The Tale

Evening Music | May 6, 2010
The only work on Monk's album to feature intelligible lyrics, "The Tale" has its roots in her 1973 performance piece Education of the Girlchild, during which Monk regresses from an elderly woman to a young child over 45 minutes. "The Tale" begins innocently enough — with the sound of childlike laughter — but soon grows into a whirling dervish of mischievous vocal effects.

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