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Aug 05, 2017ProfessorTime rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The best part of this documentary is the rare "Behind the Scenes" footage. However, as Monk’s story unfolds, I was surprised how rude Monk could be at times. During one live performance in front of a packed house, Monk completely stopped a tune mid-way, walked over to a sideman, and openly scolded the sideman in front of hundreds of fans [Awkward as hell! My take on this incident is that Monk himself was “screwing-up” but chose to blame the sideman instead.] On another occasion, Monk insulted a session player at a recording date when the session player asked a very legitimate question about the tune they were rehearsing. It is well-known that Monk had psychological issues, but I did not know Monk had a Big Ego & Manner Issues as well. Sometimes we put our heroes on pedestals and expect them to be perfect human beings when they are not. This is one such case. FACT: Thelonius Monk was no monk. Nevertheless, this documentary is very enjoyable viewing, especially for Monk fans. GRADE: B+