Thelonious Monk

Art by Tim Foley

Thelonious Monk

Piano · born 10 October 1917 – died 17 February 1982

▸ Click for Richard Cook Bio

For better or otherwise, the music of this strange, contradictory man has become perhaps the central text in jazz composition after Ellington. He was born Thelonious Monk in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and added 'Sphere' as his middle name while in his teens. His family moved to New York when he was four, and he began playing piano in church when a boy, sometimes touring with an evangelist. By the early 40s he was working as the house pianist at the Harlem club Minton's Playhouse, where he, Kenny Clarke (who played drums in the group) and Dizzy Gillespie began working out – on the bandstand and elsewhere – the theoretical and practical formulae which would lead to the birth of bebop. After a brief period as pianist in Lucky Millinder's band, he joined the Cootie Williams orchestra in 1944, a band which made the first recording of Monk's latterly celebrated ballad Round About Midnight. Still virtually unknown to the jazz public, he then played in Coleman Hawkins's small group during 1944–6, and by now word about his unpredictable prowess had got out: Ike Quebec suggested to Alfred Lion of Blue Note that he record this unusual pianist, and when Lion began recording Monk he was so excited by the initial results that he quickly took down more sessions, all of which eventually emerged in the LP era as Genius Of Modern Music Vols 1 & 2 (Blue Note). Monk's style was a unique assemblage of old and new: he could sound like the stride piano masters, and there was a powerful Duke Ellington influence at work, but what he played was angular, analytical, pared away: he seemed to want to get to the bones of material which was already fat-free. While he appeared to embody some aspects of bebop, in other ways he seemed set against its jittery spillage of notes. Themes such as Off Minor, Epistrophy, Misterioso and Well You Needn't were as clipped and inscrutable as their titles. Yet his sideman work with Charlie Parker – on airshots and on the 1950 session which produced the likes of Bloomdido – showed how skilfully he could work with bop's premier improviser.

In 1951 he was briefly imprisoned on a probably trumped-up narcotics charge, and lost his New York cabaret card as a result, so for a few years he had to settle for working on record rather than on a bandstand, and in 1952 he signed a new deal with Prestige Records. His appearance on a 1954 date with Miles Davis prickled with tension, but the music was magnificent. Then Orrin Keepnews signed him to Riverside, where he produced some of his most finished and rich recordings: the group date Brilliant Corners, the solo Thelonious Himself and the quartet session with the saxophonist who at this period started working with him on live dates, Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane (1956–7). His composing touched on a broader range, from the excruciatingly difficult Brilliant Corners and Gallop's Gallop to almost catchy pieces such as Rhythm-A-Ning and We See. It had taken some time, but Monk had somehow become a popular figure: he toured with his quartet (Charlie Rouse became his long-time horn player in 1958), had a celebrated concert of his works in an orchestral setting at New York's Town Hall (1959), and eventually moved on from Riverside to sign to the major label Columbia in 1962. Yet this marked the beginning of a creative impasse. His composing slowed to barely a trickle of new pieces, and his live performances began to take on a rote nature with the quartet, although it was still the kind of music which many aspiring bands would have loved to have got near.

The Columbia albums drifted towards studio chores, although Monk's penchant for throwing in an oddball standard (such as his cruel portrayal of Lulu's Back In Town, 1964) freshened up some of the programmes. By the end of the decade, his strange demeanour was becoming increasingly bizarre. On the 1971 Giants Of Jazz tour, Dave Liebman remembered him as being 'like Lon Chaney', lying flat out on tables most of the time and groaning if spoken to. Admirers such as Steve Lacy – who once had a band which played nothing but Monk tunes – helped disseminate his work further, but Monk himself seemed to have lost interest in his own music. He made a final appearance at Newport in 1976, but Whitney Balliett found it 'mechanical and uncertain', and thereafter he retreated to the home of a long-time patron and friend, Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter, in New Jersey: Monk's wife Nellie (for whom he wrote Crepuscule With Nellie) visited to cook for him, a strange arrangement, and Monk died there in 1982, having not touched a piano for years and seemingly entirely withdrawn from the world.

Since his death, there has been much conjecture as to whether he may have suffered from a mental illness for a long time, the old 'eccentricities' a symptom of a genuine malaise. His legacy is a book of some 70 compositions, of which one at least, Round Midnight, has become the most celebrated and frequently covered jazz ballad of the modern era. If he was still comparatively neglected as a composer at the time of his death, that has now entirely changed: his music is seen almost as a testing ground for modern musicians, and everyone has a go at one of the tunes sooner or later. It is a collective resource which, for its infinite variety within a small, carefully codified point of view, is unrivalled in the jazz idiom. And even as that resource continues to nourish improvisers to this day, it is probably best heard through the composer's own irreducible interpretations.

Biography from Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia (2005).

If you'd like more information, check out The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002) or The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (2007), both of which are still in print.

As leader

  • Thelonious Monk – Genius of Modern Music, Volume OneThelonious Monk – Genius of Modern Music, Volume One
  • Thelonious Monk – Genius of Modern Music, Volume TwoThelonious Monk – Genius of Modern Music, Volume Two
  • Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Monk TrioThelonious Monk – Thelonious Monk Trio
  • Thelonious Monk – MonkThelonious Monk – Monk
  • Thelonious Monk – Plays the Music of Duke EllingtonThelonious Monk – Plays the Music of Duke Ellington
  • Thelonious Monk – The UniqueThelonious Monk – The Unique
  • Thelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk and Sonny RollinsThelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins
  • Thelonious Monk – Brilliant CornersThelonious Monk – Brilliant Corners
  • Thelonious Monk – Thelonious HimselfThelonious Monk – Thelonious Himself
  • Thelonious Monk – Monk’s MusicThelonious Monk – Monk’s Music
  • Thelonious Monk – Mulligan Meets MonkThelonious Monk – Mulligan Meets Monk
  • Thelonious Monk – Thelonious in ActionThelonious Monk – Thelonious in Action
  • Clark Terry with Thelonious Monk – In OrbitClark Terry with Thelonious Monk – In Orbit
  • Thelonious Monk Quartet – MisteriosoThelonious Monk Quartet – Misterioso
  • Thelonious Monk – With John ColtraneThelonious Monk – With John Coltrane
  • Thelonious Monk Quartet – Monk’s DreamThelonious Monk Quartet – Monk’s Dream

Plays on

  • Miles Davis – All-Stars Vol. 1Miles Davis – All-Stars Vol. 1
  • Milt Jackson – And The Thelonious Monk QuintetMilt Jackson – And The Thelonious Monk Quintet
  • Sonny Rollins – Sonny Rollins, Volume TwoSonny Rollins – Sonny Rollins, Volume Two
  • Sonny Rollins – Moving OutSonny Rollins – Moving Out
  • Miles Davis – Bags GrooveMiles Davis – Bags Groove
  • Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers – With Thelonious MonkArt Blakey’s Jazz Messengers – With Thelonious Monk
  • Miles Davis – And The Modern Jazz GiantsMiles Davis – And The Modern Jazz Giants
  • Miles Davis – And the Modern Jazz GiantsMiles Davis – And the Modern Jazz Giants

Mentioned in text

  • Tony Fruscella – Tony FruscellaTony Fruscella – Tony Fruscella
  • Miles Davis – The Musings of MilesMiles Davis – The Musings of Miles
  • Billy Taylor – EvergreensBilly Taylor – Evergreens
  • Teddy Charles – The Teddy Charles TentetTeddy Charles – The Teddy Charles Tentet
  • Herbie Nichols – Herbie Nichols TrioHerbie Nichols – Herbie Nichols Trio
  • Jimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume ThreeJimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume Three
  • Howard Rumsey – Lighthouse at LagunaHoward Rumsey – Lighthouse at Laguna
  • Clifford Brown and Max Roach – At Basin StreetClifford Brown and Max Roach – At Basin Street
  • Modern Jazz Sextet – The Modern Jazz SextetModern Jazz Sextet – The Modern Jazz Sextet
  • Elmo Hope Trio – MeditationsElmo Hope Trio – Meditations
  • Sonny Rollins – Plus FourSonny Rollins – Plus Four
  • Bennie Green – Walking DownBennie Green – Walking Down
  • Hank Mobley – Mobley’s MessageHank Mobley – Mobley’s Message
  • Randy Weston Trio – With These HandsRandy Weston Trio – With These Hands
  • Kenny Dorham – ‘Round About Midnight At The Café BohemiaKenny Dorham – ‘Round About Midnight At The Café Bohemia
  • Johnny Griffin – Introducing Johnny GriffinJohnny Griffin – Introducing Johnny Griffin
  • Kenny Dorham – Afro-CubanKenny Dorham – Afro-Cuban
  • Lou Donaldson Quintet – Wailing With LouLou Donaldson Quintet – Wailing With Lou
  • Thad Jones – The Magnificent Thad Jones, Volume ThreeThad Jones – The Magnificent Thad Jones, Volume Three
  • Hank Mobley Quintet – Hank Mobley QuintetHank Mobley Quintet – Hank Mobley Quintet
  • Art Blakey – Orgy in Rhythm, Volume OneArt Blakey – Orgy in Rhythm, Volume One
  • Art Blakey – Orgy In Rhythm, Volume TwoArt Blakey – Orgy In Rhythm, Volume Two
  • Johnny Griffin – A Blowing SessionJohnny Griffin – A Blowing Session
  • Sabú – Palo CongoSabú – Palo Congo
  • Horace Silver – The Stylings of SilverHorace Silver – The Stylings of Silver
  • Bud Powell – Bud! The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume ThreeBud Powell – Bud! The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume Three
  • Miles Davis – ‘Round About MidnightMiles Davis – ‘Round About Midnight
  • The Jazz Messengers – Hard BopThe Jazz Messengers – Hard Bop
  • Zoot Sims – Goes to JazzvilleZoot Sims – Goes to Jazzville
  • Randy Weston – The Modern Art of JazzRandy Weston – The Modern Art of Jazz
  • Max Roach – Plus FourMax Roach – Plus Four
  • Teddy Charles – Three for DukeTeddy Charles – Three for Duke
  • Bob Brookmeyer Quintet – Traditionalism RevisitedBob Brookmeyer Quintet – Traditionalism Revisited
  • The Jazz Messengers – RitualThe Jazz Messengers – Ritual
  • Art Farmer / Donald Byrd – Two TrumpetsArt Farmer / Donald Byrd – Two Trumpets
  • Hank Mobley / Al Cohn / John Coltrane / Zoot Sims – Tenor ConclaveHank Mobley / Al Cohn / John Coltrane / Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave
  • Sonny Rollins – Saxophone ColossusSonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus
  • Thad Jones / Frank Wess / Teddy Charles / Mal Waldron / Doug Watkins / Elvin Jones – OlioThad Jones / Frank Wess / Teddy Charles / Mal Waldron / Doug Watkins / Elvin Jones – Olio
  • Mal Waldron Quintet – Mal-1Mal Waldron Quintet – Mal-1
  • Mose Allison – Back Country SuiteMose Allison – Back Country Suite
  • John Coltrane – ColtraneJohn Coltrane – Coltrane
  • Curtis Fuller – New TromboneCurtis Fuller – New Trombone
  • Prestige Jazz Quartet – Prestige Jazz QuartetPrestige Jazz Quartet – Prestige Jazz Quartet
  • Gene Ammons – Jammin’ In Hi FiGene Ammons – Jammin’ In Hi Fi
  • Idrees Sulieman / Webster Young / John Coltrane / Bobby Jaspar – Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 TenorsIdrees Sulieman / Webster Young / John Coltrane / Bobby Jaspar – Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors
  • Phil Woods / Gene Quill / Sahib Shihab / Hal Stein – Four AltosPhil Woods / Gene Quill / Sahib Shihab / Hal Stein – Four Altos
  • Art Taylor – Taylor’s WailersArt Taylor – Taylor’s Wailers
  • Ernie Henry – Presenting Ernie HenryErnie Henry – Presenting Ernie Henry
  • Kenny Drew – Kenny Drew TrioKenny Drew – Kenny Drew Trio
  • Randy Weston – Trio and SoloRandy Weston – Trio and Solo
  • Randy Weston – Jazz a la BohemiaRandy Weston – Jazz a la Bohemia
  • Kenny Drew – This Is NewKenny Drew – This Is New
  • Clark Terry – Serenade to a Bus SeatClark Terry – Serenade to a Bus Seat
  • Jimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume OneJimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume One
  • Jimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume TwoJimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume Two
  • Sonny Clark – Dial “S” For SonnySonny Clark – Dial “S” For Sonny
  • John Coltrane – Blue TrainJohn Coltrane – Blue Train
  • Johnny Griffin – The CongregationJohnny Griffin – The Congregation
  • Sonny Rollins – A Night at the Village VanguardSonny Rollins – A Night at the Village Vanguard
  • Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’
  • Lee Morgan – CandyLee Morgan – Candy
  • Louis Smith – SmithvilleLouis Smith – Smithville
  • Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ ElseCannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
  • Bud Powell – Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume FourBud Powell – Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume Four
  • Miles Davis – MilestonesMiles Davis – Milestones
  • Duke Ellington’s Spacemen – The Cosmic SceneDuke Ellington’s Spacemen – The Cosmic Scene
  • Hampton Hawes Quartet – All Night Session! Vols. 1-3Hampton Hawes Quartet – All Night Session! Vols. 1-3
  • Yusef Lateef Quintet – The Sounds of YusefYusef Lateef Quintet – The Sounds of Yusef
  • John Coltrane – Traneing InJohn Coltrane – Traneing In
  • Steve Lacy – Soprano SaxSteve Lacy – Soprano Sax
  • Sonny Rollins – Tour De ForceSonny Rollins – Tour De Force
  • Miles Davis Quintet – Relaxin’Miles Davis Quintet – Relaxin’
  • Red Garland Quintet – All Mornin’ LongRed Garland Quintet – All Mornin’ Long
  • Frank Wess – Wheelin’ & Dealin’Frank Wess – Wheelin’ & Dealin’
  • Mose Allison – Young Man MoseMose Allison – Young Man Mose
  • Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – CookbookEddie “Lockjaw” Davis – Cookbook
  • Shirley Scott – Great Scott!Shirley Scott – Great Scott!
  • Prestige Blues-Swingers – Outskirts of TownPrestige Blues-Swingers – Outskirts of Town
  • Various Artists – Blues for TomorrowVarious Artists – Blues for Tomorrow
  • Freddy Redd Trio – San Francisco Suite for Jazz TrioFreddy Redd Trio – San Francisco Suite for Jazz Trio
  • Wilbur Ware – The Chicago SoundWilbur Ware – The Chicago Sound
  • Johnny Griffin – Johnny Griffin SextetJohnny Griffin – Johnny Griffin Sextet
  • Pepper Adams – 10 to 4 at the 5 SpotPepper Adams – 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot
  • Max Roach – Deeds, Not WordsMax Roach – Deeds, Not Words
  • Bud Powell Trio – Blues in the ClosetBud Powell Trio – Blues in the Closet
  • Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to ComeOrnette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come
  • Sonny Rollins – Newk’s TimeSonny Rollins – Newk’s Time
  • Art Blakey – Holiday for Skins, Volume 1Art Blakey – Holiday for Skins, Volume 1
  • Art Blakey – Holiday for Skins, Volume 2Art Blakey – Holiday for Skins, Volume 2
  • Bud Powell – The Scene ChangesBud Powell – The Scene Changes
  • Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 1Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 1
  • Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah UmCharles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um
  • Cecil Taylor Quartet – Looking Ahead!Cecil Taylor Quartet – Looking Ahead!
  • Ornette Coleman – Tomorrow is the Question!Ornette Coleman – Tomorrow is the Question!
  • Gene Ammons – Blue GeneGene Ammons – Blue Gene
  • Johnny Griffin – The Little GiantJohnny Griffin – The Little Giant
  • Lester Young – Pres and TeddyLester Young – Pres and Teddy
  • Ornette Coleman – Change of the CenturyOrnette Coleman – Change of the Century
  • Walter Davis, Jr. – Davis CupWalter Davis, Jr. – Davis Cup
  • Donald Byrd – Byrd in HandDonald Byrd – Byrd in Hand
  • Kenny Burrell – On View at the Five Spot CafeKenny Burrell – On View at the Five Spot Cafe
  • Freddie Redd Quartet – Music from The ConnectionFreddie Redd Quartet – Music from The Connection
  • Hank Mobley – Soul StationHank Mobley – Soul Station
  • Jackie McLean – Capuchin SwingJackie McLean – Capuchin Swing
  • Freddie Hubbard – Open SesameFreddie Hubbard – Open Sesame
  • Harold Land – The FoxHarold Land – The Fox
  • Wes Montgomery Trio – Wes Montgomery TrioWes Montgomery Trio – Wes Montgomery Trio
  • Yusef Lateef – The Three Faces of Yusef LateefYusef Lateef – The Three Faces of Yusef Lateef
  • Billy Taylor Trio – Warming Up!Billy Taylor Trio – Warming Up!
  • Booker Little – Booker LittleBooker Little – Booker Little
  • John Coltrane – Giant StepsJohn Coltrane – Giant Steps
  • Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 2Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol. 2
  • Max Roach – We Insist! Freedom Now SuiteMax Roach – We Insist! Freedom Now Suite
  • J.J. Johnson / Kai Winding – The Great Kai & J.J.J.J. Johnson / Kai Winding – The Great Kai & J.J.
  • John Coltrane Quartet – Africa/BrassJohn Coltrane Quartet – Africa/Brass
  • John Coltrane – Coltrane Plays the BluesJohn Coltrane – Coltrane Plays the Blues
  • Benny Carter and His Orchestra – Further DefinitionsBenny Carter and His Orchestra – Further Definitions
  • Gil Evans Orchestra – Into The HotGil Evans Orchestra – Into The Hot
  • John Coltrane – Live At The Village VanguardJohn Coltrane – Live At The Village Vanguard
  • Quincy Jones and his Orchestra – The QuintessenceQuincy Jones and his Orchestra – The Quintessence
  • Bill Evans – InterplayBill Evans – Interplay
  • Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner LadyCharles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
  • Charles Mingus – Town Hall Concert, 1964Charles Mingus – Town Hall Concert, 1964
  • Charles Mingus – Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus MingusCharles Mingus – Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
  • John Coltrane – Coltrane Live at BirdlandJohn Coltrane – Coltrane Live at Birdland
  • Wynton Kelly Trio – Smokin’ at the Half NoteWynton Kelly Trio – Smokin’ at the Half Note
  • Herbie Hancock – Maiden VoyageHerbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage
  • Stan Getz – Sweet RainStan Getz – Sweet Rain
  • Joe Henderson – Power to the PeopleJoe Henderson – Power to the People
  • Richard Davis – Epistrophy & Now’s The TimeRichard Davis – Epistrophy & Now’s The Time
  • Clifford Jordan Quartet – Night of the Mark VIIClifford Jordan Quartet – Night of the Mark VII
  • Dexter Gordon – Homecoming: Live at the Village VanguardDexter Gordon – Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard