The story of how Thelonious Monk broke Paris
In 1954, jazz pianist Thelonious Monk made his way to the Salle Pleyel for his very first show in Paris. The radical musician was unusually nervous – and for good reason. Despite having already recorded his seminal two-volume collection Genius of Modern Music, by 1954, Monk was still pretty much unknown outside of America. So there he was: an American musician with practically no public profile making his way to an enormous 3,000-seat concert hall in a distant country. What could go wrong?
More than you might expect, it turns out. Before taking to the stage, Monk had a few drinks to settle his nerves. As he grew increasingly drunk, a popular Dixieland jazz outfit drove the crowd wild. Eventually, the band exited the stage, leaving the audience howling for more. What they wanted more than anything was something else they could dance to. What they got was far more cerebral.
Suffice it to say, Monk’s percussive, atonal style did not go down well. While the critics in attendance set about forming scathing reviews, the confused crowd opted for a more direct form of criticism, heckling the pianist as he did his best to get them back onside. The chaos wasn’t entirely Monk’s fault, however. Thelonious was used to performing alongside the likes of Art Blakey and Al McKibbon, some of the most innovative players in America. In their absence, he was assigned a local rhythm section unfamiliar with his music. The concert was a disastrous milestone, but it did introduce Monk to his lifelong friend and patron, Pannonica de Koenigswarter, the bebop baroness.
Pannonica became Thelonious’ standard bearer, championing his work in the United States and even writing the liner notes for his 1962 album Criss-Cross. Seven years after the release of that LP, Monk decided to return to the Salle Pleyel with his own quartet. Thanks to Pannonica’s support, he was now an international star, having signed to Columbia Records and appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Convinced that this time things would be different, Monk agreed to have the concert televised live. That broadcast was later released as a CD and DVD titled Paris 1969.
Ahead of the concert, Monk made a point of surrounding himself with the best players on offer. His quartet included long-time friend and collaborator Charlie Rouse on saxophone and a rhythm section featuring Berklee graduate Nate Hygelund on bass and 17-year-old Paris Wright on drums. After a month on the road together, the quartet was a well-oiled jazz machine. The people of Paris, who had judged Monk so harshly 15 years before, were already converted.
You can listen to Paris 1969 below. You can read Monk’s handwritten note listing 25 tips for musicians here.
