Hackensack is a 1954 instrumental jazz tune by Thelonious Monk. It was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio in New Jersey and released on Monk’s 1954 album Monk. The original session features Ray Copeland on trumpet, Frank Foster on sax, Curly Russell on bass and Art Blakey on drums; a 1965 version adds Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales and Ben Riley. Named after the Hackensack, New Jersey location, the piece is known for Monk’s rough-edged, exploratory playing, a playful yet dissonant melody and a swinging bluesy feel. As Joe Henry described, Hackensack is “the sound of a man completely in control of his powers, but down on his knees like a kid, painting with his fingers.”
