Nica remained unshakably devoted to Monk throughout the rest of his life. The film claims that Monk was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and received electroshock treatments during a stay in San Francisco. In fact, she offers the theory that Monk’s long-time wife, Nellie, might have appreciated Nica’s helping hand in dealing with a full-blown manic-depressive – an illness that only worsened in Monk’s later years.
THELONIOUS MONK PANNONICA HOW TO
Obviously, Hannah Rothschild knows how to play in between the cracks too.
He was a good-looking cat… She was a hottie…” And that’s about as far as it goes. makes the bold statement that Nica “fell in love with my dad – I have no doubt about that… She was profoundly moved by his music and personality. Monk would balk at suggestions that they were anything other than close friends. Thankfully, “The Jazz Baroness” offers nothing in the way of sensational, E! Network-style confessionals about the nature of Monk’s relationship with Nica. Suitably, his crowning achievement is Pannonica, from his thorny masterpiece “Brilliant Corners.” It features Rollins on sax and Monk on celeste – an odd choice for jazz, but maybe the perfect instrument to capture the essence of a name that Nica’s eccentric father first gave to a new species of butterfly. More than 20 songs have been written about her – Nica’s Dream, Thelonica, Blues for Nica, Tonica, Nica Steps Out… but the best belong to Monk. Nica was a beloved figure among jazz musicians, especially those who benefited from her patronage. Here’s Monk, playing in between the cracks: Little Rootie Tootie But I never played with no motherfucker who played in between the cracks.” And in a second clip, he recalls hearing Monk’s bass player offer this observation about his boss’ unique approach: “Man, I’ve played with piano players who played all the white keys, and I’ve played with piano players who played all the black keys. First, in just a few seconds of scat-singing magic, he lays bare the difference between swing and be-bop. But jazz drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton almost steals the show with two gems. “The Jazz Baroness” includes interviews with a number of jazz musicians, writers and enthusiasts, including Crouch, Sonny Rollins, Clint Eastwood, Quincy Jones and Gary Giddins, as well as T.S. In the film’s second narrative, Hannah adds that Nica and Monk were hardly ever apart for the next 28 years. The inevitable meeting of Nica and Monk didn’t occur until 1954, when they were introduced by legendary jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams. I made him play it 20 times in a row… missed my plane and never went back to Mexico.” She left her husband in 1951 and made New York City her home. I’d never heard anything remotely like it.
In the film, the wonderful British actress Helen Mirren narrates with Nica’s own words: “I couldn’t believe my ears. Wilson told her she couldn’t leave without hearing this new record ‘Round Midnight. She only planned to stay a few days before heading on to Mexico, where she was living with her husband and family. Nica stopped by to see Wilson during a visit to New York during the late ‘40s.
One of her oldest friends was swing pianist Teddy Wilson, who gained fame as a key member of Benny Goodman’s small bands. Nica’s great wealth gave her the freedom to travel the world, but her love of American jazz brought her back again and again to New York City, where she became a friend and patron of the form’s most important artists. Written and directed by Nica’s great-niece Hannah Rothschild, the film was first broadcast on BBC in April 2009 and now is available on HBO On Demand.Īs writer Stanley Crouch points out in the documentary, Nica was “a complete European” while Monk, who he describes as “a Country Negro,” was a product of pre-Civil Rights North Carolina and a descendant of West African slaves. So begins the documentary “The Jazz Baroness,” a fascinating look at the 28-year relationship between Pannonica (“Nica”) de Koenigswarter – member of the wealthy and powerful Rothschild dynasty – and jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. “This is the story of a love affair between a man and a woman whose backgrounds and experiences, whose cultures and class were so different, that the chances of them even meeting were extremely unlikely.”