The Rough Guide To Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk was one of the most innovative and idiosyncratic figures in jazz history. A true originator he collaborated with some of the finest jazz musicians of all time including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis.

This compilation features many of Monk’s standards including Blue Monk, Round Midnight and Straight No Chaser. Almost from the outset the pianist pursued a singular artistic vision as player and composer and played a key part in the birth of the music which emerged from New York City in the mid-1940s, which, with its new harmonic and rhythmic ideas, ultimately became known as bebop. By the time of his passing in 1982 he’d long established a classic canon, many of which are included here and are a fitting tribute to Monk in 2017, his centennial year.