Film clip of Thelonious Monk performing "Blue Monk" on The Sound of Jazz: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A motion picture film print with a clip of Thelonious Monk performing "Blue Monk" on "The Sound of Jazz," an episode of the anthology series The Seven Lively Arts. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. The footage opens with host John Crosby sitting on a flight of steps. He introduces the performer as Thelonious Monk and states that Monk is accompanied by "Ahmed Abdul Malik on the bass and Osie Johnson on the drums” and that “the song is ‘Blue Monk.’” The camera then slowly pans to the musicians as they begin to play.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1957
• Directed by: Jack Smight, American, 1925 - 2003
• Produced by: CBS Broadcasting, Inc., American, founded 1927
• Subject of: Thelonious Monk, American, 1917 - 1982
• Subject of: Ahmed Abdul-Malik, American, 1927 - 1993
• Subject of: Osie Johnson, American, 1923 - 1966
• Owned by: Ernie Smith, American, ca. 1925 - 2004
• Type: sound films
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Type: film clips
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration (digital file): 00:03:32
• Dimensions: Physical extent (film): 140 ft
• Place filmed: New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: 2015.275.23.1a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Anonymous Gift in memory of Ernest (Ernie) R. Smith, Jazz Historian
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.