Part of Music City Mondays
The closest a film camera ever got to enigmatic jazz visionary Thelonious Monk, this intimate portrait sheds light on the corners of a brilliant and complex life. Produced by Clint Eastwood for Warner Bros and superbly crafted by Direct Cinema pioneer Charlotte Zwerin from a trove of precious 1960s archival footage, THELONIOUS MONK: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER captures the pianist, composer and bebop innovator in rare, unguarded moments on- and offstage, revealing an eccentric and complicated personality. Made with the same freedom of spirit that defines Monk’s artistry, this essential slice of jazz history is a unique glimpse into the quixotic world of one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary artists. New 4K DCP
“Quite probably the finest documentary about jazz ever made.” —John Litweiler, Chicago Tribune (Dec 8, 1989)
“Remarkable…. The film's late-60's portions, which document a European tour and also catch Monk playing in clubs and in recording sessions, are some of the most valuable jazz sequences ever shot…. The film reminds us again and again that Monk was as important a jazz composer as he was a pianist.” —Stephen Holden, New York Times (Sep 30, 1989)
“I had heard the music before. What the film gave me was an opportunity to see Thelonious Monk creating some of it, and, just as importantly, an opportunity to see how those who knew him loved him.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Dec 8, 1989)