Play ‘Monk’ to bring to life jazz legend
February 5th, 2007
Monk
7:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 11
Margaret Comstock Concert Hall, School of Music
Tickets are $5. UofL students and children under 10 will be admitted free.
Sometimes one word says a lot.
“Monk,” says volumes. It speaks of legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, a complicated man, deemed to be a genius or mentally ill — or probably both. Say the name and those who know his work hear the dissonant harmony of his fingers attacking the piano, his playing punctuated with pauses and stops. Simply put, it speaks of one of the most “hip” men in American music history.
Actor, director, producer and jazz vocalist Rome Neal will bring Monk to the University of Louisville when he performs the one-man play “Monk” as part of the African American Music Heritage Institute.
“We honor Monk for his contributions to American music and culture,” said Jerry Tolson, institute director and UofL associate professor of music education and Jazz Studies.
“Monk was different. There was no one else like him,” Tolson said.
Monk grew to icon status after his death in 1982. His music has been rediscovered by a wider audience than he enjoyed during his lifetime. He is now counted alongside the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and other major figures in the history of jazz.
His music is perhaps the most recorded of any jazz composer, Tolson noted.
The African American Music Heritage Institute at UofL is a two-day celebration of the contributions of African American’s to America’s musical history. Tolson co-founded it in 1996. The institute is geared to educational programs for local school children, but features one general public event each year.
“Our goal is to provide an educational experience involving our heritage and to foster a better understanding among cultures,” Tolson said.
Institute sponsors at UofL include the School of Music, Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Equality, the Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality, the Multicultural Academic Enrichment Program, the Black Student Association and the UofL Music Student Association. The Louisville Arts Council also is a sponsor.
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