1000 SONGS - DAY 346 SONG #377

DAY 346: Time for some Jazz

There is no need to introduce Thelonius Monk (1917-1982) to the wider public. An  influential figure

in the emergence of bebop at Minton's, taking Jazz from Swing to Academia, he was known for his distinctive style as a pianist and  ranks number two among the most covered jazz composers of all time. From his "Columbia years", here is a fine tune, relaxed and inspring at the same time (featuring some of those "dissonances" Monk is famous for): The  opening track of his 1967 release "Straight, No Chaser", "Locomotive". Musicians are:  Monk on piano,  Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone,   Larry Gales on bass and finally, the drummer,  Ben Riley. Miles Davis is credited to have said "Bebop was about change, about evolution. It wasn't about standing still and being safe" and "If you got up on the bandstand at Minton's and  couldn't play, you might get your ass kicked."