Thelonious Monk - Blue Monk

Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917–1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer considered one of the giants of American music. Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. He was born in Rocky Mount, NC to Thelonious and Barbara Monk. Monk is the second most recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed over 1,000 songs while Monk only wrote about 70. Often regarded as a founder of bebop, Monk's playing later evolved away from that style. Monk's manner was idiosyncratic. Visually, he was renowned for his distinctive style in suits, hats and sunglasses. He was also noted for the fact that at times, 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. 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. Much of his quirkiness was attributed to a possible mental illness. 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. 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. As his health declined, Monk's last six years were spent as a guest in the New Jersey home of his long-standing patron and friend, Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, who had also nursed Charlie 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. He died of a stroke on February 17th, 1982, and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY. This is "Blue Monk" from his 1957 release Thelonious Monk Trio.

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