"Nutty" was recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe in New York City on August 7, 1958, and appears on Thelonious Monk's album Misterioso. This whimsical Monk composition in B-flat features a 32-bar AABA form played at a medium swing tempo, with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin delivering two spirited choruses followed by Monk's own two-chorus piano solo. Griffin, known as the "fastest tenor in the world" for his breathtaking technical facility, channels his prodigious speed into a solo of wit and invention that perfectly complements Monk's quirky composition. Monk's piano solo is characteristically angular and unpredictable, his use of space, dissonant intervals, and rhythmic displacement creating a musical experience unlike any other pianist in jazz. The live setting at the Five Spot, where Monk's quartet held a legendary residency, captures the spontaneous energy and audience interaction that studio recordings often miss. Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Roy Haynes on drums provide a buoyant rhythmic foundation, with Haynes's crisp, dynamic drumming proving an ideal match for Monk's rhythmic eccentricities.
