From the mind of brilliant historian Robin Kelley comes the first full biography of legendary jazz musician Thelonious Monk, including full access to the family's archives, dozens of interviews, and an afterword for Monkโs 2017 centennial.
Thelonious Monk is the critically acclaimed, gripping saga of an artistโs struggle to โmake itโ without compromising his musical vision. It is a story that, like its subject, reflects the tidal ebbs and flows of American history in the twentieth century.
To his fans, he was the ultimate hipster; to his detractors, he was temperamental, eccentric, taciturn, or childlike. His angular melodies and dissonant harmonies shook the jazz world to its foundations, ushering in the birth of โbebopโ and establishing Monk as one of Americaโs greatest comยญposers.
Elegantly written and rich with humor and pathos, Thelonious Monk is the definitive work on modern jazzโs most original composer.