You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - Advice From a Master: Thelonious Monk (Part 2)

Episode Date: September 12, 2019

And now, the thrilling conclusion of Thelonious Monk's priceless advice for jazz musicians. To check out Steve's notes, go here: http://cdn8.openculture.com/2017/12/17225415/monkgigtips4.jpgPeter Martin and Romero Lubambo have a new album! Buy Rio Meets New Orleans - Live from Tokyo right here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/romerolubambopetermartinLike those You'll Hear It shirts Peter shows off on the podcast? Want some YHI swag of your own? Take a visit to our store! Just go to https://teespring.com/stores/open-studioLet us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel and leave a comment for this episode.Interested in more jazz advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram at:https://www.facebook.com/heyopenstudiohttps://twitter.com/heyopenstudiohttps://www.instagram.com/heyopenstudio See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey, Adam. Yeah. I totally forgot what we're doing today. That's okay. Just remember that the inside of the tune is the part that makes the outside sound good. Always know. All right. I'm Adam Adams.

I'm Peter Martin. You're listening to the You'll Hear podcast. Daily Chess advice coming at you. Coming at you today, sponsored by Open Studio. Peter. It's been 24 hours, but it feels like just about two minutes. It does. But in those two minutes, I totally forgot what we're doing.

And then you clued me back in. three times, which is weird because... There's been a lot going on today. It's been a busy day. We've got the parking lot across the alleys being repaved, and there's guys out there, dragging shovels. No respect for the pod cave. No respect.

No respect for the pod cave. We got... I'm getting on a plane tonight to go to a place called Little Rock, Arkansas. Actually, I've been a couple of hours. Did you know that? I didn't know that. Little Rock. Little Rock.

It's a beautiful town on the Mighty Mississippi, I believe. Is that correct? I'll tell you what, man. There are some parts. The Arkansas, the slightly less, Andrew's looking at me with just utter failure in his face. Is it the White River? Oh, it's the White River.

There are parts of Arkansas that are stunningly beautiful. Oh, yeah. You know, in the Ozarks. Have you floated through the Arkansas, through Arkansas at all? No. I've done some flow trips that are, I mean, they're beautiful up here, flow trips. Yeah, but none. Minus certain animals that you see from certain neighborhoods.

But, yeah, Arkansas is a beautiful. I'm talking about humans. Yeah, I know. Yeah, Arkansas is a stunningly beautiful state. Awesome. And excited to go down there, playing at South of Maine, which is owned and operated by our former sponsor, possibly our future sponsor, Oxford America. Oxford American. Say what's up to all the Oxford American folks.

Yeah, exactly. That's great. So today we are continuing our discussion, our animated discussion, as it's been called. Oh, is Claire going to animate this again? Is that we're doing? Our animated discussion of Thelonious Monk's advice as transcribed by Steve Lacey. page two page two

or is they saying in France page de okay so we ended yesterday with one that we that you especially love but we both love the inside of the tune

the bridge is the part that makes the outside sound good so if you missed yesterday check it out but today we're going to move right along are we gonna have this PDF

up on the links for both episode we're having the PDF Andrew he's like yeah I told you yeah good okay so next we have this is advice

from Thelone Smunk as transcribed by Steve Lacey they were playing a gig together. We don't know about that. All right, well. Now, now you're just making stuff off.

I've created a whole mythology around this. They were hanging out in a coffee shop and he ordered a double cappuccino and then, no, we don't know that. Thelonius Mug was down on his luck and a young kid came. Just kidding. With a notebook. New Line Cinema Presents. So we've got, don't play everything or every time. Let some things go by.

Some music just imagine what you don't play can be more important. important than what you do. So that's one kind of sentence, one little snippet, but it's like five great things that are all connected together, right? I mean, don't play everything or every time. That's already telling you a lot. Don't play everything. And I take that as like, don't play everything you hear. Don't play everything that you could play at that moment. Don't play everything that comes across your feeble little mind sucker, you know, or every time. Don't play everything every time. I mean, that's that right there, if you just follow that, most people's playing would improve what minimum 30%

man yeah that's that's gold I feel like maybe Miles might have picked that up a little bit I know hanging around with Monk this next one is poetry as well one more part of that because you kind of jump past that quickly what's up you didn't like that one I love that one I love that some music just go by

some music just imagined yeah let some things go by some music just imagined I have a list of drummers I'd like to send that to via telegram no no but it's true even amongst modern musician you think about your your friend Brian played. Yeah. And the music that I don't hear him play is still, like, the negative space that he puts out

in the world is so beautiful. He's such a negative guy. I've always thought that. No, but you know what I mean? Like, there's what he plays, but what he's not playing. And this is such a cliche you hear, but you can, he's crafting what he's not playing. It's seemingly as curated, which is a great word for him, curated as what he is playing. It's just the sound that he leaves hanging in the air is unbelievable.

You're absolutely right. deep enough for you to go into this one? Well, basically you're saying he's such a negative, crafty guy, is what you're saying, right? Okay, let's move on. Okay, what's the next one? Sorry, I was just looking. The next one is beautiful. It's poetry. It's a note can be as small as a pin or

as big as the world. It depends on your imagination. Right. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dha pure imagination. But you know, I can hear this in his playing. I can hear this in his technique. You know, the way he can manipulate a piano. Unlike anyone,

else and the tones and timbers that he gets out of the piano really takes a lot of imagination absolutely yeah this next one's good stay in shape yeah sometimes the musician waits for a gig when it comes he's out of shape and can't make it yeah now we got excited at first because we're like oh yeah stay in shape we've been working out musically working out that's right stay in musical shape stay professional stay on top of your game you know what I'm saying and um that's so great that's what saying. We were talking about this yesterday. I mean, like, this is, this is just like life advice. This is like something that you write down and give your kid when they go to college, you know, from Uncle Thelonius.

This is something, this next one is something I feel like maybe Oscar Peterson read and was like, oh, yeah. When you're swinging, swing some more. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That is, that's, yeah, Oscar Peterson and a whole bunch of other swinging. Lester Young, I mean, Ray Brown. Oh, then there's a little parentheses next to that one. Well, no, actually, I think that that's a, separate one. Like an add-on one. It's just an additional one? Yeah. You think it's connected with that? What should we? No, I don't think it's connected. I just think it's

its own thing that he just kind of couched in here. Right. What should we wear tonight? Sharp as possible. I know, I love that. It's not like, should we go jeans and a khaki shirt? Should we go grubby for this? Are we going hip-y? Is everybody going grubby? Is everybody going? Are we going flat top? Yeah. No, sharp as possible. Sharp as possible. That's great. That's good. Always leave them wanting more. Now, I don't think Thelonius

month came up with that, but... That's classic showbiz. But, I mean, the fact that it applies in jazz, like, ooh, we kind of need to... Jazz musicians definitely need to hear that, so... Can I, yeah, can I just say, too, that for me, this could also apply to, like, crafting a set? Like, sometimes when a club is, like, it needs to be

like 95 minutes, I'm like, why would I want to put anybody through that? Like, I know... I don't like jazz for that long. Just let Jesse rob this train, buddy. I know what I'm doing. Let me craft my set the way. A tight 63 minutes is a great set sometimes. That's right. Always leave them one. Now this applies to many things in life.

I can tell you by trial and error where it does not apply to his marriage. This does not really work out for that just so you know. Oh, do you tell. Yeah. We'll talk about that another episode. You'll hear. Okay, next, don't sound anybody for a gig. Just be on the scene.

Can I get an amen? Amen. Amen. He said it. Okay. First of all, those of you don't know, don't sound anybody. that means don't ask them like, hey man, I'm available. Can I get a gig with you? Man, this is so great. And like it seems like kind of a hipster diatribe, but it's not. I mean, it's just like, just be around.

And, you know, just be on the scene. I love that. It's like, be a part of the community. Like, be there. Like, don't just sit in the practice room waiting for the phone to ring or for somebody to text you. And this is a big problem for younger musicians, too. Like, everybody that can communicate well by device, but they don't know how to communicate

in person. But don't hit up somebody for the gig. Just be around. Let yourself. be heard, be useful, and then you'll be at the right place at the right time. That's so great. I mean, this is really like, man. By the way, can I get a gig?

Sorry, I'm signing you for a gig. Okay. The next one, okay, I wonder what the context was, but it's interesting. So those pieces were written so as to have something to play and to get cats interested enough to come to rehearsal. I know. I don't know what that means. But you know what actually that could mean is like, you know what?

don't just be in a band where you're just calling all the things you are every night you know like have something to get people interested in other musicians you know I think that's it yeah first read you could take it as like you know he's just like okay practice on all this music like wow I got there and then like oh we're not going to play any of that yeah which has happened

for sure for sure yeah oh man this next one is so funny you've got it if you don't want to play tell a joker dance but in any case you got it to a drummer who didn't want a solo So a drummer didn't want a solo, and he was like, you got it. Hey, if you don't want to play, tell a joke or dance. But in any case, you got it.

It's still your solo, whether you solo or not. Man, that's happened to a lot. That happens to a lot of, even good drummers sometimes are like so demure about it, you know. All right. So we have two more left. And these are two sentences. And I actually think, I think that these are not connected. What do you think?

I mean, it's all kind of character. This last one that will get you last, that's kind of his most famous quote, I think. It's the deepest thing. It can almost be in a denisole. office in the lobby waiting room. So the first one is, whatever you think can't be done, somebody will come along and do it. I mean, that's like a Nike slogan, man. Did they steal that?

Did Nike steal that from? Someone will come along and do it? I don't know. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's... Do it? Because do it's underlines. Well, and also, you know, like, there's a great quote from the world record marathon runner,

Elliot Kipchogi that is no human is limited. That kind of reminds me of that. This is a little different. but it's this idea of like possibilities and like um you know not having the mindset a limited mindset i think is what it is this is kind of more along the the lines of someone else is going to do it if you don't do it all right this last one is pure gold you got a genius is the one most like himself yeah i mean that's great i'm like somebody must have said something along those lines before but you know i mean in the history of the world yeah but i think monk is like you know he didn't say

I'm a genius because I'm most like myself. He said a genius is the one most like himself. And it's such a wonderful entree and embracing thing we've talked about in previous weeks about being yourself telling your story. It's such an invitation to be yourself, I think. It's not about invitation to be a genius. It's like saying you can be a genius, actually,

if you're most like yourself. It's not like if you're most like a genius, another genius, or somebody you think is a genius. No, I think it's just, it's exactly what he said. And it's something we kind of have talked about more and more often that it's not about the notes you play or the C-Sus 7 with the flat 9 or any of that, but it's really about something that's harder, and that's the personal work of being as connected to you as a person as possible, and hopefully that gets, you know, your music is part of that

and not disconnected. But, I mean, there's a lot of work that goes involved in that. Right. I mean, that's just such a deep thing. It's life-changing, really. Absolutely. That's a good one to end on. For sure. I think you nailed it, as always. So you can check out. We have a link below to read these.

And please do. This is just kind of our interpretation. We're having fun with this. But these are things that, you know, I've kind of come back to. And I know you have different points in our life and career. And it's just really fun to have this direct connection with somebody that we didn't get a chance to interact with. But it's part of our bigger jazz community, a giant in the jazz community. Until tomorrow.

You'll hear it.