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Tom King's avatar

Fascinating, thanks Lewis. A late friend was Frank Collins, a high school teacher and jazz enthusiast who was on the board of the Chamber Music Federation of New Zealand and persuaded them to arrange the tour in 1965. I was in the audience in Christchurch, and I recently met someone who was one of 11 in the audience in Hamilton, somewhat of a country and western hick town. The Federation hasn’t brought a jazz group here since. The visit changed my appreciation, earlier descended from the swing my mother brought with her from Kansas, and the great artist Ralph Hotere was a Monk devotee, while the poet Alex Wedde met Monk walking through Auckland in dead of night, conversation including real estate.

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Lewis Porter's avatar

Thank you for sharing this. That's great that you saw one concert, and that's amazing that you met one of the 11 people who were at the Hamilton concert! THANK YOU TOM!

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Chris Bourke's avatar

Thanks for this, Lewis. As Tom King's comment above shows, Monk's 1965 visit to New Zealand is legendary and still talked about. It was the subject of an illustrated column on a New Zealand music history website, about unusual encounters. https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/rock-roll-rendezvous-mike-walker

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Lewis Porter's avatar

That's great info and thank you for sharing that link. THANK YOU CHRIS!

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George Neidorf's avatar

I heard this quartet in Melbourne and Sydney in 1965. The first night, in Melbourne, the hall was about 3/4 full. Melbourne, being a word-of-mouth town, responded the 2nd. night by filling the hall to capacity, including people sitting in the aisles. When the band walked onstage the 2nd. night, you could see that they were shocked by the size of the audience. The first night they sounded good, the second night, they were on fire. The difference between Melbourne and Sydney audiences was, in Melbourne, people came to hear Monk, in Sydney, people came to be seen hearing Monk. The conversations in the foyer during the break was very revealing. One local sax player said, "Charlie Rouse plays sharp." A drummer said that he could play as well as Ben Riley. Yah, right.

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Lewis Porter's avatar

Thanks for these great memories--that's amazing that you were there. By the way, Rouse did play slightly to the sharp side of the pitch, on purpose, to get a certain edge in his sound--Jackie McLean did too. THANK YOU GEORGE

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George Neidorf's avatar

Rouse and McClean, two of my favorites.

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Lewis Porter's avatar

Exactly--they knew precisely what they were doing, and why. THANKS GEORGE

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Evan Goldfine's avatar

Amazing archival finds.

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Lewis Porter's avatar

Thanks Evan!

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Nate Chinen's avatar

Thanks for this, Lewis! As a former subscriber to both the Advertiser and the Star-Bulletin, and a former friend of Charlie Bourgeois, this one was a personal delight. What I wouldn't give to have caught that gig...

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Lewis Porter's avatar

I should have known that this one would catch your eye. THANK YOU NATE!

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