Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer.
He was known for his unique improvisational style and many contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including his classic work 'Round Midnight. While Monk is often regarded as a founder of bebop, his playing style evolved away from the form.
Little is known about Monk's early life. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of Thelonious and Barbara Monk, with a sister named Marian who was two years older. The 1920 US Federal Census lists Thelonious and his father (a laborer) as "Theloins". Monk started playing the piano at the age of six, and while he had some formal training he was essentially self-taught.
By 1930 the family had moved to Manhattan, and Monk attended Stuyvesant High School, but did not graduate.
He briefly toured with an evangelist in his teens, playing the church organ, and in his late teens he began to find work playing jazz; he is believed to be the pianist on some recordings Jerry Newman made around 1941 at Minton's Playhouse, the legendary Manhattan club where Monk had been hired as the house pianist. His style at the time is described as "hard-swinging", with the addition of runs in the style of Art Tatum. Monk's stated influences include Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and other early stride pianists.
Monk's unique piano style was largely perfected during his stint as the house pianist at Minton's in the early-to-mid 1940s, when he participated in the famous after-hours "cutting competitions" that featured most of the leading jazz soloists of the day. The Minton's scene was crucial in the formulation of the bebop genre and it brought Monk into close contact and collaboration with other leading exponents of bebop including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and John Coltrane.
