Monk's Advice

I was cleaning off my desk when I found a copy of Thelonious Monk's Advice I had printed out. Say what you want about Monk, but this list is right on... especially #1:

Just because you're not a drummer, doesn't mean you don't have to keep time.

It also appears here on Lists of Note.

A favorite album of mine is Monk's first recording on the Riverside label, Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington. I think I've listened to it so much that sometimes I default to his version of the tunes when I try to hear them in my head. Here's Wikipedia's write-up on it.

If I learned anything from listening to Monk, it's simply to be yourself. After all, nobody else is going to do that job for you.

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