Monk didnвЂ™t give much instruction or direction to his band, and musicians sometimes had a hard time following. Some of his contributions include : вЂAsk Me NowвЂ™, вЂLittle Rootie TootieвЂ™, вЂEvidenceвЂ™, вЂRhythm-A-NingвЂ™, and вЂWell You NeednвЂ™tвЂ™. He was an absolute master of the AABA form. I can dig the rhythm better.вЂќ The media had a tendency to report on his bizarre habits more frequently than his musical endeavors.Д®ach of MonkвЂ™s compositions have a personality that can be difficult for a perfomer to bring out, despite their seemingly simple qualities. When asked about it, Monk replied, вЂњI get tired of sitting at the piano. Some suggest that MonkвЂ™s dancing was almost as great as his writing or playing.

His eyes are hooded with an abstract sleepiness, his lips are pursed in a meditative O,вЂќ describes Barry Farrell in his 1964 Time Magazine article. His head rolls back until hat brim meets collar, while with both hands he twists his goatee into a sharp black scabbard. His feet stir in a soft shuffle, spinning him slowly in small circles. вЂњвЂ¦he would rise from the piano to perform his Monkish dance. He was criticized for dressing unusually, wearing strange hats, eyeglasses and topcoats (even when indoors).Дuring gigs, Monk often got up and danced while the rest of the band was playing. During interviews he seemed aloof and would often go for days without speaking to a soul. He made no distinction between seriousness and humor in his musical statements, and critics easily dismissed him. Monk was indeed eccentric, both in his playing and social habits. It took nearly a generation for MonkвЂ™s more obscure pieces to become a regular part of jazz repertoire. His playing sounded rough and angular in comparison to someone like his friend Bud Powell. Monk, in contrast, embraced space and simplicity in his playing and was able to outline his pieces with a minimal amount of notes. Many bebop players of MonkвЂ™s time were playing fast, smooth rhythms, trying to fit in the maximum number of notes. His playing was so unique and so self-contained that many jazz musicians and listeners didnвЂ™t know what to make of it. He knew exactly what he wanted to play and how he wanted to play it. Some people speculate that a reason for his sour harmonies are a result of early attempts at playing stride when his hands were still too small to hit a clean octave. By using uncommon substitutions and displacing the harmonic rhythm, MonkвЂ™s chords have a sense of deliberate conflict. While Parker and Gillespie liked to hear these types of chord sequences as background for their solos, Monk seems to have taken TatumвЂ™s approach to another level.

Many of MonkвЂ™s harmonic ideas were influenced by Art Tatum, whose chords were strengthened by the use of varied voicings, added notes, passing chords and substitutions. Unusual approaches to harmony, melody, and rhythm give Monk a particular asymmetry that continues to be a heavy influence on the music scene. Thelonious Monk is always mentioned with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie as a founder of modern jazz, but MonkвЂ™s style is not at all like the other musicians of his time. Thelonious Monk QuartetвЂ™s 1963 album on Columbia Records.

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