Blue Monk is a Thelonious Monk composition from 1954 that stands as one of his simplest, most singable blues tunes. Written in Bb major as a 12-bar blues, its memorable melody is built on a four-note chromatic rise that Monk uses as the springboard for his improvisations. Monk first recorded it on September 22, 1954 with Art Blakey on drums and Percy Heath on bass, in a session that produced the Thelonious Monk Trio album. The piece quickly became a favorite of Monk, who reportedly considered it his own favorite composition, and it remains a cornerstone of his early piano style, an accessible, lyrical blues vehicle that even New Orleans street bands play. A famous 1958 Newport performance is captured in Jazz on a Summer’s Day, and the tune has been recorded in many settings from the Monk quartet to trios and larger groups. Vocals were added later when Abbey Lincoln wrote lyrics for the piece, debuting as Monkery’s the Blues in 1961; Carmen McRae later recorded Lincoln’s lyric version in 1995 on Carmen Sings Monk, and Karrin Allyson included it in a Monk medley in 1997. The tune has inspired a wide range of interpretations by artists such as Coltrane, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse and Pee Wee Russell, and it remains a touchstone of the jazz blues and bebop repertoire.
