Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1989)

1h 29m | PG-13 | Documentary

Watch Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser full movie.

Director: Charlotte Zwerin

Cast: Jimmy Cleveland, Harry Colomby, John Coltrane, Ray Copeland, Nica De Koenigswarter, Tommy Flanagan, Larry Gales, Johnny Griffin, Barry Harris, Bob Jones, Teo Macero

Along with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk is credited as one of the pioneering musicians of bebop and is the second most recorded jazz composer in the world. Charlotte Zwerin's documentary tries to unravel Monk, who was known for having a thorny personality and an aggressive playing technique to match. Interviews with Monk's son and fellow musicians shed some light, and performance footage from a European tour captures his idiosyncratic style.

Rent or Buy