There are a number of reasons I like Monk, not the least of which is his unique style of playing. If you listen to any Monk recording you'll hear some pretty unusual stuff, like how he plays the piano very percussively and how he uses silence and hesitation to add character to the music. He was also known for using a lot of dissonance and angular melodies. Another of the things about Thelonious Monk that made him so great was his attitude and personality. He seems to me to be the epitome of the crazy, cool musician. He was an unusual dude... weird even. While somebody else would be soloing, it wasn't unusual for Monk to just stand up and spin clockwise instead of comping. Or if you watch his feet while he's playing he is usually going nuts and just totally getting into the music. He also looked pretty unusual. He would almost always wear some strange hat and sometimes sunglasses as well. Later in life he had a pretty wicked beard, too.
At least some of his strangeness could probably be attributed to mental illness. His son, T.S. Monk (short for Thelonious Sphere Monk III) said that sometimes his father wouldn't even recognize him later in his life. There are a number of theories as to how and why Monk was mentally ill. Some people suggest that he probably had schizophrenia or manic depression. One physician stated that Monk was probably misdiagnosed and prescribed drugs that caused brain damage. Sometimes he would become very excited for a few days followed by long periods of pacing, and finally go into a stage where he wouldn't speak for days. Bassist Al McKibbon, who had known Monk for over twenty years and played on his final tour in 1971, said: "On that tour Monk said about two words. I mean literally maybe two words. He didn't say 'Good morning', 'Goodnight', 'What time?' Nothing. Why, I don't know. He sent word back after the tour was over that the reason he couldn't communicate or play was that Art Blakey and I were so ugly."
Thelonious Monk began playing piano at the age of six. He had some formal training, and he would eavesdrop on his sister's piano lessons, but he was mostly self-taught. He dropped out of high school and started playing the organ for an evangelist preacher. In his late teens he started finding work playing jazz. He got involved in the jazz scene at Minton's Playhouse, a nightclub in Manhattan. While playing there Monk got to know some of the other leading jazz musicians of the time including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and later Miles Davis among others. It was also during this time that Monk and some of the others began to originate what is now known as bebop. Monk is quoted as saying, "Bebop wasn't developed in any deliberate way."
During his life Monk became one of the most respected and remarkable jazz musicians ever. He is the second most recorded jazz composer with about 70 songs (Duke Ellington who is #1 in that respect has over 1000). Monk is also one of only five jazz musicians to have appeared on the cover of Time (the other four being Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, and Dave Brubeck).
Okay, enough with the music lesson. Here are a few clips of Monk playing. Enjoy!
Blue Monk (Oslo, April 1966)
Evidence (includes bits of rehearsal, song starts around 2:45)
Round About Midnight
Bemsha Swing (taken from 1957s "Brilliant Corners")
It Don't Mean a Thing (Duke Ellington)
I Love You Sweetheart of All My Dreams
