this SAT 10/10 - film - Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser

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Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser
FRIDAY OCTOBER 10 9:30pm only $5
at Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue in Park Slope, right atop the R train station at Union Street.
718.857.4816 More info at www.brooklynlyceum.com.

In the alphabet of 88 ivory keys, there are few musicians who could weave such poetry as Thelonious Monk, the legendary Jazz pianist who lived from 1910 to 1982. We’re celebrating his dynamic and sometimes complicated life and genius on what would be his 92nd birthday with a screening of the documentary Straight, No Chaser, made a few years after his passing.

Often regarded as a founder of bebop and one of the most revered musicians in jazz history, Monk's playing style later evolved into more complex improvisation, dissonant harmonies and an unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and tempo. He is one of only five jazz musicians to be featured on the cover of Time (along with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, and Dave Brubeck).

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) is a documentary produced by Clint Eastwood and directed by Charlotte Zwerin, with posthumous interviews with friends and family, a great deal of archived footage, and insights into Monk's personality attributed to possible mental illness. The best parts, however, are the many many moments of the film when it is just Monk and the piano, an intensity the film captures beautifully. Come give a legend his due and toast to Monk on our large 25ft screen.

The Brooklyn Lyceum, known formerly as NYC Public Bath No. 7, is a performing arts and cultural center in Park Slope. Originally opened in 1910 as an indoor bathing facility, it once housed the largest indoor public pool in the country. Reopened in 1994 as the Brooklyn Lyceum, the old bathhouse now plays host to a range of performance events, festivals and cultural activities. Lyceum features two sets of live jazz every Wednesday and Sunday evening. Its café is open to the public daily and offers free wireless access.