Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I really like Monk. This DVD has two episodes on it; Mr. Monk goes to Norway and Mr. Monk goes to Denmark.

If you are familiar with Monk and his jazz hyjinx, you will recognize everyones favorite musical genius. He travels with his usual circle of friends on these two adventures.

In the first episode, Monk finds himself in Norway because Lulu's Back in Town. Will Blue Monk solve the case 'Round Midnight? As you may guess, Monk's genius piano playing saves the day with the help of his assistant Charlie Rouse on the saxophone. Ben Riley and Larry Gates are there to back him up in this sparse but sprightly jazz ensemble.

If you are wondering what happened to Sharona or Detective Stoddlemeyer, they are still helping out Adrian Monk in Monk Seasons One and Two. This Monk goes by the name Thelonious.

This disc contains two rare performances of Monk with his regular ensemble. Rare, because they were filmed, not rare because Monk was playing. Monk frequently toured, but few of his concerts were captured on video as well as audio. Although the concert is in black and white, and although the sound is in mono, this DVD captures what it must have been like to see one of jazz's geniuses perform live. Monk sits, well monk like, at his piano with his trade mark woolen hat on his head. Larry Gates stands off to Monk's side with his large stand up bass and drummer Ben Riley sits at his basic drum kit on the left. Out in front is tenor saxophone player Charlie Rouse, playing an oh so mellow sax. For a mono recording, the sound is actually quite good. It is quite interesting to watch, we see the whole band at first, then close ups on Rouse blowing into the sax. When the camera fades back, Monk is not at his piano, he is standing, his eyes blinking as he just kind of shakes in rhythm contemplating until he finally hears his queue, then he sits down and plays. Then the piano is the focus of the camera, showing Monk's fingers slide with ease across the keyboard and his feet keeping time. Watching Monk play is a treat unto itself, he seems dyslexic as he plays with his hands crossed over each other for many parts. He carefully chooses his notes, just picking out the right ones. The camera then shifts to Larry Gates looking very cool and relaxed as he plays his solo on the upright bass. The Bass is taller than he is, and you can just see the concentration in his eyes as he focuses on his playing. All four are dressed in sharp suits, only Monk looking somewhat odd with his hat completing his ensemble. Finally the camera captures Ben Riley just keeping the beat with a mellow drum solo. (as a fan of rock drum solos, I can only say, wow, he was very understated!). Finally the whole quartet is shown again as they complete playing Lulu's Back in Town. The audience isn't shown, and I didn't hear any audience reaction, I did miss that in this show, I would have enjoyed seeing how the audience reacted to this jazz legend. How were they dressed? Did they sit or stand? Did they sit in quiet appreciation or move in their seats. I did miss that element in this concert DVD.

The second concert is similar with just three songs, but all three sound great. We get another live rendition of Lulu's Back in Town plus Don't Blame Me and Epistrophy. Monk is wearing a more traditional porkpie hat. Overall, this was a very relaxed set showing Monk and his quartet perform. Althought I found it to be a bit isolated, it is an enjoyable show, and it was most interesting to actually see how these men played together rather than just hear the beautiful music they made. The whole show is 62 minutes, about half an hour for each set.
The DVD also contains a booklet telling us more about the series jazzicons and Monk's particular shows here.

This DVD is part of the Jazz Icons series, and you can find more about this title and others at wwww.jazzicons.com I will also tell you this. I enjoyed this DVD far more than Martin Scorcese's Jazz DVD set. Perhaps it is just me, but I enjoy actually listening to music and seeing it performed much more than watching a bunch of people who I don't know tell me what I already know about my favorite jazz musicians. I plan to look for more titles in this series. I was fortunate to borrow this from my local library.

Summary If you would like to see some of your favorite jazz artists, the jazz icons is certainly a series to check out. I like Monk and his quartet, especially Charlie Rouse, and this DVD let me see what these guys looked like when they were performing the music I loved. It only falls short of five stars, because I would have liked a bit of extra features, or some audience shots, or maybe even stereo! Nevertheless, Thelonious Monk Live in '66 gets a solid four stars.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older