Thelonious Sphere Monk: His Music, Wit and Wisdom

• Week 1: Thelonious Sphere Monk—his influences and inspiration for his life in music
  Monk was a man of his time. The artistic and musical crucible that was New York City in the mid-20th century forged Monk and brought him to prominence. We’ll explore the connections between the artistic and social movements of that time, how they influenced Monk and how he, in turn, galvanized the personal musical journeys of so many others.
• Week 2: Monk and Monk’s blues—12-bar and variants
  We’ll establish a formal definition of the blues form, then listen to and discuss a number of Monk tunes in 12-bar blues form and one or two variants on that form, exploring Monk’s unique treatment of this ubiquitous form in American music. 
• Week 3: Monk’s rhythm changes and other contrafacts
  We’ll learn what a ‘contrafact’ is, how ‘rhythm changes’ are related, and then listen to a number of tunes and their contrafacts by Monk. We will discover much about the ‘wit and wisdom’ of Monk through this process. 
• Week 4: Monk’s ballads
  Though not associated with slow, sweet ballads, Monk’s ‘‘Round Midnight” is a ballad and perhaps his most-recognized work. He actually wrote many beautiful, romantic ballads. What do these reveal about the man and his music? 
• Week 5: Uniquely Monk’s own
  Monk’s music was so personal, he sometimes went completely outside of the standard jazz formats previously discussed, yet almost always there was some relationship to these standard forms. By exploring these relationships, we’ll gain a deeper insight into all these forms and the highly individualistic and creative spirit that was Monk.
• Week 6: Monk’s legacy and lasting influence
  Thelonious Monk was one of a kind, both in his character and his music. He is inimitable, yet he has left an amazing legacy that has inspired, and continues to inspire, musicians everywhere. His compositions remain the most-often recorded in jazz. We will explore iconic covers of Monk’s works by some of the most prominent jazz performers today and discover what many of them have to say about his influence and importance through filmed interviews and recordings.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Describe various formal elements in Thelonious Monk’s compositions specifically, and in jazz composition generally 
• Describe basic harmonic elements in Monk’s compositions 
• Identify other musicians who influenced and have been influenced by Monk’s music 
• Outline the personal, artistic, cultural, racial and historical background in which Monk’s music was created 
• Identify and describe the unique, personal elements of Monk’s compositions 
• Discuss the continuing importance of Monk’s music and its relevance to musicians, the art of improvisation, and to listeners

• Lectures
• Participation in discussions
• Listening to live music
  
• Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
  
• Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.