Thelonious Monk Archives

All posts tagged “Thelonious Monk”

The Best Thelonious Monk Albums

Thelonious Sphere Monk was a pioneer of modern jazz music. Known for his eccentricity and improvisational impishness, Monk’s performances said as much with their silences as the raw chords that dominated some of the more stripped-back ballads.

Monk was also one of the most prolific composers in the history of jazz. Throughout his career, he recorded albums for labels including Blue Note, Prestige Records, and Riverside Records. Somehow, we’ve managed to unpick all of those releases to find The Mad Monk’s 10 of the best.

The 10 Best Jazz Pianists

Here we celebrate the virtuosity, innovation and (sometimes frustrating) brilliance of jazz pianists. Throughout over a century of the genre, the piano has been a canvas for former child prodigies, creative geniuses and unconventional boundary pushers.

There have been so many incredible jazz pianists who have left an enduring mark on the genre over the years. Therefore, it is very difficult to leave out masters of the craft such as Bill Evans, Bud Powell, Fats Waller, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, plus countless others.

One, then, must resort to personal preference. It is with this that we present 10 of the very best jazz pianists to have graced the ivories.