Thelonious Monk
Piano Solo on
Nutty

About

Thelonious Monk's piano solo is the closing of 2 solos on this recording, following John Coltrane's tenor sax. Spanning two choruses of the 32-bar AABA form at a moderate 139 BPM with a swing feel in B♭, the solo runs approximately 1:51. Monk follows with two piano choruses that are models of economy and surprise, his improvisation filled with unexpected pauses, percussive chord stabs, and melodic fragments that seem to deconstruct and reassemble the tune in real time. 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.