May 2020 Book of the Month
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Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Robin Kelley
My musical journey over the decades has opened my eyes to other kinds of lived experiences in the United States than my own, and changed me in fundamental ways.
As a young man I watched “Bird”, Clint Eastwood’s stylized biopic of Charlie Parker. It was extraordinarily moving, and turned me on to a musical form that I hadn’t really been exposed to.
Few things in life can compare to the thrill of listening to something utterly new. There can only be one first time. In jazz, for me, that happened when I first heard West End Blues — and when I first heard Round Midnight by Thelonious Monk.
“Thelonious Monk’s music is essentially about freedom.” (P2)
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This incredibly compassionate and meticulous book lifts the life of Thelonious Monk out of the shadows.
It is many histories, not just a biography. It is a history of jazz. It is a history of the Great Migration. It is a history of mid-20th century Black America.
It is a history of race relations in the decade of the 1960s (and all the other decades of Monk’s life, but that decade in particular).
It is a micro-history of family dynamics. It is a history of mental illness and its (mis)treatment.
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I did not read this book because of current affairs. But it is fair to say that reading it will open most readers’ eyes to the parallel lives being lived in our society.
And so reading it, because it provides understanding, might be a good use of time. It is also a great read.
PS: if you have a book recommendation, feel free to suggest it in the comments.