Marseille Jazz under the sign of Monk
It was at the Alhambra cinema, a structure classified as art and essay in the northern districts of Marseille, that we were able to attend an evening dedicated to Thelonious Monk on April 28.
William Benedetto, the director of the place, and Hugues Kieffer, artistic director of the festival, recall the unfailing partnership which now binds their two structures. And then, what better than to start with an evening dedicated to the “high priest of bebop”, declares the second, who seems steeped in emotion just by pronouncing the name “Monk” – the latter being, for him, synonymous of simultaneous “strangeness and simplicity”.
In the first part of the evening, here is Léo Quartet, with his project “Atmosphere Monk”, which the saxophonist from Marseille Leo Merie likes to renew over the years. A fine connoisseur of the pianist’s work, he made a point of specifying from the outset that the latter was certainly the simplest of human beings and that he had “a right hand in the past and a left hand in the future”. And yet, it is a quartet without a piano that expresses itself on the set that evening. In this unprecedented configuration, the juice of Monk’s work flows with a certain sensitivity. The titles follow one another, from Light blue intro, through epistrophyup to one Green chimneys with almost afro accents.
Midway through the concert, an emotional interpretation of The mood of the monkin a saxophone duet with Gerard Murphy, restores the soft substance of the explored universe. Because it is indeed for an exploration rather than a demonstration that we suit the musicians, who all seem possessed by the spirit of the repertoire. Thus the melodic playing of Fred Pasque on the drums, whose rhythmic excellence contributes to the common story, or even the poetic quest for a Pierre Fenichel on the double bass, both in the accompaniment at the service of the ensemble and in solos with a sharpened sense of space. Did you say “monkien”?
he was a silent man, Monk
In the second part of the evening, it is the documentary entitled “Rewind & Play. It’s not good ? which is projected.
While preparing another film, the Franco-Senegalese director Alain Gomis got his hands on the unpublished rushes of a passage of Monk on French television in 1969. An editing without commentary was enough to build for this film which will be broadcast next fall on the Arte channel.
The formal originality is certainly due to the dross printed on the film, which, of course, give experimental turns to the film, but which are also so many reminders of the failure of the interview. From where a comic vein which is due to the behavior of the interviewer of Monk, the pianist Henry Renaud, does not tell himself that he would have done better to stay at the piano. Unconditional admirer of the musician, he tries to make him tell various aspects of his public or private life. Without any success, car Monk Thelonieux does not intend to take part in this “people” approach before its time, however shy it may be, and only wishes to be heard through its music. It was because he was silent, Monk. When asked why he installed his piano in his kitchen, he replies that it is simply “because it was the biggest room in the apartment” and that he has nothing to add. In most cases, he does not even answer the stereotyped questions put to him, despite the insistence of the “journalist”. We see him sweating under the spotlight, while camera tests that seem to last an eternity (close-up on his salt-and-pepper beard) follow the pitiful tests of a Henri Renaud, which find themselves increasingly out of place. -Game.
A few recordings outside the studio give a glimpse of the extreme simplicity of the pianist, whether in the hall of Orly airport, in the taxi (with the adorable Nellie, his wife with fantastic glasses), or even at the bar- tobacconist right next to the ORTF premises where he can be seen stroking the owner’s dog and whistling at himself a “straight” cognac and above all without “chasing”! He also smokes cigarette after cigarette.
Ultimately, these shots are less unhealthy than shots-reverse shots during the lamentable questions of the interviewer.
Fortunately, there are exceptional musical tracks, in one of these high-flying exercises in solo piano that the master loved – here adorned with his Chinese cap. A capture as close as possible to one of his latest compositions, “Ugly Beauty”, finally redeems all the harm inflicted on him by the Frenchies. This performance, reissued on DVD in the “Jazz Icons” collection, without the extras, proves if need be that Monk’s investment in his music could only be total.
The cinematographic distribution of this hollow portrait comes at the right time to complete the beautiful documentary currently available in Arte replay, “Monk, Pannonica: an American story”.
[1] Passing on any comment, it can only confirm the genius of the pianist.
present in the room, Jacques Ponziothe most “monkophile” of the Marseillais [2], is dubious about the interest of the film. He remains nonetheless always smug with admiration for the game of his idol. Of course, a debate with the director was welcome, or even a round table with him and the musicians. Nevertheless, the 2022 season of Marseille Jazz is placed under the sign of Monk and it bodes very well for the future…