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Meditations on Monk

 
Sheriff
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A possible perspective on jazz pianist/composer Thelonious Monk...

During the twentieth century, classical composition pushed the boundaries of our twelve-tone system, effectively dispensing with popular notions of tonality and harmony. Like hackers deriving encryption keys, composers applied complex "brute-force" algorithms attempting to coax hidden intricacies of dissonance from those twelve tones.

Meanwhile, Monk held the key. Liberally laced with dissonance, his music tantalizes the listener with quirky inventions. Is this what (perhaps) eluded the twelve-tone masters? A half-century after his most prolific period, it's clear that Monk was ahead of his time. But I think we're still decades away from realizing just how far ahead he really was.
 
Desperado
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In one of the (in my opinion) best American TV shows American Dreams which lasted only 3 seasons (because it was very good) and which I am reliving the first season on DVD, the name Thelonious Monk has come up at least twice.

The series begins in 1963 Philadelphia and the American Bandstand show of then.

Thelonious' name comes into play when the "cool" guy character 'Luke' tells his girlfriend the protagonist 'Meg' that she likes too much of the "bubble gum" music they play in American Bandstand where she is a dancer at age 15 and that she should listen to music like Thelonious'.

The protagonist is only slightly older than I am and so I can relate to everything on that show especially when it comes to the music, considering that the first rock band that I made was in 1965 when I was 15.

We were pretty good (the youngest was 14) since we were hired (with the permission of our parents of course since we were all in high school and living with our parents!) to play in St. Thomas which was then THE coolest place to play if you were a band in Puerto Rico.

We stayed and played at Duffy's Guest House in the summer of 1966 which is where the Mamas and The Papas stayed and played in 1965.

Trivia fact: I have taken a shower (at age 16) in the same tub that Michelle Phillips did!

We were asked back to the same gig in 1968 and 1969. Something that in 1966 seemed to me to be simply impossible.

Imagine a child of 16 saying to his "god" that the only thing he wants in life is to GO BACK to St. Thomas and play. Imagine then that the request is answered in the positive. Twice. At ages 18 and 19!

YESSSSSSSS!!!
[ June 10, 2006: Message edited by: Tony Alicea ]
 
marc weber
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Originally posted by Tony Alicea:
...the first rock band that I made was in 1965 when I was 15...


I've seen the pic of you with your pre-CBS Jazzmaster. VERY cool!

I started playing just as the vintage market was really taking off, and I didn't know enough about guitars then to recognize what a "good one" really was. So I passed up a 1964 Burgundy Mist Strat because it seemed $950 was too much for a "used" guitar. Now, of course, these are untouchable.

I hope you still have your Jazzmaster!

I didn't start listening to Monk until I was in my 20's, but it was years before I started to "get" what he was doing. (One cool thing about being a little older than the average rancher: I was able to see Miles Davis twice.)
 
Tony Alicea
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I'm sorry you asked and at the same time thank you; I need to get it our of my chest:

I PAWNED that 1965 Fender Jazzmaster for $50 (yes, that's right, fifty miserable dollars) in Denver because of a girl!

She was an illegal Colombian (as from the country of Colombia) who was 12 years younger than I was and looked like a model.

I made the mistake of taking her "under my wings" (and under other parts of my body too but I digress...) and at that point in our life we were moving and needed money. I PAWNED that guitar for FIFTY dollars!

I hope we as humans are entitled to a few mistakes in life...

My old friends from the 1960s have already forgiven me...

NEVER exchange an old guitar for a girl! Ha ha!
 
marc weber
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Originally posted by Tony Alicea:
...I PAWNED that 1965 Fender Jazzmaster for $50 (yes, that's right, fifty miserable dollars) in Denver because of a girl! ...


Wow, that's painful. In part because I can too easily see myself doing the same thing.

Did you replace it? (The guitar, I mean.)
 
Tony Alicea
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Yes I did replace it...

With an imitation Strat from Korea known as "Squire".

Not bad at all to tell you the truth.

I used it at this concert
.

It was nor a bad imitation of a real Strat.
 
With a little knowledge, a cast iron skillet is non-stick and lasts a lifetime.
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