Thelonious Monk
Biography:
Thelonious Monk was born October 10th, 1917, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He is a legendary jazz pianist, who inhabited a style unlike anything ever heard before. With him going against the curve of typical modern piano playing, he experienced objection. However, for that same reason he is known as one of the greatest jazz pianists to ever live. At the age of four, Monk and his family moved to New York where he spent the next few decades. As a boy, he studied classical piano later, winning a competition at the Apollo Theater. He attended Stuyvesant high school before dropping out to pursue his music career. With his determination to experiment, he usually played in quartets to embrace his creativity. In the year 1941, Monk began playing at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, where he played bebop, which was gaining popularity during the early 1940's. A few years later, he joined the Coleman Hawkins quartet creating his master piece Round Midnight in the same year. Soon after, Monk began to play with Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra, leading up to his first record deal with blue note. In 1947, Monk recorded through Blue Note Records including records such as Evidence and Criss Cross. During this time, he also played with Charlie Parker recording records such as Bloomdido. After 5 years of recording for Blue Note Records, Monk receive a contract through Prestige Records in 1952. He primarily recorded during this time, including an original blues called Blue Monk. Although he didn't indulge in live performance often during this time, Monk proceeded to record with legendary jazz musicians such as Miles Davis and also recording an album with Sonny Rollins. In 1955, Monk's contract with Prestige Records was release to Riverside Records. During his time under this label, he recorded three albums of his own, as well as, an album with Art Blakey for Atlantic Records. Throughout the 1950's, Monk made himself known as one of the most eclectic jazz improvisers, really putting his dent into the modern jazz style. In the 1960's, Monk was at the peak of his popularity in the jazz world, earning himself a contract with Columbia Records. His fame even earned him the honor of covering Time Magazine, being 1 of only 4 jazz musicians to do so. During this time he toured internationally to places such as Europe, Japan, and Mexico. In the 1970's, he was considered one of the giants of jazz along side jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey. Monk passed away February 17th, 1982, in Englewood, New Jersey. He had an extremely unique way of playing that many musicians disagreed with. However, over time, Monk created a sound that is undeniably distinct. He created this reputation with relentless rhythmic surprises, incorporating cluster chords often, along with other developed ideas that were more than just decorative chord changes. Although musicians have adopted his ideas and style, nobody has yet embodied his meticulous yet introverted style of playing.
