Howling Monk is a tribute to legendary bluesman Howling Wolf, to jazz genius, Thelonious Monk and to creative people everywhere who use their talent for good. Our name personifies our mission to promote jazz "in a higher sense" through the sale of Howling Monk Coffee, production of Jazz concerts, our publications and through the sale of other products and services.
But the Howling Monk story began a long time ago. My name is Kenneth Moore. As a boy, I had the privilege to work with my grandfather. His restaurant was our family business. I didn't realize it then, but he introduced me to family business as a way to also serve the community. He also introduced me to coffee. I'll never forget those freezing cold Chicago mornings when he'd greet me with a hot, fresh brewed cup of coffee.
Thirty years later, in 1998, I was fortunate to found Howling Monk to continue our family/community business tradition. Over those thirty years, I became an artist. I mention that only because of all the things I've been, I know I'm an artist if nothing else. Well, I guess I'm pretty lucky too because I married Doreen, a very smart and very pretty girl from Chicago. We have three great children, Tina, Kwame and Miles. Over the thirty years, I can truly say that I worked my buns off doing almost everything and anything from picking up trash at Comisky Park to washing laundry to a variety of jobs in banking and finally in the motion picture and television industry. All the time, I dreamed of re-inventing myself and picking up where my grandfather left off. The restaurant burned down during the insurrection following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Unfortunately, my grandfather never recovered from the loss.
In 1998, after years of dreaming about how to do it and studying and believing I understood the following advice:
"Persistence in a righteous cause brings reward"
"I've watched many people in various lines of endeavor striving to attain the best, and I have tried to determine what qualities they had in common. Whether they were baseball pitchers trying for a no-hit game, runners attempting to break a world record, or grape growers intent on producing the finest wine in the world, they all had complete dedication to their goals. They displayed greater knowledge than their competitors; they were willing to put in the extra effort necessary to approach perfection; they never settled for second best. They exerted themselves to reach these heights of accomplishment for both financial reward and esteem of their peers or clients, and for their own satisfaction." (Stanley Marcus, former chairman of Neiman-Marcus)
Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffective, concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits onesself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would come their way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. (Goethe)
Hoping to understand these words of wisdom, I accepted the task before me.
The story continues.
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