RIP, Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)

Jazz pianist Thelonious Monk died of a stroke on February 17, 1982, in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 64 years old.  Monk is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. In 1993, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2006, he was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.

Monk was one of the greatest jazz pianists ever, a founder of bebop, and according to some sources, the second most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington. In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends three albums by Monk:

• The Complete Genius (Blue Note), available only on vinyl. (Purchase at amazon.com.)
  
• Brilliance (Milestone), available only on vinyl and hard to find at that.
  
• Pure Monk (Mileston), available only on vinyl. (Purchase at amazon.com.)
  

Jim Determan, who has updated the Lyons list, recommends these alternatives in CD format:

• The Genius of Modern Music, Volume 1 (Blue Note) (Purchase at Barnes & Noble)
  
• The Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2 (Blue Note) (Purchase at Barnes & Noble)
  
• Brilliant Corners (Riverside) (Purchase at Barnes & Noble)
  
• Five by Five by Monk (Riverside) (Purchase at Barnes & Noble)
  
• Alone in San Francisco (Original Jazz Classics) (Purchase at Barnes & Noble)
  
• Thelonious Himself (Riverside) (Purchase at Barnes & Noble)
  

Monk plays "Round About Midnight" here:

Robert
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