Quote of the Day: Happy Birthday Thelonious Monk: October 10, 1917
“I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you’re doing, even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years.”
~ Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk, a jazz pianist and composer, was considered one of the giants of American music. Although he can be counted among the early pioneers of the jazz style known as bebop, his music was distinctive, fresh, and unique. Known for his outlandish dress—suits, hats, sunglasses—he would spontaneously get up from the piano and dance, more like swaying ecstatically while gazing into space. Monk would often become exited, pace back and forth, and withdraw and stop speaking, reminding me of the Indian saint, Bhagawan Nityananda. You can listen to Monk's music all day, every October 10, on WKCR.org