Thelonious Monk

American jazz pianist and composer (born: 10 October 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA; died: 17 February 1982 in Weehawken, New Jersey, USA, aged 64).

A performer with an idiosyncratic improvisational style who made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire and is the most recorded composer in the genre after Duke Ellington. He is often regarded as one of the founders of bebop. Monk's compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists. His unorthodox approach to the piano combines a highly percussive attack with abrupt, use of silence and dramatic pauses.