Thelonious Monk

Today we’re listening to Thelonious Monk, an American jazz pianist and composer. He was born in North Carolina in 1917 and moved to Harlem, NY, as a child. By the 1940s he was playing with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, using harmonic complexity, novel tempo, and blue notes to create bebop.¹ Monk went on to play regularly with John Coltrane in Greenwich Village and tour the world, developing specific techniques such as “clustering” adjacent notes in single phrasings.² We’re first playing Monk in Tokyo, a 1963 live recording of his quartet featuring originals like “Straight, No Chaser” and “Blue Monk.” We’re also playing Brilliant Corners from 1957, a collaboration with saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Monk’s clustering technique is audible on the opening of the brilliant title track; “Pannonica” is a sleeper.

Monk in Tokyo - Thelonious Monk (80m, occasional crowd vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk (43m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a great Thursday.

1. All About Jazz

2. The Eclectic Guitar