Thelonious Monk - Jazz Portrait 2/6 - Crepuscule with Nellie

[postatility]

Has any artist ever combined such child-like playfulness with such moving depth and profundity?

[michaelhintongtr]

@postatility NO!

[ohmphthschwrhu]

@postatility picasso.

[917BRUNO]

L'ECUME DU JOUR

[postatility]

A Beautiful performance of a hauntingly beautiful tune...And a nice smile from Thelonious(1:25)

[4578a]

It's not like he's a very well spoken guy. That's what makes him kinda bizarre. some people might think he's not very intelligent but fuck them! He's a genius.

[arashtony]

Don't forget, he also says "See, I don't know what to play."

LOL, before he breaks into the most beautiful rendition of "Crepuscule" I've ever heard!!!!

[comateensnyc]

If you want to hear Monk talk, watch the documentary "Straight No Chaser". He talks all the way through the picture. You really get an idea of what a strange and powerful character he was.

[mrpossibilities]

Mannnnn this is so frustrating. I was waiting for Thelonious to talk cause I've never heard him talk and all we ever hear him say is "In th early forties" and "Crepuscule with Nellie". And then the guy talking in French for HOURS. Damnit!!!! I wanted to hear Monk talk a bit about himself and/or his music. That was frustrating as hell. But still, nice performance, though.

[bcwdrums]

excellent..........

[sshmed]

3:55-4:01. the essence of monk right there and in my opinion the essence of jazz. This video was 40 years ago today and monk's music still reverberates in the world. Play on monk!

[tomitstube]

i luv t-man. beautiful vid.

[ArtD42]

I think Monk may be pulling the interviewer's leg - he wrote this in '57 or '58 when his wife, for whom this song is named for, was in the hospital. The famous jazz patron, the Baroness Pannonica de Koeningswater, suggested Monk use the French translation of twilight in the title, hence "crepescule." Absolutely love this tune.

[yragntman]

@ArtD42 - The interviewer asks Monk when he wrote Round Midnight and Monk answers "early 40s" then he asks him to play and Monk plays Crepsucle.

[YoknapatawphaKid]

My favorite Monk composition. Radical, unique, yet that melody has such a sweetness. You can see yourself walking down an urban street, loved one in hand...

[cathalcom]

boy, given the chance to interview thelonious, i'd be inclined to ask him more than 'when did you write that tune'!

[tidalriddle]

I don't think he liked the Q's so very much. Maybe this Frenchman was tipped off.

[mrpossibilities]

Damn true!!!! It was frustrating for me too!

[superfuzzymomma]

One of the most brilliant architectural designs

extant! Monk = way ahead of His time GENIUS.

[STILLAVRIL1]

A true original.

Even now his early music is shocking, what must it have sounded like in the 1940s?

[LeGueslin]

C'était l'époque où la télévision française avait le souci d'éduquer ses spectateurs.

Merci beaucoup

[kimbedro]

did you hear him say?

"early 40's", he said.

this is truly rare indeed.