Monk!
Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution
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Average rating3.8
"Read this invigorating graphic narrative, then—quickly, before the spell breaks!—play one of Monk's records." —Saul Williams She is Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a free-spirited baroness of the Rothschild family. He is Thelonious Sphere Monk, a musical genius fighting against the whims of his troubled mind. Their enduring friendship begins in 1954 and ends only with Monk’s death in 1982. Set against the backdrop of New York during the heyday of jazz, Monk! explores the rare alchemy between two brilliant beings separated by an ocean of social status, race, and culture, but united by an infinite love of music. This breathtaking graphic novel by Youssef Daoudi beautifully captures the life of the “the high priest of bop” in spontaneous, evocative pen and ink that seems to make visible jazz itself.
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Really cool graphic novel about the friendship between Nica Rothschild and Thelonious Monk. The narrative is a bit non linear but it works fine. Artwork and layouts are stunning. Totally enjoyed this one.
Short Thoughts: I am not a big graphic novel guy. But I really do appreciate how graphic novels can work in different ways from pure text. I know nothing about the actual life of Monk. But I have liked his music for a while. This was both facilitating to learn about the guy and to see music put into art.
The parts that were making the concepts of improvisation into art were so well done.
not really much more, but my blog post is at http://bookwi.se/monk/