Monk's Mood: DeFrantz raises the ghost

I'm at Joyce SoHo, watching dancer (and dance scholar, professor, author) Thomas F. DeFrantz sketch out some somber matters from the difficult life of Thelonious Monk, and I'm simply bursting with joy. Can't help it. DeFrantz is that good. And Monk's Mood: A Performance Meditation on the Life and Music of Thelonious Monk is that beautiful. Not a hackneyed, unoriginal moment in this impressionistic narrative.

DeFrantz's postmodern tap choreography and elegantly quirky performance--an apt counterpoint to the vast, irresistible undertow of Monk's music--are revelations. And, unlike another production hitting the city this week that fuses the impulses of the dancing body with responsive computer technology--and which, for now, will go nameless here--DeFrantz and poly-media artist Eto Oro strike a balance between human and machine. And that's an excellent thing, because you absolutely do want to keep DeFrantz's (and Monk's) humanity in mind. As the collaborators attest, the tech must serve the story. "We want to reanimate the ghost in the music."

Watch a couple of clips. And then try to get a ticket for one of the final shows (tonight or tomorrow, 8pm) here.

One more thing, I totally get DeFrantz and Oro's interest in making their collaboration an open source thing, essentially offering the Monk's Mood API for other creative types to use as they see fit. We're in a new age. But I, for one, really hope that DeFrantz himself will keep performing this piece and digging into it. It's an extraordinary performance, and I hope more people will get a chance to enjoy it.