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Who's Your Daddy? Reflections of a Humbled Son on Thelonious Monk's 98th Birthday
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ts-monk/thelonious-monk-98th-birthday_b_8272532.html?1444447198
Let me explain. From my earliest recollections, adults, when first meeting me, would invariably ask the question, "Do you know who your father is?" The query came from musicians and fans alike. I didn't really understand the question at first, because the answer seemed so obvious. My father was my daddy. Of course, they would follow up with statements like, "You know he's a genius," which really meant nothing to a five- or ten-year-old. They would add proclamations like, "He changed the music," and/or "His music will be here for the next 300 years." That also meant absolutely nothing to me. However, though I couldn't imagine 300 years, I could imagine one. So when told he would be a bigger name in 50 years, that did seem like a long, long time from then, so I chalked it up to nonsense, in my own toddling way. It seemed to me that in fifty years, I would be an old man -- and surely dad would've been forgotten by then.
In my early teen years, having by then seen a lot of major artists come and disappear into obscurity, I was convinced these proclamations from ardent fans were pure hyperbole. But at fifteen, I began my love affair with drums. My understanding and views of music changed, and I clearly realized dad was a true badass. But so were his buddies Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and, of course, Max Roach (my teacher), and many others. I was clear on the huge influence of artists like Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, and the impact they made on western music. I figured dad was definitely in the crowd, but I also noticed that even those greatest of artisans pretty much said the same things about my dad.
In my early teen years, having by then seen a lot of major artists come and disappear into obscurity, I was convinced these proclamations from ardent fans were pure hyperbole. But at fifteen, I began my love affair with drums. My understanding and views of music changed, and I clearly realized dad was a true badass. But so were his buddies Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and, of course, Max Roach (my teacher), and many others. I was clear on the huge influence of artists like Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, and the impact they made on western music. I figured dad was definitely in the crowd, but I also noticed that even those greatest of artisans pretty much said the same things about my dad.
Good read if you know about Monk.
--imm
12 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
--imm
The master chef himself, at his 243 West 63rd Street apartment kitchen where he kept the upright piano he used to compose many of his works.
