Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser

Along with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk is credited as one of the pioneering musicians of bebop and is the second most recorded jazz composer in the world. Charlotte Zwerin's documentary tries to unravel Monk, who was known for having a thorny personality and an aggressive playing technique to match. Interviews with Monk's son and fellow musicians shed some light, and performance footage from a European tour captures his idiosyncratic style.

Starring

Jimmy Cleveland	Himself (trombonist, Thelonious Monk Octet)
Harry Colomby	Himself (personal manager)
John Coltrane	Himself
Ray Copeland	Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet: trumpet) (archive footage)
Nica de Koenigswarter	Herself
Tommy Flanagan	Himself (duo, piano performance)
Larry Gales	Himself (Thelonius Monk Quartet/Thelonious Monk Octet, bass player)
Johnny Griffin	Himself (Thelonious Monk Octet, tenor sax)
Barry Harris	Himself (duo, piano performance)
Bob Jones	Himself (road manager)
Teo Macero	Himself (Columbia Records producer)
Thelonious Monk Jr.	Himself
Nellie Monk	Herself