NOW, A JAZZ MOMENT...

MUSIC: It Don?t Mean a Thing (Monk Plays Duke Ellington)

IN 1955, NEA JAZZ MASTER ORRIN KEEPNEWS MADE A LANDMARK RECORDING OF THELONIOUS MONK PLAYING THE MUSIC OF DUKE ELLINGTON.  IT WAS MONK?S FIRST RECORDING WITH KEEPNEWS FOR THE RIVERSIDE LABEL, WHICH WOULD BECOME A SPRINGBOARD FOR WHAT MANY CONSIDER TO BE MONK?S MOST FRUITFUL PERIOD.  THERE WAS A PERCEPTION THAT MONK?S MUSIC WAS TOO DIFFICULT FOR THE MAINSTREAM PUBLIC, SO ORRIN KEEPNEWS WANTED TO PRESENT HIM IN A NEW LIGHT...

Orrin Keepnews: One of the big strengths was that I didn?t really know what I was doing, so that I wasn?t frightened by the fact that I was recommending to him a course of action that was unlike anything he?d ever done before. Basically I said, what I?d like us to do is I want to do two albums, trio.  Let?s get rid of those damn bebop horns, at least for the time being, and have you presented directly to the audience.  And I would like you to work largely or entirely with standard material.  And, I won?t even say to my great surprise, because I didn?t know enough about the man I was dealing with at that point to even be surprised by how easy it was for him to agree to do that!

MUSIC: up for punctuation, then fades under and out

THIS JAZZ MOMENT WITH PRODUCER ORRIN KEEPNEWS WAS CREATED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.  I?M CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE.