Thursday, February 21, 2008

Thelonious Monk: “Epistrophy” (1966)



Here is Thelonius Monk (1917-1982) playing “Epistrophy” in Denmark in 1966.

Monk was a jazz pianist and composer regarded as one of the founders of bebop although his playing style evolved in different directions. His compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists, and are impossible to separate from Monk's unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations.

You can see him perform “Blue Monk” here.

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