Thelonious Monk was a little-known figure on the New York City bebop scene when Blue Note founder Alfred Lion discovered and fell in love with the pianist’s utterly unique music and offered Monk his first opportunity to record as a leader.
Over four sessions recorded in 1947 and 1948, Blue Note documented Monk in trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet settings performing his singular compositions including “’Round Midnight,” “Ruby My Dear,” “Epistrophy,” “Well You Needn’t,” and “Thelonious”.