Bebop pioneers Thelonious Monk and drummer Kenny Clarke co-wrote "Epistrophy" in 1941 while both were part of the house band at Minton's Playhouse, the legendary Harlem venue where bebop was born. Clarke developed the main melodic theme while experimenting with a ukulele, and Monk contributed the chord progression. Originally titled "Fly Right," the composition's name refers to a literary device of repetition echoed in the melody's structure, and it became one of bebop's most enduring standards.
