Thelonious Monk - (1917 - 1982) Thelonious
Monk was part of that small but select group of jazz musicians
who were responsible for the birth of a new kind of jazz
- bebop. In his teens he met Mary Lou Williams, a fine
jazz pianist who became a lifelong friend and a major
inspiration. By the early 1940's he was playing Harlem
clubs like Minton's and Monroe's Uptown House with fellow
innovators Kenny Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
In the mid 40's he led groups under his own name, worked
with Coleman Hawkins, and was with the Dizzy Gillespie
Orchestra for a while; but he did not work regularly until
the mid 50's when he finally became recognised for the
contribution he had made to the new jazz and started recording
some remarkable albums for Riverside. In 1962 he began
recording for Columbia. During the 60's he led a quartet
featuring Charlie Rouse on tenor, a group which recorded
and toured extensively. He retired from touring and recording
in the early seventies. His last recordings were made
in Europe in November 1971 while on a 'Giants of Jazz'
tour for George Wein. His piano playing and his compositions
have an oddness about them, a strange angularity that
is not always easily assimilated, but pays back dividends
for those willing to listen. Many of his recordings are
of his own compositions but his treatment of Tin Pan Alley
standards like "Tea for Two", "Liza", and "Memories of
You" show his unique approach to the keyboard.
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