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Thursday, 29 December 2005 11:13 |
#95
"played twice"
for charlie rouse
it must have been 1958
or early in 1959
when monk lost his cabaret card
for the second time--
as marc crawford
tells the story,
he had gotten it back
through the intercession of the baroness
in 1957, just in time
to take his quartet
with john coltrane & wilbur ware
& shadow wilson
into the 5 spot
for a long engagement
with standing-room crowds
in the summer of that year--
then trane went back with miles
& monk used johnny griffin,
ahmed abdul-malik & roy haynes
for his 1958 quartet
& then replaced the griffin
with charlie rouse, who stayed on
another 15 years or so
until monk stopped appearing--
so monk & rouse & the baroness
are driving to a gig in baltimore
& stopped for a drink of water
at some motel in delaware
where thelonious frightened the manager
by standing too long in the lobby
in front of a picture
of the leaning tower of pisa--
the motel manager
called the police, & the nightmare
began again, when 6 of them
surrounded nica's bentley
& ordered monk out. monk re-
fused: what law
had he broken? they tried
to pull him out. the baroness
protested. monk resisted. they began
to beat him
with their clubs. he held fast
to the steering wheel. the baroness warned them
not to hit his hands,
that he was a pianist.
they beat his hands loose
& dragged him out
& over to a police car. but his long legs
were hanging out. the baroness
protested. they beat &
kicked them inside. she demanded
to be arrested too. "i feared
they would take him off
& kill him"f she said. they did arrest her
when she took the rap
for some loose marijuana
& was sentenced to 3 years
& it took 3 years
of legal manoeuvering
to have the sentence
set aside. no charge
was placed
against monk, but he
lost his cabaret card
anyway. it took
2 more years
to get it back.
harmonie park
detroit
november 25, 1988
reference: marc crawford,
"the sphere of music"
(new musical express, may 21, 1983)
special thanks to david swain
3.1.684 |
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