“The piano ain't got no wrong notes.” ― Thelonious Monk

@amipuledi7456

8 жыл бұрын

+K Gutierrez He muttered it to himself when he was walking down the street once. No one heard.

@dhazlerig69

7 жыл бұрын

regardless whether he actually ever said it or not, he sure made it seem that way, nonetheless haha check wikipedia

@ggeonghe4371

6 жыл бұрын

Maya only appogiature xD

@MrAntAve

6 жыл бұрын

Chopin: Hold my wodka...

@mindisaction

6 жыл бұрын

Respect the force of nature!...

This guy has easily the coolest name I’ve ever heard, it fits a jazz pianist like a glove.

@hank1519

2 жыл бұрын

His middle name was Sphere.

@rileysdad1923

2 жыл бұрын

Your middle name was Sphere.

@ohh_itsFajr

2 жыл бұрын

@@rileysdad1923 lmaoooooo

@G123G

2 жыл бұрын

art pepper was another great jazz name 😁

@ohh_itsFajr

2 жыл бұрын

@@G123G intredesting 🤔

Almost hitting the note. Playing around the expected note. Implying the note through discord. Creating a new version of the note with atonal harmonics. Textural splashes. The melody never repeats exactly the same way. Monk is the definition of avant-garde. Half pianist, half painter.

@ER-me1ii

5 жыл бұрын

sydysydy yes ^^^ this.

@DYNODRUM

5 жыл бұрын

That's, maybe called 'Keeping it Real'.How many today .....??and One

@rievans57

5 жыл бұрын

Now I know what it must have felt like to have seen Bach or Beethoven.

@Musicienne-DAB1995

5 жыл бұрын

Oh yes: Bach had eyes popping back in his day.

@tatomar001

5 жыл бұрын

As a person used to functional harmony I was quite anxious to hear it resolve to something simple, didn't happen, enjoyed the ride though

''if you play a wrong note, .......... play it again '' - James Marshall Hendrix

@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, good dictum. Playing a 'wrong' or splashed note again makes it kinda right. It's the essence of improvisation, going where the sounds take you . . .

@colorred5383

4 жыл бұрын

he didn't play a single wrong note tho

@bendover7648

3 жыл бұрын

That's because repetition legitimizes

@karolbogdanski8895

3 жыл бұрын

@@bendover7648 repetition legitimizes

@diplamatikjuan3595

3 жыл бұрын

@@bendover7648 Yep. Hitting it once says "mistake", twice says "I totally meant to do that"

Saw him play when I was a kid at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in old Atlanta Stadium. He was late coming on and the last act that night. My Dad had to go to work early the next day but he let us stay to see him. Thx Dad will always remember that.

I saw him live at shelly's manne hole jazz club in hollywood in 63' or 64'. He was an hour late for his set so it was the charlie rouse trio for an hour, then while they were playing monk walks on stage and as rouse was soloing monk starts in. During one of his solos he even got up and danced around the stage! It was a beautiful evening by a master!!!

@tawnteens

4 жыл бұрын

Alan Senzaki my father saw him live at the Five Spot in ‘62

@knowun

4 жыл бұрын

Damn... how old were you?

@smurfunkown6774

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, wasn't even born.

@Burt472

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks from Italy for your testimonial

@adrianaboulos7357

Жыл бұрын

3:11 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 @alansenzaki4148 must’ve been amazing ❤

His left hand moves you and his right hand scares you.

@averypiper9833

5 жыл бұрын

a very cool way to see it

@synthguy7774

5 жыл бұрын

I see the other way around.

@alexanderk7422

5 жыл бұрын

I can dig it... but I think both hands are up to some glorious tomfoolery

@lennylenz

5 жыл бұрын

Never looked at it like that!!! Good perspective Broble!!!!

@andrijapusic

5 жыл бұрын

In Shaolin they call it Snake and Crane technique ...

He hits the keys like they're drums. It's makes for a crystal clear sound on every note.

@ChessHistorian

2 жыл бұрын

The exclamation mark of a truly shitty pianist.

@snoolee7950

2 жыл бұрын

too bad the piano in the video is out of tune. it is hard to listen to.

@tinyturtle1898

11 ай бұрын

​@@snoolee7950go listen to a sine wave or something if you can't handle a little dissonance

@jeffryphillipsburns

9 ай бұрын

Well, he plays flat-fingered, but I don’t know how that is anything like drumming. The flat-fingered playing looks and sounds fairly awkward, but it does give him a distinctive sound when he wants to emphasize an isolated note here and there. Mostly, though, it just seems like a perversely self-imposed obstacle, sort of like Clapton never using his little finger.

@user-wc1mh1sv6l

5 ай бұрын

That makes sense since technically piano is both a stringed and percussion instrument since the hammer hits the string.

Thelonius was such a jazz-tease. Just when you think you got a handle on what he’s doin, he subverts it & gives you something you didn’t even know you needed. Genius man!

@aldoantoniovicentesilva6996

9 ай бұрын

👍👍👍🎵🎵🎵💪💪💪

I'm always so impressed by Monk's ability to find beauty in discordance. Listening to his stuff, you can really tell why people thought he was crazy.

@Zuentax

4 жыл бұрын

He also had a rothschild as his wife 🤣😭

@californialove6940

4 жыл бұрын

@@Zuentax Really or Your just joking?

@Zuentax

4 жыл бұрын

@@californialove6940 really.... look into it..

@californialove6940

4 жыл бұрын

@@Zuentax Im in The Dark man My 1st time hearing about this Piano Player I know absolutely nothing all new 2 Me

@acucarchocolate3961

3 жыл бұрын

At various times he almost made a mistake, but as he knew a lot of harmonization, the mistakes didn't happen

Crazy intelligent. I feel like you can hear his thoughts, like he’s playing around the actual song with phrases and wit, rarely touching the actual melody.

@sirtophamhatt

3 жыл бұрын

Indeed

Monk could play people. Don't be fooled by his unorthodox approach. This man had great precision and an ungodly sense of time.

@revefar7930

8 жыл бұрын

+markwest1987 Exactly :)

@jameswebb4593

8 жыл бұрын

+markwest1987 : In the fifties Leonard Feather in Downbeat mag. had a blindfold test where musicians commented on various records. Monk's unknown pianist was Oscar Peterson and after listening for a few bars he said " excuse me i've got to go and be sick". Monk also said that he could play like them.but they couldn't play like him. Absolutely true.

@torontoBluejays87

8 жыл бұрын

+james webb People who don't like his "poor phrasing" or his "loud dynamics" are clearly classical pianists who wouldn't know true creativity if it bit them in the ass....AND I adore classical music.

@booblikon

7 жыл бұрын

People were often unfair to Oscar Peterson, saying he was too clean, schmaltz, whatever. But Art Tatum loved him. Try explaining that to Monk!

@HG-ow9jn

7 жыл бұрын

"Make no mistake, this man knows exactly what he's doing in a theoretical way..." -Bill Evans on Thelonious Monk

It’s like he’s having a conversation with his higher self.

@donjames150

3 жыл бұрын

his higher self wins

its crazy how much his music speaks...some notes he played actually made me laugh....

@babyduck9217

5 жыл бұрын

samesies i was laughing too

@nedrobinson7490

5 жыл бұрын

Douglas Chappell so true! I’ve never heard that commentary before but it’s so true. So of his choices in notes and phrasing are so wacky and whimsical and yet so musical and genius. And there’s nothing you can do but smile and laugh when you’re bludgeoned with such genius. It’s like some kind of cosmic joke that someone who can play that way actually exists

@weshooker4821

5 жыл бұрын

yeah, good jazz can do that to you

@goedeck1

5 жыл бұрын

I like that last run down the piano; it's like "so there."

@leifvejby8023

5 жыл бұрын

I remember listening to this as a kid in the mid sixtieth, enjoying each and every note, and my mother coming barging in yelling "why don't you turn off that crap"!

the real trick to this song is having a ring large enough to weight your pinky down. song relies on pinky power.

@diplomasaurus4232

5 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣🤣

@DrWongburger

5 жыл бұрын

Tru tho, hey that's not bad

@DieFlabbergast

5 жыл бұрын

It's not a "song." Nobody sings anything; nothing has been sung, there is no singer. It's a fucking piece of music, an instrumental piece.

@egosumguessum

5 жыл бұрын

@@DieFlabbergast calm down, I thought only classical musicians were this petty when talking about technical naming differences.

@EricG-bv2ui

5 жыл бұрын

@@egosumguessum 🤣🤣🤣

I'm a pretty lame player who will listen to Monk for hours before my gig, till that energy, that energy, that energy is in my head and fingers and people approach me afterwards like I'm a flipping genius.

@davidmartinezbragado4598

3 жыл бұрын

“All artists are thiefs”

@oriraykai3610

3 ай бұрын

Is it the blackness that rubbed off, or the musicality? 😆

It took to me a lot of time until I realized that TM is the greatest jazz pianist ever.

@charleslecuyer4996

5 жыл бұрын

Yes he is.

@TheJackhammer46

5 жыл бұрын

No ... he isn't.

@farshimelt

5 жыл бұрын

Remember; "greatest" is a subjective word. There has never been nor will there ever be a "greatest" anyone or anything. You could say he's your favorite pianist and they would be no argument.

@jupiterlegrand4817

4 жыл бұрын

Nope. Bill Evans.

@jermainebynum8265

4 жыл бұрын

@@jupiterlegrand4817 oscar Peterson

My God, every note is deliberate.

@ikeabuchi1

5 жыл бұрын

Jason Lee.. I never thought of it like that... You have a very good ear sir!!

@santiagomendoza2052

5 жыл бұрын

And timing too

@michelguevara151

4 жыл бұрын

very

@hellbooks3024

4 жыл бұрын

Every hair is, hair of the head, numbered

@hollywood6829

4 жыл бұрын

Yes. Well observed. Crazy intention.

Melodious Thunk

@TheToocold

5 жыл бұрын

Every Bozo that has used that lame name thinks he's the first to use it; go listen to your Lawrence Welk albums.

@ChristianWilliamsYachting

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheToocold That's what his wife called him.

@awsmunicorn7488

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheToocold holy shit everyone in this comment section is taking this so seriouisly. it's monk guys, just enjoy it

@merklesyrup3701

4 жыл бұрын

Curt Kobain

@MondeSerenaWilliams

4 жыл бұрын

@@merklesyrup3701Burt Cokain

Now My piano is looking at ME sideways ..... .. .asking me like: "you don't ever play me like that" I say: "I'm never gonna either"

Thelonious Monk takes me to another world, man-a reminder that there are levels to what we call musicianship and pushing the art forward. He was the most experimental of the bebop jazz pianists and has always been my favorite. 👌🏿

It took me a lot of years, but I finally realize that Monk is one of the greats! I have been in love with jazz since I was 12 years old (+62 years) and I’m always learning and discovering new treasures! Thank you for this visual and how important it is to see Monk in action!

@finished6267

Жыл бұрын

It really hits home when you see or rather behold him playing. Makes me smile every time.

Thelonius Monk: "I play music that a blind and deaf can understand..."

@craigbrowning9448

4 жыл бұрын

Probably Autism Spectrum as well.

@S.Lijmerd

4 жыл бұрын

@@craigbrowning9448 Why would someonefrom the autistic spectrum not understand any music? What?

@craigbrowning9448

4 жыл бұрын

@@S.Lijmerd I was referring to Monk, Himself also my own experience.

Here we behold the high priest of bebop in all his glory -- the hipness, the jagged edges, the humor and the pathos, the dissonance and the ornate flourishes, the contradictions and the synthesis.

@cageenglander3754

9 жыл бұрын

If he's the high priest dizzy is the king

@Kolef88

9 жыл бұрын

Cage Englander and Bird is God!

@cageenglander3754

9 жыл бұрын

No, dizzy, dizzy is saint god and king.

@barkomusik6623

8 жыл бұрын

+Kolef88 and universe beauty too

@ckvlzlvxch

8 жыл бұрын

+Kolef88 As close to an embodying description of Thelonious as anyone will ever get.

Monk epitomizes what a jazz musician is supposed to be. He had a style that was instantly identifiable, whether it’s in composition or whether it’s in his playing or whether it’s someone playing in the style of Monk. It’s a very personal approach to jazz. And I don’t think there are too many cats (past or present) who could do what Monk did. RIP to that legend 🙏🏾

I love his unconventional and precise playing style .... again...again...

@TheJackhammer46

5 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't exactly call it "precise," but it's soulful.

@stacyblue1980

5 жыл бұрын

But yet so sweet and carries you away...

@skineyemin4276

5 жыл бұрын

It's (basically) the blues, masterful stride piano combined with intricate bebop harmonic/voicing sensibilities, timing and execution.

@geoffroy1970

4 жыл бұрын

I would call it precise. Great word choice.

@pookz3067

10 ай бұрын

@@TheJackhammer46every bite and every pause between notes is insanely precise here

Note the straight wrists and flat fingers. A music teacher once told him he couldn't play like that. Guess they were wrong.

@kawaiisenpai7902

6 жыл бұрын

If you practiced classical repertoire in this manner you'd probably develop tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. There's a lot more freedom in jazz

@coentenham6638

6 жыл бұрын

Also, your hand'll get tired pretty quickly

@DYNODRUM

5 жыл бұрын

Straight wrists ,flat Fingers , give Him the Nuance,Time and "Feel" that is somewhat Percussive in Nature .That's His take to getwhat He feels. . Real Jazz Drummers etc. know this and play w/ that mindfulness. Also, some do play Piano... Monk Had It All.

@Anikom15Live

5 жыл бұрын

He still can’t play like that.

@scottadams7038

5 жыл бұрын

Great stuff. Teachers are often well-intended but not always correct. Piano lessons got me to hate playing the piano. Wish I had kept playing.

Don’t have the words to express how Monk affects my ears. Just pure joy and love.

Nobody ever had any more fun playing the piano than Thelonious Monk.

That is so good! Imagine hearing this cat playing at some club and playing this. All the almost right notes just keeping you hanging on waiting for the piece to resolve but leaving you with the tension in your soul. This is genius.

Killin it...the perfect amount of dissonance for character, emphasis and feeling. Like, any more dissonance and it would be ugly, but he dances on that line perfectly to convey a feeling that staying diatonic could never do.

@MrKongatthegates

6 ай бұрын

Its very very heavy on the dissonance, to the point that it turns off almost everyone, but, if you realize he could play it very normal, but chooses not to, well now its punk rock.

There is nothing better than the pursuit of non-representational beauty in pure music. Jazz music and Classical music offer something sublime and unique, something that only refers to itself--pure will.

@Musicienne-DAB1995

7 жыл бұрын

Exactly. Criticism of him often tried to impose Eurocentric standards on his creativity.

@stevengregory3991

6 жыл бұрын

It just proves that you can do your own thing without fear. As long as you are pursuing your own taste, the result will eventually be something unique and beautiful. Thus when you practice, there are no wrong notes, only notes you like and notes you don't.

@charlescohen6140

Жыл бұрын

Go view Serge Prokofiev’s First concerto to see and hear the similarities.

There was everyone else, and there was Monk. He heard rhythm and melody differently, I think, than others before him. We're fortunate to have the chance to experience this man's art. I believe the world is a lesser place without his presence.

Monk never played this twice the same way, and he recorded it at least a dozen times with different combinations of players, each with his own flavour. Yet this time, incredibly, he's no less inspired than ever.

we don't blame you Thelonious , we love you !

@GlenMcBrideglenwez

10 жыл бұрын

we sure do!!

@carlosdecastro6309

10 жыл бұрын

I watch him and think "What the fuck"? I could never do that. Genius.

If I ever find someone who enjoys watching this with me.. that’ll be the day

@joshuasebastian4738

3 жыл бұрын

im saying the same thing

If there is ever any question that Master Monk was a genius, just watch this video. There are geniuses who are mimicked - Parker, Coltrane, etc. - geniuses, undeniably - and there are geniuses who could never be mimicked. Monk is one of the latter - truly a genius, inimitable.

@4v3nir

8 жыл бұрын

+tom knoll Agreed Monk is the original. But little Joey Alexander may just be the ticket... lol

@tomknoll796

8 жыл бұрын

I totally disagree with you. Your a 'straight' player - probably a type A personality. You probably read first and had to get your head around rhythm and soul to learn even a little bit about improvisation. I've been playing professionally for over 30 years and I've lectured and listened to all the players you've listed. Your impression that Monk was 'sloppy' only reveals your short-comings in the face of truly unique genius. Some people do what they know [like you], others know what they're doing [like Monk]. Keep doing what you know, because that's all you have, dear.

@tomknoll796

8 жыл бұрын

+4v3nir I like Joey, fo sho'!

@tomknoll796

8 жыл бұрын

+jennifer86010 Right - and that's why you're so famous and Monk is only ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL VOICES IN THE HISTORY OF THE GENRE - because, as you put it, he was sloppy and his phrasing was poor. You, ma'am are a top caliber idiot. ;)

@tomknoll796

8 жыл бұрын

+jennifer86010 Wow - who pays you to spend your time doing this?

I believe that this is the best performance I´ve heard from Thelonious Monk in my almost 50 year old life. I can listen to this once and once again hours long and still enjoy each chord until the end. Thank you for sharing this beautiful masterpiece.

Anyone who claims to hate jazz should take a GOOD listen to this!!

He was one of a kind. 2:20, bass player screwing around. Love it. Monk was actually a damn good stride player.

@royjones3099

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe outwardly...but inside monk touches ur inner child...

@quill444

8 ай бұрын

He's actually imitating Monk's familiar style of _dancing_ during many of his live performances. But eventually, he gets so caught up in the masterly Monk performance taking place right in front of him, that he rubs his forehead and just listens! - j q t -

@gregdolecki8530

8 ай бұрын

@@quill444 I think he realized the camera was on him at that point.

Monk's music is so beautiful, always draws me in then makes me laugh!

Monk plays as life is: never as we expected, dissonant most of the time and make us smile. Sometimes.

im loving this comment section

Bless the camera man for this great angle and video of the great Thelonious Monk

Absolute Master Class in harmonic dichotomy... exact reflection of how the universe actually works...

Sweet Jesus, this makes all the twisted up and wounded parts inside the souls feel nothing but solace

It's weird. I wouldnt tell by the jarring, unorthodox way his hands move that he'd create something so elegant. But that's exactly what he did. Genius.

"Monk played honest as a little child" - Hampton Hawes.

Happy birthday Thelonious Monk 100 years old today

That's what pure genius sounds like. He was the beginning of our intellectual evolution! Let's keep on keeping on!

What a MASTER. Absolutely love watching him play.

I just don’t even comprehend how a human could make something this beautiful. It’s like all the beauty of nature distilled into sound.

I learned this tune after hearing him play it on Criss Cross. He owned it. Beautiful!

Somehow I've managed to miss this and finally I'm starting to appreciate it. There is definitely genius and mystery in those scales he played there.

I can't describe this unbelievably wonderful celebrity musician as the soul of expression with regard to jazz music

He was definitely on the cutting edge and he still would be today! Expression through discordance is amazing!

Sheer brilliance! Pristine clear and so unorthodox. Only Monk could do it.

Man....I loved his style and the ending of the song was completely dope! My mouth was open, then filled with laughter and wow of the ending.

@josephtravers777

7 ай бұрын

That was mud in the eye of his naysayers! Classical flair. Take this! haha What a trip 👍

BRILLIANT!!! These entertainers today DON'T WORK as HARD as these folks...

This is huge talking about influences on heavy music , we owe almost all to jazz , not even blues , because jazz have that dreamy fast drums full of fills with that dissonant and melodic piano !!! Music is just perfect

I don't quite think that piano was ever the same

@michelguevara151

4 жыл бұрын

it needed therapy for decades afterwards

For me, he is the Mozart of the Blues.

@farshimelt

5 жыл бұрын

Debussy would be closer. Blue Monk comes from Debussy.

I don't know anything about music, but I know that I like this.

Sank God for 60's European jazz TV shows

I first heard him play in 1961. I'm pretty sure it changed my life. Yes, sir, I blame you...and I thank you a thousand times over.

Incredible! No wonder he is the favourite amongst so many jazz musicians. And not just pianists either!

My favorite of all time pianist in the world.

Only an idiot could thumbs down this work of genius

My jaw is not closing!

@Musicienne-DAB1995

7 жыл бұрын

Neither is mine!!

@arthro9259

7 жыл бұрын

nor mine

@HiddevanderMaas

7 жыл бұрын

i assume you don't play piano?

@nickwadesbluesandgospelcha9072

6 жыл бұрын

Neither does Monks

Always takes my heart. Will never get old.

@rodlipham9163

2 жыл бұрын

Always takes my heart. Yes! That's what I went looking for when I found my wife. That's what I go looking for when I place the needle on the vinyl.

Every performance is unique and you find things in his songs you didnt' expect. He's a true artist and very inspirational for me!

The character and poise of his playing ! So grand!

Hey guys what about stopping to compare all the artists you know ?! What is you just said I LOVE Thelonious, and this is it.

So brilliant --- so beautiful-- so unique--- he could play so pretty if he wanted and take your heart---

I can hear a symphony of different approaching behaviors and feelings through his solo.

There's melody,beauty, and it makes me transcend to feel it and when I come back I have the beauty of the melody.

My country was such a jazz epicenter back then, man I wish we could get that back.

@dewexdewex

5 жыл бұрын

You have improvisational government now. You can't have everything.

@nickdryad

5 жыл бұрын

The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there. LP Hartley. 50, 40&30. years ago people were lest controlled by the media, progressive wasn’t a dirty world and the neo cons didn’t exert their influence. We are in another era of cultural despair because the arts and music have taken third place to economics and materialism.

My life has just began.

I discovered him in a '55 LP at age 14. 'The Town Hall concert '68 never gets old, i play it often. Amazing group of talent.

Brilliant! Most people at the time didn't realise that he had one foot in the past and one foot in the future. He's by far the only jazzer that my old jazzer Dad and me seem to like equally.

Thanks for making my evening. I can go to sleep and have sweet, sweet dreams of the man and his music.

To quote Richard Feynman: "If you think you enjoy listening to Thelonius Monk, you don't enjoy listening to Thelonius Monk".

When "almost", or "nearly" there is actually right where it needs to be...

I have to come back to this video every once in a while...

What an awesome musician. Fully loaded of emotions...

I would run from the house when my dad started playing his records....now I run to the house...I didn't understand what he wanted me to hear...today I'm a little older...and I get it

@Musicienne-DAB1995

Жыл бұрын

I wasn't a fan of jazz at first. I much preferred classical music. I think it was John Coltrane and Billy Holiday who got me into jazz.

Tehnical perfection, master class of jazz piano.

What beauty, sublimely articulate painter of sound, the very definition of truly great culture.

What a master of Melody and Rhythm.

@tianxing7795

4 жыл бұрын

His left hand is a monster.

Stride piano left hand base with improv on the top. Two different worlds conversing at the same time. ;)

All roads in jazz, blues, and even rock, lead to and from the Sphere that is Monk.

seeing Monk playing so smothly can make one believe what he's doing is easy

@arthro9259

7 жыл бұрын

yes

@sluggo68

7 жыл бұрын

For him

@karlmeer4241

7 жыл бұрын

digging what you dig is easy

@b3at2

6 жыл бұрын

it was easy for him.

He is the one of the GOATS in the jazz community.

Best artist I have ever heard

One of the most beautiful duos.. Monk.. 🌹🌹🐺

If you're a jazz musician and you practice your craft; practicing fundamentals and scales and time and harmonies and keep getting better and better over the years; it's incumbent upon you; you are commanded to go back and listen to Thelonious every once in a while if not regularly to remind yourself that great expression is not dependent upon the perfection of technique. What it IS dependent on is elusive, and the proof is that nobody has ever been able to play like Monk.

True Iconoclast, still hold up after all these years, Classic Stuff!

I get chills when I hear him play

Love Monk's style: others may not. Took me awhile, and a lot studying myself to appreciate him.

Amazing the first listen, and it just gets better and better ever listen. That’s how I feel about Jazz.