Monk, Thelonious Sphere, 1917-1982
Variant namesHide Profile
Thelonious Sphere Monk (/θəˈloʊniəs/, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) 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's compositions and improvisations feature dissonances and angular melodic twists and are consistent with his unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations. His style was not universally appreciated; the poet and jazz critic Philip Larkin dismissed him as "the elephant on the keyboard".
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).
Monk was friends with poet Allen Ginsberg who introduced him to Timothy Leary. Monk was one of several artists Leary wanted to recruit for his studies on the effects of psilocybin in creative individuals.
Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
---|---|---|---|
referencedIn | African-American related sheet music and sheet music written by African-Americans, 1851-1974 | Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives | |
referencedIn | American Vaudeville Museum collection, 1845-2007, (bulk 1910-1940) | University of Arizona Libraries, Library Special Collections | |
creatorOf | Bill Holman Collection | National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center | |
referencedIn | Black, Ivan, d. 1979. Ivan Black papers, 1887-1979 (bulk 1937-1978) | New York Public Library System, NYPL | |
referencedIn | Bolton, Robert, 1937-1988. Robert Bolton collection, 1955-1980 (bulk 1963-1969). | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
creatorOf | Crumb, David. Variation on 'Round midnight : for piano / by David Crumb. | Washington State University, Holland and Terrell Libraries | |
referencedIn | Department of Music of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1937-1983 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives and Records Service | |
referencedIn | Duke Ellington recordings collection | Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard College Library | |
referencedIn | Eddie Locke Photographs of Jazz Musicians, 1954-1974. | Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library | |
referencedIn | Edward Beach Collection, 1940-1975, (bulk 1950-1975) | Library of Congress. Music Division |
Filters:
Relation | Name |
---|---|
associatedWith | American Museum of Vaudeville |
associatedWith | Beach, Ed |
associatedWith | Black, Ivan, d. 1979 |
associatedWith | Bolton, Robert, 1937-1988. |
associatedWith | Crumb, David. |
associatedWith | Cullen, Frank, 1936- |
associatedWith | Dodge, Joseph Jeffers |
associatedWith | Dodge, Joseph Jeffers |
associatedWith | Ginsberg, Allen |
associatedWith | Jeffrey, Paul, 1933- |
Person
Birth 1917-10-10
Death 1982-02-17
Americans
English
Variant Names
Shared Related Resources
Monk, Thelonious Sphere, 1917-1982
Monk, Thelonious Sphere, 1917-1982 | Title |
---|