- Thelonious Monk
Infobox musical artist
Name = Thelonious Monk
Img_capt = Thelonious Monk, foreground, performing atExpo 67 inMontreal . (Credit: Library and Archives Canada)
Img_size = 300
Landscape =
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Thelonious Sphere Monk
Alias = Monk
Born = Birth date|1917|10|10
Died = death date and age|1982|2|17|1917|10|10
Origin = Rocky Mount,North Carolina , U.S.
Instrument =Piano
Genre =Jazz ,bebop ,hard bop
Occupation =Pianist ,composer
Years_active =
Label = Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside, Columbia
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Thelonious Sphere Monk (
October 10 ,1917 -February 17 ,1982 ) was an Americanjazz pianist andcomposer .Widely considered one of the most important musicians in jazz, Monk had a unique
improvisation al style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy ", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk ", "Straight No Chaser " and "Well, You Needn't ". Often regarded as a founder ofbebop , Monk's playing style later evolved away from that form. His compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists, and are impossible to separate from Monk's unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations; a style nicknamed "Melodious Thunk" by his wife Nellie [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0825672295 From the book: Straight, No Chaser: The Life And Genius Of Thelonious Monk, by Leslie Gourse] ] .Biography
Early life
Little is known about Monk's early life. He was born on
October 10 ,1917 inRocky Mount, North Carolina , the son of Thelonious and Barbara Monk, two years after his sister Marian. A brother, Thomas, was born a couple of years later. In 1922, the family moved to 243 West 63rd Street, inManhattan . Monk started playing the piano at the age of nine. Although he had some formal training and eavesdropped on his sister's piano lessons, he was essentially self-taught. Monk attendedStuyvesant High School , but did not graduate. He briefly toured with an evangelist in his teens, playing the church organ, and in his late teens he began to find work playing jazz.Monk is believed to be the pianist featured on recordings
Jerry Newman made around 1941 atMinton's Playhouse , the legendary Manhattan club where Monk was the house pianist. Monk's style at the time was described as "hard-swinging," with the addition of runs in the style ofArt Tatum . Monk's stated influences includeDuke Ellington ,James P. Johnson , and other early stride pianists. Monk's unique piano style was largely perfected during his stint as the house pianist at Minton's in the early-to-mid 1940s, when he participated in the famous after-hours "cutting competitions" that featured most of the leading jazz soloists of the day. The Minton's scene was crucial in the formulation of thebebop genre and it brought Monk into close contact and collaboration with other leading exponents of bebop, includingDizzy Gillespie ,Charlie Christian ,Kenny Clarke ,Charlie Parker and later,Miles Davis .First recordings (1944–1954)
In 1944 Monk made his first studio recordings with the
Coleman Hawkins Quartet. Hawkins was among the first prominent jazz musicians to promote Monk, and Monk later returned the favor by inviting Hawkins to join him on the 1957 session withJohn Coltrane . Monk made his first recordings as leader for Blue Note in 1947 (later anthologised on "Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1") which showcased his talents as a composer of original melodies for improvisation. Monk married Nellie Smith the same year, and in 1949 the couple had a son,T.S. Monk , who later became a jazz drummer. A daughter, Barbara (affectionately known as Boo-Boo), was born in 1953.In August 1951, New York City police searched a parked car occupied by Monk and friend
Bud Powell . The police found narcotics in the car, presumed to have belonged to Powell. Monk refused to testify against his friend, so the police confiscated hisNew York City Cabaret Card . Without the all-important cabaret card he was unable to play in any New York venue where liquor was served, and this severely restricted his ability to perform for several crucial years. Monk spent most of the early and mid-1950s composing, recording, and performing at theaters and out-of-town gigs.After his cycle of intermittent recording sessions for Blue Note during 1947–1952, he was under contract to
Prestige Records for the following two years. With Prestige he cut several under-recognized, but highly significant albums, including collaborations with saxophonistSonny Rollins and drummerArt Blakey . In 1954, Monk participated in the famed Christmas Eve sessions which produced the albums, "Bags' Groove " and "Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants " byMiles Davis . Davis found Monk's idiosyncratic accompaniment style difficult to improvise over and asked him to lay out (not accompany), which almost brought them to blows. However, in Miles Davis' autobiography "Miles", Davis claims that the anger and tension between Monk and himself never took place and that the claims of blows being exchanged were "rumors" and a "misunderstanding."In 1954, Monk paid his first visit to Europe, performing and recording in Paris. It was here that he first met Baroness Pannonica "Nica" de Koenigswarter, a member of the
Rothschild banking family of England and a patroness of several New York City jazz musicians. She would be a close friend for the rest of Monk's life.Riverside Records (1954–1961)
At the time of his signing to Riverside, Monk was highly regarded by his peers and by some critics, but his records did not sell in significant numbers, and his music was still regarded as too "difficult" for mass-market acceptance. Indeed, with Monk's consent, Riverside had managed to buy out his previous Prestige contract for a mere $108.24. His breakthrough came thanks to a compromise between Monk and the label, which convinced him to record two albums of his interpretations of jazz standards.
His debut for Riverside was a 'themed' record featuring bass innovator
Oscar Pettiford and built around Monk's distinctive interpretations of the music ofDuke Ellington . The resulting LP, "Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington", was designed to bring Monk to a wider audience, and pave the way for a broader acceptance of his unique style. According to recording producerOrrin Keepnews , Monk appeared unfamiliar with the Ellington tunes and spent a long time reading the sheet music and picking the melodies out on the piano keys. Given Monk's long history of playing, it seems unlikely that he didn't know Ellington's music, and it has been surmised that Monk's seeming ignorance of the material was a manifestation of his typically perverse humor, combined with an unstated reluctance to prove his own musical competency by playing other composers' works (even at this late date, there were still critics who carped that Monk "couldn't play").Finally, on the 1956 LP "
Brilliant Corners ", Monk was able to record his own music. The complex title track (which featured legendary tenor saxophonistSonny Rollins ) was so difficult to play that the final version had to be edited together from three separate takes. The album, however, was largely regarded as the first success for Monk; according toOrrin Keepnews , "It was the first that made a real splash."After having his cabaret card restored, Monk relaunched his New York career with a landmark six-month residency at the
Five Spot Cafe in New York beginning in June 1957, leading a quartet that includedJohn Coltrane on tenor saxophone,Wilbur Ware on bass, andShadow Wilson on drums. Unfortunately little of this group's music was documented, apparently because of contractual problems (Coltrane was signed to Prestige). One studio session was made by Riverside but only later released on Jazzland; an amateur tape from the Five Spot (not the original residency, it seems, but a later 1958 reunion) was uncovered in the 1990s and issued on Blue Note. OnNovember 29 that year the quartet performed atCarnegie Hall and the concert was recorded in high fidelity by theVoice of America broadcasting service. The long-lost tape of that concert was rediscovered in the collection of theLibrary of Congress in January 2005. In 1958Johnny Griffin took Coltrane's place as tenor player in Monk's band.In 1958, Monk and de Koenigswarter were detained by police in
Wilmington, Delaware . When Monk refused to answer the policemen's questions or cooperate with them, they beat him with a blackjack. Though the police were authorized to search the vehicle and found narcotics in suitcases held in the trunk of the Baroness's car, Judge Christie of theDelaware Superior Court ruled that the unlawful detention of the pair, and the beating of Monk, rendered the consent to the search void as given under duress. "State v. De Koenigswarter", 177 A.2d 344 (Del. Super. 1962). Monk was represented byTheophilus Nix , the second African-American member of the Delaware Bar Association.Columbia Records (1962–1970)
On
February 28 ,1964 , Monk appeared on the cover of "Time" magazine, and was featured in the article, "The Loneliest Monk". [cite journal
title = The Loneliest Monk
journal = Time
volume = 83
issue = 9
publisher = Time, Inc.
date =1964-02-28
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,873856,00.html
accessdate = 2007-11-12
doi = 10.2307/779343
author = Gabbard, Krin
pages = 207 ] Monk was now signed toColumbia Records , a major label, and was promoted more widely than earlier in his career. Monk also had a regular working group, featuring the tenor saxophonistCharlie Rouse . He recorded a number of well-reviewed studio albums, particularly, "Monk's Dream " (1962) and "Underground" (1968). By the Columbia period his compositional output was much reduced. Only his final Columbia record, "Underground", featured a substantial number of new tunes, including his only waltz-time piece, "Ugly Beauty." His period with Columbia Records contains many live albums. These included "Miles and Monk at Newport " (1963), "Live at the It Club" (1964) and "Live at the Jazz Workshop" (1964). The rhythm section of Monk's quartet during the peak years (1964-1967) of his Columbia period was rounded out by Larry Gales (bass) andBen Riley (drums). Monk had disappeared from the scene by the mid-1970s and made only a small number of appearances during the final decade of his life. His last studio recordings were completed in November 1971, near the end of a worldwide tour with "The Giants of Jazz", which also includedDizzy Gillespie ,Sonny Stitt ,Art Blakey ,Kai Winding andAl McKibbon .Later life
Monk's manner was idiosyncratic. Visually, he was renowned for his distinctively "hip" sartorial style in suits, hats and sunglasses, and he developed an unusual, highly syncopated and percussive manner of playing piano. He was also noted for the fact that at times he would stop playing, stand up from the keyboard and dance while turning in a clockwise fashion, ring-shout style, while the other musicians in the combo played. Bassist
Al McKibbon , who had known Monk for over twenty years and played on his final tour in 1971, later said: "On that tour Monk said about two words. I mean literally maybe two words. He didn't say 'Good morning', 'Goodnight', 'What time?' Nothing. Why, I don't know. He sent word back after the tour was over that the reason he couldn't communicate or play was thatArt Blakey and I were so ugly." [cite news
last = Voce
first = Steve
title = Obituary: Al McKibbon
work =The Independent
publisher=Findarticles.com
date =2005-08-01
url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20050801/ai_n14828122
accessdate = 2007-11-12] A different side of Monk is revealed in Lewis Porter's biography, "John Coltrane: His Life and Music"; Coltrane states: "Monk is exactly the opposite of Miles [Davis] : he talks about music all the time, and he wants so much for you to understand that if, by chance, you ask him something, he'll spend hours if necessary to explain it to you." [cite book
last = Porter
first = Lewis
authorlink = Lewis Porter
title = John Coltrane: His Life and Music
publisher =University of Michigan Press
date = 1998
pages = 109
isbn = 0472101617]The documentary film "" (1988) attributes Monk's quirky behaviour to
mental illness . In the film, Monk's son,T.S. Monk , says that his father sometimes did not recognize him, and he reports that Monk was hospitalized on several occasions due to an unspecified mental illness that worsened in the late 1960s. No reports or diagnoses were ever publicized, but Monk would often become excited for two or three days, pace for days after that, after which he would withdraw and stop speaking. Physicians recommendedelectroconvulsive therapy as a treatment option for Monk's illness, but his family would not allow it;antipsychotic s and lithium were prescribed instead.cite journal
last = Gabbard
first = Krin
title = Evidence: Monk as Documentary Subject
journal = Black Music Research Journal
volume = 19
issue = 2
pages = 207–225
publisher = Center for Black Music Research - Columbia College Chicago
date = Autumn, 1999
doi = 10.2307/779343
url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0276-3605(199923)19%3A2%3C207%3AEMADS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L
accessdate = 2007-11-12] [cite journal
author = Spence, Sean A
title = Thelonious Monk: His Life and Music
journal =British Medical Journal
volume = 317
issue = 7166
pages = 1162A
publisher = BMJ Publishing Group
date =1998-10-24
url = http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1114134
pmid = 9784478
accessdate = 2007-11-12
doi = 10.2307/779343] Other theories abound: Leslie Gourse, author of the book "Straight, No Chaser: The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk" (1997), reports that at least one of Monk's psychiatrists failed to find evidence ofmanic depression orschizophrenia . Others blamed Monk's behavior on intentional and inadvertent drug use: Monk was unknowingly administeredLSD , and may have takenpeyote withTimothy Leary . Another physician maintains that Monk was misdiagnosed and given drugs during his hospital stay that may have caused brain damage.As his health declined, Monk's last six years were spent as a guest in the New Jersey home of his long-standing patron, Baroness
Nica de Koenigswarter , who had also nursedCharlie Parker during his final illness. Monk didn't play the piano during this time, even though one was present in his room, and he spoke to few visitors. Monk died of astroke onFebruary 17 ,1982 and was buried inFerncliff Cemetery inHartsdale, New York . Since his death, his music has been rediscovered by a wider audience and he is now counted alongside the likes ofMiles Davis ,John Coltrane ,Bill Evans , and others as a major figure in the history of jazz. In 1993, he was posthumously awarded theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award , [cite web
title = GRAMMY.com - Lifetime Achievement Award
work = Past Recipients
publisher =National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
url = http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Lifetime_Awards/
accessdate = 2007-11-12 ] and in 2006, Monk was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. [cite web
title = The Pulitzer Prizes
work = 2006 Special Award
publisher =Columbia University
url = http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2006/special-citation/
accessdate = 2007-11-12
quote = A posthumous Special Citation to American composer Thelonious Monk for a body of distinguished and innovative musical composition that has had a significant and enduring impact on the evolution of jazz.]Discography
* "
Midnight at Minton's " (c.1941, issued 1973 underDon Byas ' name. Monk does not play on all tracks of this or the other two CDs of 1941 material)
* "After Hours" (c.1941, issued 1973 underCharlie Christian 's name)
* "After Hours in Harlem " (c.1941, issued 1973 underHot Lips Page 's name
* "" (1947–1948 recordings)
* "" (1947–1952 recordings)
* "Thelonious Monk Trio " (1952)
* "Monk" (1953, reissue of 1956)
* "Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins " (1953 recordings, 1957 reissue)
* "Thelonious Monk plays the Music of Duke Ellington " (1955)
* "The Unique Thelonious Monk " (1955)
* "Brilliant Corners " (1956 recording withSonny Rollins andClark Terry )
* "Thelonious Himself " (1957)
* "Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane " (1957 recordings, 1961 issue) - Inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame in 2007. [ [http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Hall_Of_Fame/#t Grammy Hall of Fame] ]
* "Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk " (1957)
* "Monk's Music " (1957)
* "Mulligan Meets Monk " (1957, withGerry Mulligan )
* "Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall " (1957, released, 2005)
* "Thelonious in Action " and "Misterioso " (1958, live at the Five Spot withJohnny Griffin )
* "The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall " (1959,Charlie Rouse joined the band then)
* "5 by Monk by 5 " (1959)
* "Thelonious Alone in San Francisco " (1959)
* "Thelonious Monk And The Jazz Giants " (1959)
* "Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk " (1960, withCharlie Rouse )
* "Monk in France " (1961)
* "Monk's Dream " (1962)
* "Criss Cross" (1962)
* "Monk in Tokyo " (1963)
* "Miles & Monk at Newport " (1963, with unrelated 1958 Miles Davis performance)
* "Big Band and Quartet in Concert " (1963)
* "It's Monk's Time " (1964)
* "Monk (album) " (1964)
* "Solo Monk " (1964)
* "Live at the It Club " (1964)
* "Live at the Jazz Workshop " (1964)
* "Straight, No Chaser " (1966)
* "Underground" (1967)
* "Monk's Blues " (1968)
* "Something in Blue", "Nice Work in London", "Blue Sphere" and "The Man I Love" (all 1971 recordings, collected in "The London Collection " 1988, three CDs)
* "April in Paris" (1981 2-LP set of the 18 April 1961 Paris recordings)
* "Monk's Classic Recordings " (1983)
* "Blues Five Spot " (1984, unissued recordings from 1958-61, with various saxophonists and Thad Jones, cornet)
* "Monk Alone " (1998 collection of the complete Columbia solo studio recordings, 1962 - 1968)
* "The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings " (2006 collection of the 1957 studio recordings with Coltrane) - Won aGrammy Award in 1987 for Best Historical Album [ [http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=all&query=Thelonious+Monk&x=19&y=8 Grammy Award Database] ]References
External links
* [http://www.monkinstitute.org Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz]
* [http://www.jalc.org/halloffame Thelonious Monk page in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame ]
*findagrave|723
* [http://sojazz.org/monk/thelonious01.html Thelonious Monk's birth certificate]
* [http://www.monkzone.com The Official Thelonious Sphere Monk Website]
* [http://www.howardm.net/tsmonk/tsmonk.php The Thelonious Monk Website]
* [http://www.sojazz.org/monk/ Roundabout Monk: The European Monk Website]
* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=9507 Thelonious Monk at All About Jazz]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098465/ IMDb entry for "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser"]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/04/17/pulitzer-winners.html CBC.ca Article on 2006 Pulitzer Prize Winners]
* [http://www.kerouacalley.com/monk.html Thelonious Monk Multimedia Directory - Kerouac Alley]
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