Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monkwas an American jazz pianist and composer. Monk 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 1,000 pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPianist
Date of Birth10 October 1917
CityRocky Mount, NC
CountryUnited States of America
Be-bop wasn't developed in any deliberate way.
Anybody talented in any way - they're called eccentric.
Everyone is influenced by everybody but you bring it down home the way you feel it.
I guess, you know, if I didn't make it with the piano, I guess I would've been the biggest bum.
I'd go stupid collecting and counting my money.
I find my inspiration in myself.
We have two kids, my wife and myself.
I can shoot pool, and I can play ping-pong. I'm pretty good at those games.
I made the wrong mistakes
Man, that cat [Ornette Coleman] is nuts.
I never though much about race.
Everybody in all countries tries to play jazz.
Jazz is my adventure.
All musicians are potential band leaders.