unique that it has been widely emulated and praised, but never equaled. His personal life was also unique, including a long battle with depression and mental illness that finally led to his total withdrawal from recording and music making years before his tragic death. This book tells Monk's story based on first-hand interviews with the musicians who worked with him, along with the participation of his son, T.S., and other family members. It discusses both his musical and personal lives in frank detail, and illuminates one of the most important jazz player's of our time. Leslie Gourse is a well-known authority and writer on jazz. Her books have been widely praised, including The Biography of Sarah Vaughan; The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole; and Madame Jazz. She has been awarded an ASCAP award for her journalism. Additionally, she writes regularly on jazz for both specialty journals and popular newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Village Voice, Boston Globe, Jazz Times, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, New York, Cosmopolitan, and many others. She has written liner notes for many jazz labels.

Genres: Music, Biography, Jazz, Nonfiction

353 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possibly my first one star review. Not entirely useless, especially because there are no other Monk bios, but absolutely piecemeal from an academic point of view, and dreadful from a literary perspective. No sense of narrative scope, research seems half-assed at best, and Gourse seems uninterested in taking a critical or historical stand on any topic, and often resorts to merely quoting contemporary newspaper reviews of Monk's performances. Anybody interested in Monk would be better served by a combo of liner notes, the "Straight, No Chaser" documentary, and a few anthologized essays (there's a good one on Nica de Koenigswarter, the Rothchild heir known as the baroness of jazz, Monk's patron, in "Best Music Writing '07," I think).

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good biography on truly one of the great composers of the 20th Century. There are two great piano players in the 20th Century. One is Glenn Gould and surely the other is Thelonious Monk. I think of them both when I hear their music. Not sure why? I think because both had such an unique way of looking at their material. And of course both are eccentric characters - but beyond that surface comparison there is something so pure and beautiful about their playing and how they look at their world via the music. Monk never plays the wrong note. It's almost zen-like concentration that makes me cry in certain moods. Wonderful book on a super wonderful genius.

[Scott Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting book, but not as illuminating as it could have been. The author over relies on interviews and newspaper stories, with long passages of the book being just excerpts from previously published material. It's still an interesting story, but I bet one of the later biographies do a better job.

[Seanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is the shit. i love jazz, and i love thelonious monk. he certainly had a reputation as creative and challenging figure, and reading this book fills in the gaps between the reputation and the reality. filled with vivid descriptions of his sessions, his home, his partner nellie and all the characters that inhabited his world, i found this book to be totally compelling and was sad to ultimately complete. a must for all fans of his work...as a companion piece, do view the video of this from whcih many of the interviews are culled.

[Matt Carton · Rating 2 out of 5]

An exceptionally disappointing book.

I bought this at Green Apple in San Francisco in 1998. Never got around to reading it. Great subject matter surrounded by strangely shoddy research and writing. Hell, I've seen better drafts of essays from my high-school juniors than what Grouse has written here.

[Ray]

a wonderful look at the life of a quirky, yet brilliant, musician.

[Tom Newth · Rating 2 out of 5]

pure hackwork, but at least a lot of the copy and past interviews are interesting