Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Sphere Monk (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, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than a thousand pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70.
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.
(Read more at Wikipedia)
== Links to Peel ==
Monk was one of the modern jazz artists who had some appeal to 1960s rock musicians, for his uncoventional, "hip" image as much as for his music. Bob Dylan, in his book Chronicles, describes how as a young folksinger in New York he met the pianist in the Blue Note club in 1961 and listened to him play, As Wikipedia points out, Monk knew 1960s figures like poet Allen Ginsberg and advocate of psychedelics Timothy Leary - although most jazz critics regard his best period as the 1950s. 
His music was too complex and personal to interest younger jazz-rock listeners, despite CBS's attempt to promote him with that audience in mind (with the 1968 LP "Underground"). Among musicians, his admirers included Ray Manzarek of the Doors, who included a quote from Monk's "Well, You Needn't" in his solo on the track "We Could Be So Good Together".
Later, the pianist's best-known composition, "Round Midnight", became the theme tune of Brian Matthew's late-night BBC radio programme of the same name. Peel played a few tracks by Monk on his shows from the 1980s on, including collaborations with other artists. One of Peel's favourite groups in the 80's, the Brilliant Corners named themselves after the title track of a famous 1957 album by Thelonious Monk.
== Shows Played ==
;thumb|330x330px1987
*02 December 1987: Eronel (album - Milt Jackson With John Lewis, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke, Lou Donaldson And The Thelonious Monk Quintet) Blue Note
;1993
*23 October 1993: Evidence (2xLP - Live At The It Club) Columbia
;2003
*19 March 2003: Well, You Needn't (7": Round About Midnight) Blue Note
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists