PBS - Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser (1988)

Regarded as one of the best jazz documentaries, Straight, No Chaser presents a fascinating cinematic portrait of one of the most extraordinary and idiosyncratic individuals in the history of jazz — pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. The film centers on Michael and Christian Blackwood's extensive and previously unseen 1968 footage, which includes great performances and the only footage of the very private Monk offstage. Director Charlotte Zwerin (Gimme Shelter) intersperses the archival sequences with interviews with some of those who knew the man best, including his son, saxophonist Charles Rouse, his manager, and friend and supporter Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter.

Directed by Charlotte Zwerin
Executive Producer : Clint Eastwood
A Malpaso and Monk Film Production 1988

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