Thelonious Monk
born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (1917), but grew up in New York City. He started piano lessons as a kid and by age 13, he had won the weekly amateur night contest at the Apollo Theater so many times that he was no longer allowed to compete. In the '40s he started making recordings, and in the '50s he came out with two of his most popular albums, Brilliant Corners and Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. His most famous compositions include "Round About Midnight," "Straight No Chaser," "Blue Monk," and "Misterioso."
From American Public Media
“A genius is the one most like himself.”
Thelonious Monk
“You've been making the wrong mistakes.”
Thelonious Monk
“I’m famous. Ain’t that a bitch?”
Thelonious Monk
“Where’s jazz going? I don’t know. Maybe it’s going to hell. You can’t make anything go anywhere. It just happens.”
Thelonious Monk
“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.”
Thelonious Monk
“The piano ain't got no wrong notes.”
Thelonious Monk