Thelonious Monk!!

The dynamic poet and editor Felino A. Soriano opens our contest honoring Thelonious Monk with "Trio of incorporated interpretation."  This marvelous poem celebrates not only Monk's version of "Thelonious" but also Robert Glasper's reinterpretation of rap group Slum Village's "Thelonious" and Jason Moran's version of "Thelonious."  I am so happy to see these men represented here in our contest!

Trio of incorporated interpretations

i.

                   —after Thelonious Monk’s Thelonious

Altered extraordinary focal premises

these plurals arise arrive

dominating left-right hand-hand plurals and pulsing

pushes . . .                               what/who hears

this

cannot not become altruistic in subsequent

serenades toward emblems of your rise and open

-hand needs

                              . . . solo which rises      thrown

such jubilant architectures of oscillating feet

          feeling freed and

forthcoming more so freedom amid the standing

ovation each hand surprises as the wife beyond

¹⁴th circulation of the 2^nd volume of each year’s orchestrated

patterns

ii.

                   —after Robert Glasper’s Thelonious

why (,or, inside the permission of tongues speaking _________,)

the eyewear fits, well, finds, well

and well, this rhythm sits, well, well, aligning

beyond juxtaposed

already in the expectation of

left-aligned memories

pulling what crowds with softened unclosed

fingering selections, the watchers impress their

aptitude inspire their prior silence into

what knowing retains in replayed

motions of what assembles

                                                 intuitively

iii.

                   —after Jason Moran’s Thelonious

 as to my father’s waving hand i

‘ve become a somewhat similar he when i

range my talk and arrange my walk with head

or visual tools held toward the right-hand lean

my fedora wears itself, as my

graying ceiling

since youngster style into the middle-portion of

my existence’s mirror and wandering finding

i am interpreting, yes

, what has held in place an examination

prior to my altering infatuation with

musical foundation and language as

advocate of my body’s often-bending

notions

to become what expands within

the generational differences of

same-season reaching

---------------

Felino has also provided the music that inspired his poem:

We'll start with Monk's own version:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeZIhq4Lx1M

Next is the Robert Glasper Trio live in Detroit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYYMvZgJgnI 

Finally, we have Jason Moran live in Minnesota: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqpzW3NMByc

I hope that these words and this music inspires you!  Remember that the Monk contest includes performances of his songs by contemporary musicians like Glasper and Moran.