Earlier this month, a gathering of musicians paid tribute to the late record producer Orrin Keepnews, who formed close ties with jazz musicians starting in the late 1940s. Keepnews and Thelonious Monk had a special connection, as WNYC’s Sara Fishko tells us in this Fishko Files.
Sara Fishko appears live at Metrograph Cinema tomorrow night to introduce the new film from WNYC STUDIOS, “The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith.” For tickets and more information, visit metrograph.com or wnyc.org/jazzloftthemovie.
Music:
Bill Evans
“Waltz for Debby” recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Larry Willis, piano; Ray Drummond, bass; Akira Tana, drums
Jimmy Heath
“On the Trail” recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jimmy Heath, saxophone; Larry Willis, piano; Ray Drummond, bass; Akira Tana, drums
Thelonious Monk
“‘Round Midnight”
From The Finest in Jazz: Thelonious Monk, 1947
George Taitt, trumpet; Sahib Shihab, alto sax; Thelonious Monk, piano; Bob Paige, bass; Art Blakey, drums
Duke Ellington
“Sophisticated Lady”
From Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington, 1955
Thelonious Monk, piano; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums
Thelonious Monk
“Functional (Take 2)”
From Thelonious Himself, 1957
Thelonious Monk, piano
Randy Weston
“Berkshire Blues” recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Randy Weston, piano
CORRECTION: The below quote, read by Peter Keepnews, was from a letter from Dan Morgenstern, jazz critic and Director Emeritus of Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz Studies.
"Orrin was a man who had his own ideas about how jazz should be recorded...and maybe the most perfect example of his deep understanding of a musician's need was his relationship with Thelonious Monk. It was Orrin who first brought Monk into full view as the genius that he was."
WNYC Production Credits
Executive Producer: Sara Fishko
Assistant Producer: Olivia Briley
Mix Engineer: Wayne Shulmister
Managing Editor, WNYC News: Karen Frillmann
"The Record Changer" excerpt read by Andy Lanset
Special thanks to Jazz at Lincoln Center at http://www.jazz.org/