Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Monk 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, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than 1,000 pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70.
His compositions and improvisations feature dissonances and angular melodic twists, and are consistent with Monk's unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations.
He was renowned for his distinctive style in suits, hats, and sunglasses. He was also noted for an idiosyncratic habit observed at times during performances: while the other musicians in the band continued playing, he would stop, stand up from the keyboard, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano.
The Unique Thelonious Monk
The Unique Thelonious Monk is a 1956 album from Thelonious Monk, his second for Riverside Records and like his Riverside debut, is made up of standards. It was a continuation of Riverside's strategy to broaden consumer interest in Monk by having him record cover versions of well-known material which, Riverside hoped, would help to break down the prevailing perception that Monk's original music was "too difficult" for mass-market acceptance.
Though composed solely of standards, The Unique Thelonious Monk contains strong performances from both Thelonious and his band members, Art Blakey and Oscar Pettiford. The album itself, however, is often overlooked by documentaries of Monk's career and is little heard. The Riverside publicist Billie Wallington used a marketing ploy, at the time of the first re-issue, of mass-printing the stamp featured on the cover art. Riverside distributed sheets of 100 stamps, some of which even made their way through the United States Postal Service despite being larger than regulation size. Standard stamps of the era were under an inch wide and high; the Monk stamp is 1-9/16" high by 1-3/8" wide. In 1956 it took a 3-cent stamp to carry a 1st Class letter. Riverside's Monk stamp had a 3 in the lower left and a 3-1/3 in the lower right. The stamps are scarce today.
Thelonious Monk
ALBUMS
- Newport '59 released: 2013
- Paris 1969 released: 2013
- Paris 1969 released: 2013
- The Complete Columbia Studio Albums Collection released: 2012
- Mitos do jazz, Volume 12: Thelonious Monk released: 2012
- The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection released: 2011
- The Riverside Tenor Sessions released: 2009
- Jazz Manifesto released: 2009
- Unissued in Europe 1971 released: 2008
- Thelonious Himself released: 2008
- Four Classic Albums released: 2008
- Monk, Alone in Paris released: 2008
- Complete Studio Recordings - Master Takes released: 2008
- Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington [Keepnews Collection] released: 2007
- The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall [Keepnews Collection] released: 2007
- Coleção Folha clássicos do jazz, Volume 8 released: 2007
- The Measure of Monk released: 2007
- The Finest in Jazz released: 2007
- 5 by Monk by 5 released: 2007
- Thelonious Monk Trio released: 2007
- The Classic Quartet released: 2006
- Thelonius Monk / Sonny Rollins released: 2006
- The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall released: 2006
- The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings released: 2006
- Midnight Moods released: 2005
- Quadromania Jazz Edition: Thelonious Monk: Four in One released: 2005
- We See released: 2005
- Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival released: 2005
- The Very Best released: 2005
- Modern Jazz Archive: Thelonious Monk released: 2004
- A Proper Introduction to Thelonious Monk: Trinkle, Tinkle released: 2004
- Monk 'Round the World released: 2004
- Jazz Moods: 'Round Midnight released: 2004
- The Best of Thelonious Monk released: 2004
- Solo Monk released: 2003
- Monk In Paris - Live At The Olympia 1965-03-07 released: 2003
- 85th Birthday Celebration released: 2002
- Thelonious Monk live in Paris - volume 2 released: 2002
- Live at the Village Gate released: 2002
- Misterioso released: 2002
- Straight No Chaser released: 2002
- At Newport 1963 & 1965 released: 2002
- After Hours at Minton's released: 2001
- The Chronological Classics: Thelonious Monk 1947-1948 released: 2000
- Evidence released: 2000
- Mulligan Meets Monk released: 2000
- Blue Monk released: 1999
- The London Collection, Volume 1 released: 1999
- Greatest Hits released: 1997
- Miles & Monk at Newport released: 1997
- Greatest Hits released: 1997
- This Is Jazz 5 released: 1996
- 1962 - 1968 released: 1996
- A Jazz Hour With Thelonious Monk, Volume 2: Epistrophy released: 1993
- Jazz Masters: From Original Recordings released: 1992
- The Essential Thelonious Monk released: 1991
- 11 Top Tracks released: 1990
- European Tour released: 1989
- Live in Paris, 1964 - Alhambra, Volume 1 released: 1989
- Monk: On Tour in Europe released: 1988
- Evidence (Paris 1963-1966 Archives INA) released: 1987
- The Complete Black Lion and Vogue Recordings of Thelonious Monk released: 1985
- Thelonious Monk and Milt Jackson released: 1985
- Blues Five Spot released: 1984
- The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk released: 1983
- Monk Trane released: 1973
- Something in Blue released: 1971
- Paris at Midnight released: 1967
- Monk. released: 1965
- It's Monk's Time released: 1964
- Criss-Cross released: 1963
- Monk's Music released: 1957
- Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2 released: 1952
- Monk + horns released:
- Monk + rhytm sections released:
- live at the village gate released:
- Underground Thelonious Monk released:
- Thelonious Monk: Original Jazz Classics Collection released:
- Monk's Classic Recordings released:
- 1969-11-07: Jazztage Berlin, Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany released:
- Eight Classic Albums released:
- Thelonious Monk Masters of Jazz cd2 released:
- The Chronological Classics: Thelonious Monk 1951-1952 released:
- Round About Monk released:
- The Composer released:
- Ruby My Dear released:
- Blue Note Years (1945-1955) released:
- Monk's Music released:
- More Genius of Thelonious Monk released:
- Genius of Modern Music released:
- Monk in Amsterdam released:
- The First European Concert '61 released:
- In Copenhagen released:
- Live a la Casa released:
- Monk's Blues released:
- Forever released:
- 1963-03-05: Stockholm, Sweden released:
- The Art of the Ballad released:
- Monk in France released:
- Olympia, May 23, 1965 released:
Thelonious Himself
Released 2008- April in Paris
- (I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (With You) (take 7)
- Functional (take 2)
- I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
- I Should Care (take 3)
- 'Round Midnight (take 7)
- All Alone
- Monk's Mood (False Start)
- Monk's Mood
- (I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (With You) (take 5)
- Functional (take 1)
- I Should Care (take 1)
- I Should Care (take 2)
Solo Monk
Released 2003- Dinah (take 2)
- I Surrender, Dear
- Sweet and Lovely (take 2)
- North of the Sunset
- Ruby, My Dear (take 3)
- I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
- I Hadn't Anyone Till You
- Everything Happens to Me (take 3)
- Monk's Point
- I Should Care
- Ask Me Now (take 2)
- These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
- Introspection
- Darn That Dream
- Dinah (take 1)
- Sweet and Lovely (take 1)
- Ruby, My Dear (take 1)
- I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) (take 1)
- I Hadn't Anyone Till You (take 2)
- Everything Happens to Me (Retake 1)
- Ask Me Now (take 1)
More Genius of Thelonious Monk
- Evonce (alternate take)
- Suburban Eyes (alternate take)
- Nice Work If You Can Get It (alternate take)
- Ruby, My Dear (alternate take)
- Well, You Needn't (alternate take)
- April in Paris (alternate take)
- Who Knows? (alternate take)
- Skippy (alternate take)
- Hornin' In (alternate take)
- Sixteen (take 1)
- Sixteen (take 2)
- I'll Follow You
Born: 1917-10-10
Died: 1982-02-17
The Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall [Bonus Track Version]
Dizzie, he was screaming
Next to O.P. who was beaming
Monk was thumping
Suddenly in walked Bud and then they got into Somethin'
Oscar played a mean sax
Mr. Byers blew a mean axe
Monk was thumping
Suddenly in walked Bud
And then the joint started jumping
Every hip stud really dug Bud
Soon as he hit town
Takin’ that note nobody wrote
Putting it down
Dizzie he was screaming
Next to O. P. who was beaming
Monk was thumping
Suddenly in walked Bud
And then they got into something