- This event has passed.
King Sophia
For this episode, we will be covering the less known aspects of the life and music of jazz giant, Thelonious Monk. The 2nd most recorded jazz composer in history, Monk’s cutting edge writing and improvisational styles are heralded major pioneering steps in the progress of Black music and he composed a great amount of what are now considered ‘jazz standards’. Many may know of Monk’s music and influence, but not of his complicated history and the intense persecution and erasure he experienced throughout his life and the many ways his story was rewritten and his character misrepresented to suit bigoted stereotypes. We will discuss all of these elements thoroughly interspersed by performances of some of his most influential compositions. Before the lecture and performance, there will be a showing of the documentary, Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser. Alongside rare footage of interviews and performances by Monk and his band, the film contains the only known footage of Monk off of the stage. For its cultural and historical significance, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
