Laurent De Wilde

De Wilde is a French jazz pianist who was born in the United States but returned to France at the age of 4. It appears that no English version of this biography of Thelonious Monk exists, which is a shame. De Wilde's slangy, contemporary French is a delight, especially when applied to a giant of jazz -- it's as if one were sitting at the back table in a jazz club in Paris between sets. De Wilde writes about the man but also, and extensively, about the music. For instance, he communicates his rapture over the rhythms and describes the absolutely essential roles of the bass player and the drums; he details Monk's quirky personality and absolutely new concept of music; and he explains Monk's unexpected, new techniques. In the demi-world of jazz, offering drugs, debt and debauchery, according to de Wilde, Monk was devoted to his wife and his music; his strange behavior arose from a psychology and physiology that later rendered him mentally ill. I found this 1996 first edition at the Half-Price Books store on south Lamar in Austin, looking as if it had never been touched. Maybe the God of Libraries intended it just for me, because only someone with a close acquaintance with spoken French and an interest in jazz could appreciate what a gem it is. No price was marked; the store manager glanced at it and then gave it to me for $4.98.

As a U.S. citizen by birth, de Wilde has no problem getting back to the U.S. to work the jazz scene. Warner jazz produced at least one recent album of his, "Stories." The cut "French elections" is on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m9JDdzLL6w&NR=1

For an 8-minute funky jazz video clip featuring de Wilde, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysK8KSL95OY… (mais)