Rating: 
Summary: THE Monk documentary
Review: Whenever we see jazz-history programs on TV, we see very little of Thelonious Monk; there's always that short footage of him wearing slim sunglasses, sitting on a fold-out chair playing the piano, and stomping his foot. I had never even heard Monk talk prior to this presentation of him ...it's a good thing there are subtitles ;)
Watching this highly informative and well presented 90-minute documentary about him and his music got me so excited that I had to throw on the old "Straight No Chaser" record when it was over - I guess I actually needed a chaser.
A common mistake in presentations of musical documentaries is that there isn't enough music; people usually talk over it, but that is NOT the case here; footage from recording sessions and concerts are distinctly kept apart from interviews, which is a big plus. Something that isn't much discussed here, though, are the highlights of Monk's career, i.e. when he had success with certain compositions or recordings,--or even which recordings that were successful--he's more presented "on the whole", even though the documentary basically is chronological. There is, however, a "Monk Career Highlights" feature in text, but it's very short; the career-highlight feature of executive producer Clint Eastwood is twice as long.
"Straight No Chaser" is probably the most informative documentary made of Monk so far. There's a short theatrical trailer, and subtitles in four different languages, plus this DVD has no problems with either audio or picture, which is nice and unusual. Highly recommended! 4.5 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Almost boring
Review: Wow - I'm only giving this DVD 3 stars! Why? Well, it's NOT because it's not well done -- it is. When you consider how old alot of the footage is, you have to give credit to the producers of this DVD for making it so "watchable." However, it just isn't what I'm looking for in a DVD. [...] What I really enjoy in a concert DVD is a recording that makes me feel like I'm AT the concert. (The Fourplay DVD is an excellent example of that. There they are on stage with feedback and mistakes here and there -- it's just like really being there!) The Thelonius Monk DVD is much more a documentary. Also, I took a chance not knowing exactly what kind of music this artist performed. It is an older-fashioned type of jazz. If you like older jazz (1950's), and you're interested in knowing all about this artist's life, etc., then I highly recommend this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: More of a Documentary than a Concert Video
Review: Wow - I'm only giving this DVD 3 stars! Why? Well, it's NOT because it's not well done -- it is. When you consider how old alot of the footage is, you have to give credit to the producers of this DVD for making it so "watchable." However, it just isn't what I'm looking for in a DVD. [...] What I really enjoy in a concert DVD is a recording that makes me feel like I'm AT the concert. (The Fourplay DVD is an excellent example of that. There they are on stage with feedback and mistakes here and there -- it's just like really being there!) The Thelonius Monk DVD is much more a documentary. Also, I took a chance not knowing exactly what kind of music this artist performed. It is an older-fashioned type of jazz. If you like older jazz (1950's), and you're interested in knowing all about this artist's life, etc., then I highly recommend this DVD.
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