Thelonius 'Sphere' Monk
(1917- 1982)
American jazz musician
After National marijuana prohibition became law in America, Commissioner Anslinger found out that a certain group of people - all of whom were identifiable by their shared occupation - were flagrantly violating the law by continuing to smoke pot. What the transgressors had in common was that they had rhythm. In fact, they included all the key geniuses of Jazz: Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie , Thelonius Monk, Count Basie , Jimmy Dorsey , Duke Ellington , Lionel Hampton and Cab Calloway , to name a choice selection.
From the early 1930s, the Commissioner compiled a dossier that would later be known as the 'Marijuana and Musicians' file, noting each and every marijuana case involving a member of the musical fraternity. Documents from the Anslinger papers and the DEA Library in Washington DC reveal that, from 1943 to 1948, Anslinger plotted a pogrom of jazz and swing musicians, ordering all his agents throughout the USA to watch and keep criminal files on all the musicians in their areas so that they could all be rounded-up in one fell swoop.
Pianist, composer, and arranger Monk is considered one of the most important, and eccentric, figures in modern jazz. He spent most of his life in New York City, playing in nightclubs; in the 1940s, he was one of the first players of bebop. His style is astringent, marked by discordant harmonies, alternating rhythms, and melodic interpretations. There is a subtle mixture of cynicism, humor, and warmth in his interpretations. Among the many jazz pieces Monk has composed, the best known is probably "Round Midnight." Others that have become standards include "Monk's Mood," "Straight No Chaser," "Crepuscule with Nellie," and "Epistrophy."
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