The day that Monk died.

[Hardbopjazz]

Jazz visionary Thelonious Monk, a musical maverick whose artistry and originality as composer and pianist made for him a permanent place wherever jazz is heard, died Wednesday in Englewood, N.J. at 64.

“The Monk is dead,” a spokesman at Englewood Hospital announced shortly after the musician died at 8:10 a.m.

Monk, who had not performed in public since the middle 1970s, suffered an apparent stroke Feb. 5 at his home in Weehawken, N.J. He was admitted to the hospital the same day. Doctors said his condition was complicated by hepatitis.

Playing with and sparking exchanges of advanced musical ideas with giants such as saxophonist Charlie (Bird) Parker, guitarist Charlie Christian and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, the pianist was one of the inventors of the once controversial jazz form known as be-bop or simply bop.

 

Hip hipsters called Monk “The High Priest of Be-bop.”

Monk’s musical style was described as “unorthodox, ang

https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-thelonious-monk-19820218-story.html

 

 

I was in a music theory class in college when someone told the professor. He in turned told the class. Most of the class were members of the 802 music union and they knew who Monk was.

I went to high school with someone who's mom was Monk's niece. I remember the band teacher had him try to get his mom to ask Monk to visit the school. She called, but Monk never came to the phone. That was in 1979. 

 

 We all must, at some point today, play some Thelonious Monk in memory of the High Priest of Be-Bop.

 

[BillF]

Being present when someone was told of someone famous's death ...

My university subject was English Literature. I was in a class taught by Geoffrey Hill when a student told him of a newspaper's report of the death of Sylvia Plath.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Hill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath

[Hardbopjazz]

From Ed Cherry's Facebook page.

 

Thelonious Monk passed away February 17 1982

I was in Dizzy’s band then, on the road somewhere in the mid-west ,southwest, I don’t remember... A small town hall situation, mostly people who’d never been to a jazz concert. Bob Redcross was our beloved road manager and Dizzy’s right hand man.. We were in the middle of the set when he called out to Dizzy that Monk had just died.. Dizzy just stopped the show, told the audience that ‘the master of our music’ Thelonious monk just passed away.. there were a few gasps in the audience.. Dizzy left the stage and went into a side dressing room and closed the door where we could hear him crying.. about 10 or 15 minutes later he came out and finished the show...if I remember correctly, we played “round midnight”....monk and dizzy were super close, I never met him but dizzy would mention him often, and even played piano in a similar style.. I guess they’re jamming with bird ,miles, bud ,Charlie Christian, and bob redcross...the conversation probably goes something like “ awww , you a lying’ motherf*****!! “ everyone screams with laughter...

Rest in Power Mr. Monk