Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser is essential for both its improvisatory look at Thelonious Monk and its implicit reflection on the ethics of portraiture.

We might be moved by Monk's childlike dependency on his wife, baffled by his esoteric humour, honoured simply by his presence, but all we really need now are the records.

The Monk music that courses through the film is extraordinary in its range of feeling.

The portrait that emerges is one of genius, sadness, and a certain withdrawn forlorn-ness.