COLUMBUS — As part of Columbus’ celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, the Drexel Theatre will present a special screening of Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser on Thursday, Sept. 27.
Released in 1988, the 90-minute documentary chronicles the life of legendary jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk (1917-82) and features live performances by Monk and his group as well as posthumous interviews with friends and family.
Immediately following the screening, Friends of the Drexel will host a panel discussion and moderated audience Q&A about Thelonious Monk and how the Harlem Renaissance shaped his evolution as an artist. Panelists will include Bob Breithaupt, professor of music at Capital University; composer and musician Linda Dachtyl; and Dr. Jack Marchbanks, co-host of WCBE’s “Jazz Sunday,” producer, and independent writer.
Friends of the Drexel presents Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser at the Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.) on Thursday, September 27, at 7 pm. Tickets are $10 ($8 for Drexel members, $5 for students) and can be purchased at www.drexel.net. Ticket includes admission to the screening and post-screening panel discussion.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Dreiseszun Family Foundation.
About Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-82)
Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including “‘Round Midnight,” “Blue Monk,” “Straight, No Chaser,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “In Walked Bud,” and “Well, You Needn’t.” He is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, and one of only five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine.
He was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, and a special Pulitzer Prize for “a body of distinguished and innovative musical composition that has had a significant and enduring impact on the evolution of jazz” in 2006.
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