Thelonious Monk and his legacy

Thelonious Monk was one of the most significant jazz musicians ever. Monk was a pianist and he was a composer. His legacy to the world of jazz cannot easily be underestimated. There is even speculation that his works have been recorded more often than the works of any other jazz composer in history. Monk had a very distinct style of improvisation, and many of his recordings are staples of any good jazz collection. While he founded bebop, his later work took jazz in new and different directions.

Thelonious Monk's recording legacy includes a great number of jazz classics. In 1947 Monk recorded the album Blue Note, demonstrating to the entire jazz world just how talented a composer he really was. While this album did not do very well commercially, it is considered by some today to be the most prized of all of Monk's recordings. In 1956, Monk recorded Brilliant Corners. Brilliant Corners, the title track, featured Sonny Rollins on the tenor sax. This album was Monk's first truly successful album. This, however, would be just the beginning of Monk's legacy.

Perhaps the peak of Monk's jazz career came on February 28 of 1964, On that day, Monk was featured on the Time magazine cover. Also during the period surrounding the Time cover, he recorded three live albums, including "Live at the It Club," "Miles and Monk at Newport," (Recorded along with jazz legend Miles Davis) as well as "Live at the Jazz Workshop." By the end of the 1970s, however, Monk had virtually disappeared from public view.

Monk's life was not without controversy, however. Several times, Monk was arrested on drug charges. There has been speculation that Monk suffered from some form of mental illness, such as bipolar disorder.

Monk died on February 17, 1982 in New York. In recent years, Monk has been rediscovered. He has been given a rightful place in the jazz pantheon alongside jazz greats John Coltrane and Miles Davis. In fact, Thelonious Monk's work has enjoyed more commercial success since his death than it did while he was living.

Posthumously, Monk was give a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award and a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his contributions to jazz music.