“Straight No Chaser” | Stories of Standards

Tune in to First Take with Lando and Chavis – weekdays from 6-9 am MT – for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of this song all week long!

Thelonious Monk first recorded “Straight, No Chaser” in 1951 with Sahib Shihab (alto sax), Milt Jackson (vibes), Al McKibbon (bass), and Art Blakey (drums). This twelve-bar blues, beginning in E-flat major and going to B-flat major, featured a motif which shifted as it moved (first five-notes just before beat one, then seven-notes just before beat four, elsewhere as four-notes). It became one of Monk’s most frequently covered compositions. Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Bud Powell, Quincy Jones, Keith Jarrett and Bruce Hornsby are among those who have recorded it. Note, too, that this was the source for the name of the a capella group Straight No Chaser.

As a child pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982) could play anything he heard, was especially attracted to stride piano and was touring with an evangelist/singer by the time he was 17 years old. Having joined Coleman Hawkins’ band in 1944, Monk was one of those who led bebop into rarified heights of complexity and speed, a process which helped define bebop as the province of the exceptionally skilled. As a composer, a pianist and a bandleader, Thelonious Monk changed the view of jazz for a generation of musicians and fans.

Be sure to watch Ken Burns’ series Jazz, which includes a look at Monk’s life and music in the episode Risk (1945-1955), which will be shown Friday 5/13/16 at 9pm, repeating 4 hours later at 1 am.