Boo Boo's Birthday is an instrumental jazz tune by Thelonious Monk, who is its only credited writer. It has no lyrics and is written in a 21-bar AAB form, in the bop style. The title honours "Boo Boo", the nickname of Monk's daughter Barbara Evelyn Monk (1953-1984).
The original recording was made on 21 December 1967 by the Thelonious Monk Quartet, with Monk on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums. It was released on the album Underground (Columbia, May 1968), Monk's seventh studio album for Columbia, produced by Teo Macero. Monk recorded the piece only once in the studio, and the Underground Special Edition adds alternate takes. The album was reviewed by DownBeat (4/5), the Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (4/5) and the Penguin Guide to Jazz (4/4). Many jazz musicians have since recorded the tune.
