Ladies and Gentlemen:
My sincerest compliments to Robert Holloway Jr., for expertly
weaving together the stories of two iconic figures in American
literature and music - Kurt Vonnegut and Thelonious Monk - in his
"President's View" in the April issue of Massachusetts Lawyers
Journal. As a voracious reader of Vonnegut's writing and an even
more voracious listener of Monk's music, it was a joy to see
Holloway cite their visionary artistry as examples of how a
professional association (of lawyers, no less!) can leverage the
strength of individual voices for the common good of collectively
advancing its causes and objectives - Vonnegut's
"karass."
In Monk's case, the other musicians he surrounded himself with
shared his desire to find a new musical language to express their
feelings, a language that eventually came to be known as "bebop."
Rooted in the individual sounds and ideas these founding members of
bebop (including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Bud Powell)
brought to the table, the conception they created together
continues to influence jazz today, more than 70 years later.
Recently, one of Monk's young disciples, the brilliant pianist,
Vijay Iyer, described Monk as an "architect of feeling." Attempting
to play some of Monk's compositions that seemed simple on the
surface made him appreciate how difficult and unique they actually
were.
Monk's legacy continues today in the form of yet another karass -
the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, whose mission is to nurture
and acknowledge musical excellence and which sponsors educational
programs and an annual contest for young jazz talents, many of whom
have gone on to noteworthy careers. The Monk Institute's story
provides another nice parallel to the MBA's nurturing and
acknowledgment of legal excellence and the noteworthy careers of
its members! ¦
Laurence D. Shind, Esq.
Kertzman & Weil LLP, Wellesley
Jazz host, WGBH, 89.7 FM, Boston