Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

This article deals with the film soundtrack from 1989, for the jazz standard of the same name, see Straight No Chaser , for Thelonious Monk's 1967 album see Straight, No Chaser , for the vocal group of the same name see Straight No Chaser (band) .

Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Studio album by Thelonious Monk
Publication (s)	1989
Label (s)	Columbia Records
Format (s)	LP, CD
Genre (s)	jazz
Title (number)	12
occupation	Piano, spoken commentary: Thelonious Monk Tenor saxophone , spoken commentary: Charlie Rouse -Tenor saxophone: John Coltrane , Johnny Griffin (6–8) Alto saxophone : Phil Woods (6–8) Trumpet : Ray Copeland (6, –8) Trombone : Jimmy Cleveland (6-8) Double bass : Larry Gales (4–12), Wilbur Ware (3) Drums : Ben Riley (4–12), Shadow Wilson (3) Spoken Comment: Thelonious Monk, Jr. , Nica de Koenigswarter , Samuel E. Wright
production	Orrin Keepnews
Studio (s)	new York
chronology Thelonious Monk Nonet Live in Paris 1967 (1988) Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Live at the Five Spot: Discovery! (1993)

Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is an album by Thelonious Monk . The recordings, which were made between 1957 and 1968 at Columbia Studios in New York and during Monk's tours, were part of the soundtrack of the 1988 film of the same name by Charlotte Zwerin and Christian Blackwood. The recordings, including eight previously unreleased titles, were released in 1989 by Columbia Records as LP, audio cassette and in Japan as compact disc .

background

Directed by Charlotte Zwerin, the documentary highlights Thelonious Monk's remarkable career in performances and appearances with his closest allies. The soundtrack contains not only reproductions of his piano playing and his music but also that of his voice. The music for this film was used to paint a musical portrait of Monk and his sidemen. John Coltrane can be heard in Monk's quartet in 1957 with “Trinkle, Tinkle”; the wind players Phil Woods , Johnny Griffin , Ray Copeland and Jimmy Cleveland interpret "Epistrophy" and "Evidence" with Monk's Quartet in Stockholm in 1967. In Mainz they can be heard again with “I Mean You”. Monk's quartet goes out with an eleven and a half minute "Straight, No Chaser" and takes the time to demonstrate thoroughly.

The songs that were played in the film (in addition to the titles published on the album) also included "Rhythm-a-Ning", "On the Bean" (by Walter Thomas, performed by Coleman Hawkins and Thelonious Monk) , " Well, You Needn't ", "Bright Mississippi", "Blue Monk", "Ask Me Now" (played by Thelonious Monk in the 1951 version, Blue Note Records), "Just a Gigolo" (Leonello Casucci, German Julius Brammer, Irving Caesar), "Crepuscule with Nellie", "I Should Care" (Sammy Cahn, Alex Stordahl, Paul Weston), "Wee See", "Oska T.", "Ruby, My Dear", "Boo Boo's Birthday ”,“ Misterioso ”and“ Monk's Mood ”played by Monk and John Coltrane.

Track list

• Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Columbia - SC 45358, Columbia - C 45358)

1. Straight No Chaser (And Opening Narration) 1:51
2. Pannonica 5:11
3. Trinkle, Tinkle 6:38
4. Ugly Beauty / Rehearsal 2:31
5. Ugly Beauty 7:18
6. Epistrophy 5:38

Evidence 9:01

1. I Mean You (Stickball) (Thelonious Monk, Coleman Hawkins ) 4:19
2. Lulu's Back in Town ( Harry Warren , Al Dubin ) 4:14
3. Don't Blame Me ( Jimmy McHugh , Dorothy Fields ) 2:54
4. Sweetheart of All My Dreams (Art Fitch, Kay Fitch; Bert Lowe) 1:43
5. 'Round Midnight 2:14

Starting with the 2013 release of the album, the additional track Straight, No Chaser (11:34) was added.

occupation

title	Date of recording	place	Original LP	Comments on the cast
Pannonica, Lulu's Back in Town	circa September 1956	new York	-	Solo. The photo comes from the estate of Pannonica de Koenigswarter.
Trinkle, Tinkle	probably July 1957	new York	Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane	John Coltrane (ts), Thelonious Monk, (p), Wilbur Ware (kb), Shadow Wilson (dr)
Straight no chaser	January 10, 1967	new York	Straight, no chaser	Thelonious Monk Quartet (Monk), Charlie Rouse , Larry Gales , Ben Riley
Don't blame me	June 16, 1967	Live, Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta	-	Thelonious Monk Quartet (dto.)
Epistrophy, Evidence	October 31, 1967	Live, Stockholm	-	Thelonious Monk Quintet / Octet, with Ray Copeland (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (trb), Phil Woods (as), Charlie Rouse (ts), Johnny Griffin (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Larry Gales (kb), Ben Riley (dr)
I mean you	November 8, 1967	Mainz	-	Thelonious Monk Quintet / Octet (dto.)
Ugly Beauty (take 4)	December 14, 1967	new York	-	Trial recording of the recordings for the Columbia album Underground .
Ugly Beauty (take 5)	December 14, 1967	new York	Underground	Thelonious Monk Quartet (dto.)
Sweetheart of All My Dreams	5th, 6th or 7th January 1968	Village Vanguard , NYC	-	Monk solo
'Round Midnight	dto.	dto.	-	Thelonious Monk Quartet (dto.)

reception

Jim Santella wrote in All About Jazz : “Monk's piano speaks volumes. It might put more into a bar than some people can apply to an entire song. His carefree approach to 'Lulu's Back in Town' reveals another side of the artist: rooted in tradition. Four titles are presented as solo piano pieces so that the listener can fully understand the aim of the documentary. This acoustic portrait of Thelonious Monk documents his basics as well as his thirst for adventure. "

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Straight No Chaser in the Internet Movie Database (English)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Jim Santella: Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) . All About Jazz, April 12, 2002, accessed February 12, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) at Discogs
4. ↑ Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Edition 2011) at Discogs