Thelonious Monk
Piano Solo on
Off Minor

About

Thelonious Monk's piano solo is the third of 4 solos on this recording, following Ray Copeland's trumpet and before Art Blakey's closing drums statement. Spanning a chorus and a half of the 32-bar AABA form at a medium-up 155 BPM with a swing feel in G, the solo runs approximately 1:15. Monk himself takes the most extended solo at one and a half choruses, his angular piano lines and strategic use of silence creating the sense of musical architecture that distinguished his improvisational approach. Thelonious Monk was 39 to 40 years old at the time of this 1957 recording.

Thelonious Monk was 39 to 40 years old at the time.