Thelonious Monk 1947

Thelonious Monk 1947, hand-illustrated, playing piano at Minton’s Playhouse, Manhattan, New York, 1947, age 30.

Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including “‘Round Midnight”, “Blue Monk”, “Straight, No Chaser”, “Ruby, My Dear”, “In Walked Bud”, and “Well, You Needn’t”.
Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.

Monk was renowned for a distinct look which included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He was also noted for an idiosyncratic habit during performances: while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano.
Monk is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine (the others being Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington and Wynton Marsalis).

Often referred to as “the Picasso of Bebop”, or the “High Priest Of Bop”, Monk helped to push jazz to a new era and beyond. Considered a genuis in his field of music.

On a side note, he was also an expert in chess and checkers.

Later in life as his health declined, Monk’s quirky behavior was attributed to some evidence of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, but his mental disorders were never completely diagnosed.
He died at age 64 of a stroke on February 17, 1982.

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