Thelonious Monk
Piano Solo on
Let's Cool One

About

Thelonious Monk's piano solo is the second of two improvisations on this recording, following Griffin's extended five-chorus tenor saxophone statement. Taking two choruses of the 32-bar AABA form in E-flat at 131 BPM, Monk delivers a characteristically elliptical improvisation on his own composition. His solo provides a striking contrast to Griffin's torrential approach, Monk's use of space, dissonance, and rhythmic displacement creating a world of meaning from far fewer notes.

Thelonious Monk was 40 to 41 years old at the time.