Thelonious Monk

Biography

Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a pioneering American jazz pianist and composer known for his distinctive improvisational style and compositions that featured dissonances and angular melodies. As one of the most recorded jazz composers in history, Monk's unique playing style combined percussive attack with dramatic pauses, silences, and hesitations, leaving an indelible mark on modern jazz.