“At first I didn't understand what [Thelonious Monk] was doing, but I went back again, and what I can say about Monk is that I heard ancient Africa in his music. When he played, it was like a ballet. He captured the sound of the universe. Monk could take a triad, a simple chord, and make it sound dissonant. I'm sure that element he had in his piano was part of the two years he spent traveling with his mother in gospel music in the tent shows.” YearsFirstsI CanTwoShowsMotherUniverseSoundSimpleMusicHeardElementsJazzAncientPianoTwo YearsBalletMonkChordsJazz MusicCapturedBack AgainTentsGospel MusicTriads Author:Randy Weston
“There's no appreciation for the giants [of jazz]; there's never been a major film on Duke Ellington , never a major film on Louis Armstrong. What they accomplished, we could never accomplish today...What's happening now is lightweight compared to what happened before. If Louis Armstrong was alive today, he'd be a superstar. If Art Tatum was alive today, my god, all the piano players would get on their knees. So that's what's missing today; we've been cut off from our heritage.” IfsArtTodayFilmMusicCuttingAlivePlayerHappenedMissingMajorsHappeningsJazzAppreciationAccomplishKneesPianoGiantsAccomplishedHeritageJazz MusicLive For TodaySuperstarDukesArmstrongNo Appreciation Author:Randy Weston
