Beste Fred
You wrote in your last letter : "Although weve never met, we
have been now pen pals for four years, and now you invite me to France.
Its funny because I have already had the very same offer from somebody
in Canada, and when in Japan I was hosted by a Monk fan too! All these
people getting in touch just thanks to him, no doubt when he looks down
at us from Heaven, I guess he must be laughing his head off!"
You're right Fred, sure he is laughing, but on the other hand, if Heaven
does exist, God has to exist too (let's be logical!) and I would bet God
is a magician AND a musician as well (otherwise, nothing would have any
sense) Maybe is he also somewhat of a choregraph?
A lot of people have written about Monk, but there is one thing nobody
has never spoken about : Monks arrival in Heaven. Of course, I wasnt
there, but as Im a magician myself, I can imagine how the whole
thing happened. Youve got five minutes, Fred? Ill tell you
:
No doubt it was "Round about 4 or 5 a.m." during the small hours
when everyone is hoping the sun will rise once again, without being really
sure; the bloody time when the bosses of all jazz clubs have to throw
out the last musicians who never really want to go back home. Once outside
Monk was maybe a little drunk, as usual, and was looking for the last
open place to have one last Bourbon. Suddenly, he found himself just in
front of a club he had never heard about before. He knockned at the door,
and presently, somebody opened :
Saint Peter, who, as every club doorman in the world, has to be fluent
in english shouted at him :
- Come on, boy, here, were open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Very surprised, Monk went in.
Saint Peter, who, like a doorman of every private club, owns a big book
bearing the name of each member, asked Monk WHO he was. And as usual,
Monk mumbled something like :
- Humph... mlkjdcjmonklkjsdkjniousphere.
And Peter was unable to find such a name in his book. Very embarrassed,
he tought it would be better to call the Big Boss. As soon as God learned
that Monk had arrived, he came down by the grand stairs to greet him.
And when God takes the time to come and greet a newcomer in person this
really means something : The guy who is waiting was an expert at his job.
Sometimes it can be someone who was right against the rest of the world,
andnever failed in the way he had chosen. Most often, he is an Artist,
with big "A".
But God is not only what he is supposed to be, he has also a very big
memory (something lije 200 giga octets, or maybe more, according to Bill
Gates
) and as a lot of managers of the biggest World Companies,
he has to speak English, but does so with a rather rough accent, since
his native-tongue is Jewish! However, he remembered immediately :
- Tell me son... didnt you begin playing Gospels on the wheezy harmoniums
of black churches?
- Bye-Ya, muttered Monk, but it was a long time ago, and to be
honest, maybe more than 50 years have passed since I last set foot into
a church
You know, the only thing Im still believing in now
is Music.
- But son, I AM Music, and your name is MONK, dont worry, youre
part of the family.
And while the angel choir began the well known "For hes a jolly
good fellow", God thought : "By-Myself, we do have here an organ
in working order that nobody uses anymore, this guy could do for the job!"
And immediately he asked Monk :
- Could you play for us?
- This is the only thing I can do! But first, I feel a little bit thirsty
Any whisky around here?
- Sure son!
And God, who is really god magician (didnt he coached Copperfield?),
made a glass full of whisky appear!
- My God! Youve poured four in one! but Ill worry
later, Ill drink it straight no chaser, and Monk soon
discovered that no matter how much he drank, the glass remained full.
And it gave him the first idea of what the Heaven could be like, for those
people who, very often without knowing it have done a lot for the rest
of the world. This was the very moment God chose to bring him to the big
organ.
It was a huge one with a lot of voices. Monk, who has only played on harmoniums,
found there were too many of them to play it.
- Dont you have a regular grand piano, he asked?
And God was wondering WHERE he could find a grand piano in Heaven, and
to save time, snapped his fingers, and made a wonderful one appear. And
as God has to be perfect in everything, the piano was perfect too : Deep
black like Monk, and tuned to the A 440.
No sooner had Monk began to play that he stopped right away.
- Dats bullshit, he muttered, I cant play this one : During
all these years when I was playing for money, they never gave me such
a piano. No sorry, I do regret, it just isnt possible!
- If you wanna get Something Else, you'd better Ask Me Now,
before I leave, God replied.
- Give me a GENUINE piano, insisted Monk.
And God, who is a perfection and found the piano perfect, just couldnt
imagine WHAT the hell Monk would have liked! Then, just like the previous
times when he had had a problem about jazz, he called Rudy Van Gelder
to the rescue! And as usual, Rudy knew what to do : he sent for a "piano-out-of-tuner",
the best one available : The one who has been in charge at Riverside Records
for so many years : a pro! and in a jiffy, the piano was ready! Then Monk
sat down again, said :
- ùmlkd gmj dfgjand
And began to play the first bases of Something in Blue.
Needless to say, God was flabbergasted! You could have knocked him down
with one of this angels feathers!
God is harmony, of course, but such chords! - so deep, so beautiful, their
wrenching so right : chords which only own their existence to those that
precede and follow. Well, God Himself had never heard anything quite like
that before! And, in spite of Himself, he couldnt help thinking
of another of his guests, who was arrived in rather poor shape, and whom
he had had to transplant a new liver and a new ear right away - a painter
whose yellows existed only when they were next to his heavenly blues.
A guy by the name of Van Gogh.
The way these two understood things was the same, it was just another
medium. "Ill have to introduced them to each other", He
tought.
But He was already spellbound, and sat on the floor, listening attentively.
And the more Monk played, the more God thought :
- This is incredible, I cant believe it!
And folks, when God himself doesnt believe anymore, we all know
trouble isnt far! Pretty soon, he asked :
- Son, do you give lessons?
- Only to Bud Powell!
- Listen, son, I have tried to be nice with you so far, but now, youre
beginning togetup my nose. Keep your whims for the Barroness of Koenigswarter,
because in less than no time, I can vanish your self-filling glass! So
listen : Ill do my best : I bet youll be surprised to see
how fast I learn
Then, to keep his glass, Monk allowed God to sit on his left side, and
respectfully, let him play the chords. Meanwhile, he was quite aware of
and amazed at the care with which God was watching his right hand
Two weeks later, God was able to play alone, and Monk, tongue in cheek,
let him play more and more often, listening to him and thinking : Not
bad for an amateur!
Then, God began to write a brand new repertoire for Heaven : every old
hymn was replaced by Gods new hits : Between God and the big
blue sea, Blue God, God is back in town, I surrender God, Gods dream,
Gods Monk, Monks God etc
And the one in trouble
now is no other than Orin GOODNEWS : as you know, he writes the comments
printed on the back cover of each L.P. He cannot longer say what he thinks
: he just doesnt dare : hes got the sad feeling that most
of the numbers he wassupposed to comment were completely cribbed from
you-know-who
But God is so happy, He spends each day he makes sitting at the piano,
and this is where the main problem comes from : He doesnt take the
time to manage and protect the world he has created : Watch the news on
TV, youll see what I mean
Here, below, were quite a
few to think that, for a better world, it is time God left the grand Piano
and gave it back to Monk to resume His job! Otherwise, well have
to worry no end!
Fred, I told you all these things, because I know you can keep a secret:
very few people know whats actually happening, and should
it comes to the ear of the public, nobody could say what would come to
the world! Here we can only wait and hope for things to be better in a
near future!
Chordially!
Jean.
____________
© Jean
Merlin
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