“Rewind & Play”: a new look at Monk in Paris

I have no idea that Monk was treated by his Paris hosts so unfairly: what a disgrace. Needless to say, I really want to watch this documentary as Monk is one of my absolute favourite jazz composers and performers. Also a bit surprisingly, but Brody came back to his old self in this piece: his review is impeccable.

In 1954, Henri Renaud, himself a professional jazz pianist, met Monk in New York and arranged for him to be invited to perform in the Paris Jazz Festival, which ran in the first week of June. In “Rewind & Play,” Renaud—the host and interviewer, as well as co-director—says as much, on camera, and asks Monk whether the Paris audiences found his playing “too avant-garde”; Monk dubiously wonders what Renaud is getting at; the interviewer repeats the question. Monk responds that he was promoted as the star of the festival, yet he “wasn’t getting the money.” Renaud tells the co-director, Bernard Lion, in French, to “erase” that passage, then repeats the question. Monk answers again, more specifically: he discovered that he was very popular in France but, unlike the other American musicians who were flown over, Gerry Mulligan and Jonah Jones, he wasn’t allowed to bring his own accompanying musicians with him, and had trouble getting local musicians to play with him. He adds, “I was getting less money than anybody.” Renaud dutifully translates—and then, again, tells Lion to erase this answer, too, because it’s “désobligeant”—derogatory.

Monk didn’t speak much French, but he clearly sensed that something was up; he rises from the piano bench and leaves the frame. Renaud guides him back in; Monk appears upset, and suggests they forget about the program and just go to dinner. Instead, Renaud coaxes Monk to the keyboard and asks him to play. Monk returns to the subject of his earlier Paris visit; Renaud tells him they’ll skip the subject, and Monk, bewildered, asks, “It’s no secrets, is it?” “No,” Renaud responds, “but it’s not nice.” Monk, bewildered, throws back at him “It’s not nice?” His sardonic smile and tone suggest that he now considers Renaud a stooge and the program a sham in which he’s merely meant to coöperate with docility. From that point on, Monk does his job, handling Renaud’s softball questions with more graciousness than they merit—and then he does his real work, playing the piano.

Needless to say, these exchanges aren’t included in the 1970 film “Jazz Portrait.” ©

—SMH.