Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Monk: a spirited goodbye
In December 1969 at the end of a tour Theolonious Monk plays in Paris – a place of his earlier exile – for the last time and summons all his creativity to make the evening an unforgettable experience for those present, writes Chris Searle
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
Paris 1969 by Theolonious Monk (Blue Note)
This recording of a Paris concert at the Salle Pleyel in December 1969 catches Monk not only in his declining years, but with a new bassist and drummer and with the sudden guest appearance on the final two tracks of the legendary drums virtuoso Philly Joe Jones, playing alongside the great pianist and his longtime tenor saxophone confrere Charlie Rouse.
Monk had been touring Europe with Rouse, an unknown bassist from the Berklee School of Music called Nate Hygelund and a 17-year-old drummer Austin “Paris” Wright, the son of bassist Herman Wright, all of whom had performed at Ronnie Scott’s in London, at Duke Ellington’s 70th birthday party tribute in Berlin, at Cologne and Italy before they arrived in Paris.
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