Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist, one of the founding figures of Bebop and the only jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time Magazine.

Known for his eccentric timing and adventurous harmony, Monk cut a unique figure in jazz. Some have questioned the degree to which his unusual music merely reflected his well-attested mental health issues, whilst others have found it liberating.

Some have questioned whether he should be considered a Bebop musician at all - his painstaking melodicism does seem at odds with the virtuosity of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and it may be that ultimately the only thing he shared with them was the desire to reclaim jazz from the commercialism of Swing.

Popular Monk tunes include Well You Needn't, Epistrophy, Misterioso, Blue Monk and Round Midnight.

References

http://www.monkinstitute.com/monk.html