Robin Kelley - Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original

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Praise for Thelonious Monk

Extraordinary and heroically detailed... I doubt there will be a biography anytime soon that is as textured, thorough and knowing as Kelleys. The genius of modern music has gotten the passionate, and compassionate, advocate he deserves.

August Kleinzahler, The New York Times

A massive and impressive undertaking... Thoroughly researched, meticulously footnoted, and beautifully crafted, Thelonious Monk presents the most complete, most revealing portrait ever assembled of the man known as the high priest of bebop.

Steve Greenlee, The Boston Globe

Every step of Monks musical journey is teased out in meticulous detail... whether hes charting the highs or lows of Monks emotional swings, Kelley rarely strays from his central theme of an extraordinary talent pushing against the boundaries of his art.

Publishers Weekly

A wealth of historical context is richly studded with details of Monks family background and the broader world in which he lived and worked... Likely the most thorough possible illumination of the man behind the legend.

Library Journal

An omnibus of myth busting.

Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

Thelonious Monk was a true original... This affectionate biography fills in the fascinating and heart-wrenching backstory of an artist the world has always longed to know better.

The Christian Science Monitor

Robin D. G. Kelleys exhaustive, necessary, and as of now definitive [book] offers a Baedeker of sorts... Kelley has created a lush portrait of the private, off-camera Monk, one it would have been difficult to paint without the unprecedented access he had to the Monk family.

David Yaffe, The Nation

This is an authoritative tome that pulls aside, without completely lifting, the shroud of mystery that has long surrounded one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of jazz.

Russ Musto, AllAboutJazz.com

As complete a picture of this complex, original and enigmatic artist as possible... this very welcome book is certain to be a go-to reference.

Down Beat

A seminal examination of the man and his music.

The Bay State Banner

Kelley hopes to balance Monks brilliance and historic achievements with his quirks and serious problems (bipolar disorder) to take the true measure of the man. Dedicated readers of jazz history and students of Cold War and Civil Rights Era culture wont be disappointed.

New Haven Advocate

Robin Kelleys new biography Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is a breath of fresh air among the biographies of our legendary jazz musicians. This book is thorough, detailed, and written with a true affinity for Monks humaneness and creative musical output. It fills in the missing pieces about the growth of the jazz scene in New York through the forties, fifties, and sixties, detailing each step of Monks developmentwho passed through his bands, what gigs he played, and what happened on those scenes. Its an invaluable and close look at the center of the worlds most important creative musical developments in those decades: New York City.

Chick Corea

Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is one of the most anticipated books in jazz scholarship, and well worth the wait. Robin D. G. Kelley represents one of this generations most important voices equipped with the knowledge, passion, and respect for both jazz and jazz musicians required to interpret the many details and nuances of Thelonious Monks life. This compelling book will both challenge old assumptions and inspire new assessments of the life and legacy one of the worlds greatest musicians.

Geri Allen, pianist, composer, and Associate Professor of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation, University of Michigan

Powerful, enraging, and enduring... In Robin Kelleys finely grained and surely definitive life-and-times study, Thelonious Monk, an American original, has found an original biographer.

David Levering Lewis, biographer of W. E. B. Du Bois and Pulitzer Prize winner

An honest and eloquent treatment of one of our most important artists, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is a stunning tour de force! It is the most comprehensive treatment of Monks life to date. Furthermore, in Monks story, Kelley has found the perfect medium to shed light on a nations, and a peoples, history and persistent quest for freedom. In so doing he has given us a book that is as bold, brilliant, and beautiful as Monk and his music.

Farah Jasmine Griffin, author of If You Cant Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday

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Copyright 2009 by Robin D. G. Kelley

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

First Free Press trade paperback edition November 2010

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Cover design by Anna Laytham

Cover photograph by Michael Ochs Archives/Stringer/Getty Images

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009008526

ISBN 978-0-684-83190-9

ISBN 978-1-4391-9046-3 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-4391-9049-4 (ebook)

I Need You So: lyrics by Thelma Elizabeth Murray, music by Thelonious Monk. Copyright 1943 Thelonious Monk Estate. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Round Midnight: lyrics by Bernie Hanighen, music by Cootie Williams and Thelonious Monk. Copyright 1944 (Renewed) WB Music Corp. and Thelonious Music Corp. Used by permission.

Monkerys the Blues: lyrics by Abbey Lincoln, music by Thelonious Monk. Copyright 1961 (Renewed) Thelonious Music Corp. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A Merrier Christmas: music and lyrics by Thelonious Monk. Copyright 1978. Used by permission. All rights reserved.