Rewind & Play

Monk & Pannonica: An American Story

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes

It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story

Thelonious Monk: Paris 1969

Thelonious Monk Quartet at Salle Pleyel, Paris, 1969

Bert Stern: Original Madman

Public Speaking

Jazz Icons: Thelonious Monk Live in '66

Piano Blues

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser

Heads

Monk

Monk in Europe

Jazz on a Summer's Day

Dangerous Love Affairs

Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.
Monk's compositions and improvisations feature dissonances and angular melodic twists, often using flat ninths, flat fifths, unexpected chromatic notes together, low bass notes and stride, and fast whole tone runs, combining a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations.
Monk's distinct look included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He also had an idiosyncratic habit during performances: while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano.
Monk is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time (the others being Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Wynton Marsalis).



Thelonious Monk