Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)

A documentary film about the life of pianist and jazz great Thelonious Monk. Features live performances by Monk and his band, and interviews with friends and family about the offbeat genius.

Director:

Charlotte Zwerin

Stars:

Jimmy Cleveland, Harry Colomby, John Coltrane

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jimmy Cleveland	...	Himself (trombonist, Thelonious Monk Octet)
Harry Colomby	...	Himself (personal manager)
John Coltrane	...	Himself
Ray Copeland	...	Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet: trumpet) (archive footage)
Nica De Koenigswarter	...	Herself
Tommy Flanagan	...	Himself (duo, piano performance)
Larry Gales	...	Himself (Thelonius Monk Quartet / Thelonious Monk Octet, bass player)
Johnny Griffin	...	Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet, tenor sax)
Barry Harris	...	Himself (duo, piano performance)
Bob Jones	...	Himself (road manager)
Teo Macero	...	Himself (Columbia Records producer)
Thelonious Monk Jr.	...	Himself
Nellie Monk	...	Herself
Thelonious Monk	...	Himself (archive footage)
Frank Paccione	...	Himself-Vocalist (singing voice)

Storyline

A documentary film about the life of pianist and jazz great Thelonious Monk. Features live performances by Monk and his band, and interviews with friends and family about the offbeat genius.

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Plot Keywords:

genius | pianist | jazz | interview | europe | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1990 (France)

Also Known As:

Straight, No Chaser

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$518,918 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Productions, Michael Blackwood Productions, Monk Film Project

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of three 1988 Clint Eastwood movies. The films are Bird, The Dead Pool and Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser.

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Quotes

Thelonious Monk: [scribbles something on a piece of paper] Can you read that?
Nica De Koenigswarter: A beautiful message.
Thelonious Monk: If somebody can decipher that for you, you know, and say what it means, get what it means, it'll upset you. You'll flip, I mean flip for real!

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Connections

Referenced in The Usual Suspects (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Epistrophy"
Written by Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke

User Reviews

the title itself is a good summary of the film

The facts in the life of the virtuoso jazz pianist are somewhat neglected in favor of the music itself, with most of the film devoted to various live performances and rare, behind-the-stage rehearsal footage. The latter scenes give this otherwise straightforward portrait its most revealing moments, showing how complex and exacting the work of jazz composition and arrangement can be. Biographical details are filled in by friends and family but never probed in depth: was Monk, for example, actually suffering some form of mental illness, or was his peculiar behavior merely the pose of an eccentric artist? If for no one else the film is a must for jazz fans and musicians (it was produced by Clint Eastwood).