IMDb > Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 5 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   474 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Charlotte Zwerin
Contact:
View company contact information for Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 October 1990 (France) See more »
Genre:
Documentary | Biography | Music See more »
Plot:
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. | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
User Reviews:
the title itself is a good summary of the film See more (15 total) »

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)
Ben Riley ... Himself (Thelonious Monk Quartet / Thelonious Monk Octet, drummer)
Charlie Rouse ... Himself (Thelonious Monk Quartet: saxophone, Thelonious Monk Octet: tenor saxophone) (archive footage)
Phil Woods ... Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet, alto sax)
Samuel E. Wright ... Narrator (voice)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Charlotte Zwerin 
 
Produced by
Clint Eastwood .... executive producer
Bruce Ricker .... producer
Charlotte Zwerin .... producer
 
Original Music by
Dick Hyman 
 
Cinematography by
Christian Blackwood 
 
Sound Department
Alexandra Baltarzuk .... additional sound
Tom Fleischman .... sound re-recording mixer
Petur Hliddal .... additional sound
Mike Karas .... additional sound
Peter Miller .... additional sound
Roger Phenix .... sound: additional film crew Flanagan/Harris piano duo
Nina Schulman .... sound editor
Rudy Van Gelder .... sound: additional film crew Flanagan/Harris piano duo
 
Visual Effects by
Irwin Young .... opticals
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Larry Banks .... chief lighting technician: additional film crew Flanagan/Harris piano duo
Joan Churchill .... additional photographer
Meredith Collins .... still photographer
Nica De Koenigswarter .... still photographer
Bob Fiore .... camera operator: additional film crew Flanagan/Harris piano duo
William Gottlieb .... still photographer
Mike Karas .... electrician: additional film crew Flanagan/Harris piano duo
Herman Leonard .... still photographer
Stuart Math .... additional photographer
Bob Parent .... still photographer
Francis Paudras .... still photographer
Chris Rosen .... key grip: additional film crew Flanagan/Harris piano duo
Don Schlitten .... still photographer
 
Editorial Department
Bernadine Colish .... assistant editor
Noëlle Penraat .... negative matcher
 
Other crew
Ruth Bird .... production assistant
Kent Blocher .... production assistant
Doreen Elliott .... transcriptor: interviews
Kate Hirson .... production assistant
Peter Keepnews .... production assistant
Jay Keuper .... production assistant
Michael Maurer .... production controller
Lynn Piasecki .... production assistant
Jason Ricker .... production assistant
Anthony Sclafani .... production accountant
David Valdes .... production executive
Richard Woodward .... production assistant
 
Thanks
Pamela Bendich .... thanks
R. Frankliln Brown .... thanks
David Chertok .... additional thanks
Harry Colomby .... thanks
Stanley Crouch .... additional thanks
Michèle Darmon .... additional thanks
Berit De Koenigswarter .... additional thanks
Lynn Emmolo .... additional thanks
Elliott Erwitt .... additional thanks
Lynda Hansen .... additional thanks
Ralph Kaffel .... additional thanks
Kiyoshi Kodama .... additional thanks
Susan Lacy .... additional thanks
Bruce Lundvall .... additional thanks
Thelonious Monk Jr. .... special thanks
Thomas Monk Jr. .... special thanks
Thomas Monk Sr. .... special thanks
Barbara Monk .... special thanks (as Barbara 'Boo Boo' Monk)
Nellie Monk .... special thanks (as Mrs. Thelonious 'Nellie' Monk)
Dan Morgenstern .... additional thanks (as Dan)
Francis Paudras .... additional thanks
Michael Phillips .... additional thanks
Debbie Reinberg .... additional thanks
Kirk Roberts .... additional thanks
Charlie Rouse .... additional thanks
Daihei Shiohama .... additional thanks
Don Sickler .... additional thanks
Tim Timpanaro .... additional thanks
Alonzo White .... special thanks
Marion Monk White .... special thanks
Melvin Zalel .... additional thanks
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Straight, No Chaser" - USA (short title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White | Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
USA:PG-13
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USASee more »
Company:
Malpaso ProductionsSee more »

Did You Know?

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!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Usual Suspects (1995)See more »
Soundtrack:
Don't Blame MeSee more »

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful.
the title itself is a good summary of the film, 7 January 2011
Author: Michael Neumann from United States

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).

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (15 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
I'm Not There. Ray The Josephine Baker Story The U.S. vs. John Lennon Satchmo the Great
IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Documentary section IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.