Thelonious Monk
- Type: Classic Bandleader
- Country: United States
- Born: October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States
- Died: February 17, 1982 in Weehawken, NJ, United States
Biography
Thelonious Monk was a foundational architect of modern jazz, whose singular approach to the piano and composition created a new musical language. His style is defined by its percussive attack, angular melodies, dissonant harmonies, and brilliant use of space and silence. As the house pianist at Minton's Playhouse in the 1940s, he was central to the birth of bebop. His compositions, including ''Round Midnight', 'Straight, No Chaser', and 'Blue Monk', have become essential standards. After years of obscurity, his work for labels like #Blue Note#, #Riverside#, and #Columbia# eventually brought him worldwide acclaim, cementing his status as one of America's greatest composers.
Genres
Thelonious Monk Discography
- In Walked Bud / Epistrophy (1948) - Single - rated 4.38/5
- 'Round About Midnight / Well You Needn't (1948) - Single - rated 4.46/5
- Ruby My Dear / Evidence (1948) - Single - rated 4.09/5
- Genius of Modern Music (1951) - Compilation - rated 5/5
- Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2 (1951) - Compilation - rated 4.55/5
- Thelonious (1952) - Album - rated 4.55/5
- Piano Solo (1954) - Album - rated 4/5
- Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP (1954) - Album - rated 3.62/5
- Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins (1954) - Compilation - rated 4.2/5
- Thelonious Monk Quintet (1954) - Album - rated 3.39/5
- Thelonious Monk Trio (1954) - Album - rated 4.55/5
- Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington (1955) - Album - rated 3.6/5
- Thelonious Monk Plays (1955) - Compilation - rated 3.63/5
- The Unique (1956) - Album - rated 3.53/5
- Genius of Modern Music, Volume One (1956) - Compilation - rated 4.39/5
- Genius of Modern Music, Volume Two (1956) - Compilation - rated 4.39/5
- Monk's Music (1957) - Album - rated 4.83/5
- Thelonious Himself (1957) - Album - rated 3.57/5
- Brilliant Corners (1957) - Album - rated 4.36/5
- Misterioso (1958) - Album - rated 4.5/5
- Thelonious in Action (1958) - Album - rated 4.16/5
- The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (1959) - Album - rated 4.17/5
- 5 By Monk By 5 (1959) - Album - rated 4.55/5
- Thelonious Monk Quartet Plus Two at the Blackhawk (1960) - Album - rated 4.04/5
- Thelonious Alone in San Francisco (1960) - Album - rated 4.01/5
- Monk's Dream (1962) - Album - rated 4.38/5
- Two Hours With Thelonious: European Concerts by Thelonious Monk (1963) - Album - rated 3.6/5
- Criss-Cross (1963) - Album - rated 4.55/5
- It's Monk's Time (1964) - Album - rated 4.12/5
- Solo Monk (1965) - Album - rated 4/5
- Monk. (1965) - Album - rated 4.03/5
- Straight, No Chaser (1967) - Album - rated 5/5
- Underground (1968) - Album - rated 5/5
- Monk's Blues (1969) - Album - rated 3.75/5
- Monk's Greatest Hits (1969) - Compilation - rated 4.13/5
- Live at the It Club (1982) - Album - rated 4.62/5
- Monkism (1998) - Album - rated 3.56/5
- Monk Alone: The Complete Columbia Solo Studio Recordings 1962-68 (1998) - Compilation
- Ken Burns Jazz: The Definitive Thelonious Monk (2000) - Compilation - rated 4.18/5
- The Complete Prestige Recordings (2000) - Compilation - rated 4.24/5
- The Columbia Years '62-'68 (2001) - Compilation - rated 4.21/5
Members
- Thelonious Monk - piano (1940–1976)
- Charlie Rouse - tenor saxophone (1959–1970)
- Larry Gales - bass (1964–1969)
- Ben Riley - drums (1964–1967)
- Lou Donaldson - alto saxophone
- Lucky Thompson - tenor saxophone
- Percy Heath - bass
- Kenny Clarke - drums