At ProArts, Black History Month celebration spotlights jazz legend

Pianist to play music of Thelonious Monk, actor to perform one-man play of Monk’s life

In a celebration of Black History Month, Jazz Maui and Kihei's ProArts Playhouse will host a concert and a one-man play paying special tribute to jazz legend Thelonious Monk.

Pianist Tommy James will put on a concert on Feb. 24, and actor Rome Neal will perform the one-man portrait "Monk" by playwright Laurence Holder on Feb. 25.

Acclaimed as the "high priest of bebop," Monk was one of the most prolific and influential composers in the history of jazz. Many of his compositions became jazz standards, including "Round Midnight," "Straight No Chaser" and "Blue Monk."

Besides celebrating Monk, Holder also wrote plays on several famous African Americans throughout history, including Malcolm X, Duke Ellington, Sugar Ray Robinson and Billie Holiday. The New York Times praised "Monk" as "a sincere and reverent one-man show."

Tracing Monk's life "from his early years as a church musician through his career on the vanguard of the bebop movement to his demise in relative seclusion," according to All About Jazz, the play opens with the musician in a room riffing on his life and career. He talks about his triumphs as a revolutionary musician and his lifetime of confrontations with racism and the exploitation of Black jazz musicians by the white-run music companies.

An All About Jazz review of a film of the play praised: "Neal renders an engaging Thelonious Monk, making full use of a simple set with his inspired dancing, his modest costume changes and his resonant voice."

Based in New York, Neal is an award-winning actor, producer, director and jazz vocalist. Holder wrote the play specifically for him, after the actor had read for an early two-character version.

"Laurence Holder told me when he thought of Monk he always thought of me doing that character because I looked like him," Neal recalled. "He said, 'I'm going to write a one-man show about Monk for you.' We started workshopping it and I've been doing it for some 20 years."

To prepare for the role of the jazz legend, Neal immersed himself in the life and music of the brilliant pianist and composer. As part of his research, he absorbed Monk's recordings, read books, studied vintage film and even visited Monk's old haunts in Harlem, including the Apollo, where the pianist scored an early success.

"Going into it, I had to find out who this man was, and what he was to the music," Neal explained. "I went to a lot of jazz clubs and talked with musicians and why they love the music so much."

Praise for Neal's portrait of Monk has included the jazz legend's son, T. S. Monk.

"He was blown away and said, 'you look so much like my father,' " Neal recalled.

And there was pioneering, bebop-era drummer Max Roach, who played with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis and toured with Monk.

"He said, 'Rome, you were Monk up there.' So many jazz luminaries made a point to come to see it over the years."

Looking forward to debuting the play on Maui, Neal said, "I've been able to take the play to the East Coast and West Coast, to the South and North, so many places, even in Senegal, West Africa, so coming to Maui is a true treat to turn the folks on to Thelonious Monk and his lifetime."

Performing the music of Monk at the ProArts Playhouse, Honolulu-based pianist James spent years as the music director of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He has performed and/or recorded with many famous names, including Lionel Hampton, Joe Williams, the Spinners and the Temptations. Previously playing at Jazz Maui festivals, for this performance of "Mostly Monk," he will be joined by Marcus Johnson on bass and Paul Marchetti on drums.

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24, and the play "Monk" is set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25. Tickets are $30 per show or $50 for both shows are are available at proartsmaui.org/.