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Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original Paperback – Illustrated, November 2, 2010

by Robin D. G. Kelley (Author)
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From the mind of brilliant historian Robin Kelley comes the first full biography of legendary jazz musician Thelonious Monk, including full access to the family's archives, dozens of interviews, and an afterword for Monk’s 2017 centennial.

Thelonious Monk is the critically acclaimed, gripping saga of an artist’s struggle to “make it” without compromising his musical vision. It is a story that, like its subject, reflects the tidal ebbs and flows of American history in the twentieth century.

To his fans, he was the ultimate hipster; to his detractors, he was temperamental, eccentric, taciturn, or childlike. His angular melodies and dissonant harmonies shook the jazz world to its foundations, ushering in the birth of “bebop” and establishing Monk as one of America’s greatest com­posers.

Elegantly written and rich with humor and pathos, Thelonious Monk is the definitive work on modern jazz’s most original composer.
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  1. Print length
    624 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 2, 2010
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    9781439190463
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1439190463
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Monk’s story, from roots in slavery, to the Great Migration north, to the cultural explosions of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, encapsulates a vivid tableau of twentieth-century American life and music. This biography is, at its best, a fitting tribute to one of America’s most original and lasting creative geniuses."
—The Sacramento Book Review

"...extraordinary and heroically detailed... I doubt there will be a biography anytime soon that is as textured, thorough and knowing as Kelley's. The 'genius of modern music' has gotten the passionate and compassionate advocate he deserves."
—August Kleinzahler, The New York Times Book Review

"An omnibus of myth busting."
—Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

"...a massive and impressive undertaking... Thoroughly researched, meticulously footnoted, and beautifully crafted, Thelonious Monk presents the most complete, most revealing portrait ever assembled of the man known as the high priest of bebop."
—Steve Greenlee, The Boston Globe

"Every step of Monk's musical journey is teased out in meticulous detail...whether he's charting the highs or lows of Monk's emotional swings, Kelley rarely strays from his central theme of an extraordinary talent pushing against the boundaries of his art."
—Publishers Weekly

"A wealth of historical context is richly studded with details of Monk's family background and the broader world in which he lived and worked... Likely the most thorough possible illumination of the man behind the legend."
—Library Journal

"Thelonious Monk was a true original… This affectionate biography fills in the fascinating and heart-wrenching backstory of an artist the world has always longed to know better."
—The Christian Science Monitor

"Robin D. G. Kelley’s exhaustive, necessary, and as of now definitive [book] offers a Baedeker of sorts…Kelley has created a lush portrait of the private, off-camera Monk, one it would have been difficult to paint without the unprecedented access he had to the Monk family."
—David Yaffe, The Nation

"This is an authoritative tome that pulls aside, without completely lifting, the shroud of mystery that has long surrounded one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of jazz."
—Russ Musto, AllAboutJazz.com

"…as complete a picture of this complex, original and enigmatic artist as possible… this very welcome book is certain to be a go-to reference."
—Down Beat Magazine

"A seminal examination of the man and his music."
—Bay State Banner

"Kelley hopes to balance Monk's brilliance and historic achievements with his quirks and serious problems (bipolar disorder) to take the true measure of the man. Dedicated readers of jazz history and students of Cold War and Civil Rights Era culture won't be disappointed."
—The New Haven Advocate

"Robin Kelley's new biography Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is a breath of fresh air among the biographies of our legendary jazz musicians. This book is thorough, detailed, and written with a true affinity for Monk's humaneness and creative musical output. It fills in the missing pieces about the growth of the jazz scene in New York through the forties, fifties, and sixties, detailing each step of Monk's development—who passed through his bands, what gigs he played, and what happened on those scenes. It's an invaluable and close look at the center of the world's most important creative musical developments in those decades: New York City."
—Chick Corea, the Grammy-winning composer and pianist

"Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is one of the most anticipated books in jazz scholarship, and well worth the wait. Robin D. G. Kelley represents one of this generation's most important voices equipped with the knowledge, passion, and respect for both jazz and jazz musicians required to interpret the many details and nuances of Thelonious Monk's life. This compelling book will both challenge old assumptions and inspire new assessments of the life and legacy one of the world's greatest musicians."
—GERI ALLEN, pianist, composer, and Director of the Jazz Studies Department at the University of Pittsburgh

"Powerful, enraging, and enduring.... In Robin Kelley's finely grained and surely definitive life and-times study, Thelonious Monk, an American original, has found an original biographer."
—DAVID LEVERING LEWIS, biographer of W. E. B. Du Bois and Pulitzer Prize winner

"An honest and eloquent treatment of one of our most important artists, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is a stunning tour de force! It is the most comprehensive treatment of Monk's life to date. Furthermore, in Monk's story, Kelley has found the perfect medium to shed light on a nation's and a people's history and persistent quest for freedom. In so doing he has given us a book that is as bold, brilliant, and beautiful as Monk and his music."
—FARAH JASMINE GRIFFIN, author of If You Can't Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday

About the Author

Robin D. G. Kelley teaches History at UCLA and is the author of several books, including Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination and Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1439190461
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; Reprint edition (November 2, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781439190463
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439190463
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Robin D. G. Kelley

Robin D. G. Kelley

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Robin D. G. Kelley never met Thelonious Monk, but he grew up with his music. Born in 1962, he spent his formative years in Harlem in a household and a city saturated with modern jazz. As a child he took a few trumpet lessons with the legendary Jimmy Owens, played French horn in junior high school, and picked up piano during his teen years in California. In 1987, Kelley earned his PhD in History from UCLA and focused his work on social movements, politics and culture--although music remained his passion.

During his tenure on the faculties of Emory University, the University of Michigan, New York University, and Columbia University, Kelley's scholarly interests shifted increasingly toward music. He has written widely on jazz, hip hop, electronic music, musicians' unions and technological displacement, and social and political movements more broadly.

Before becoming Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, Robin D. G. Kelley served on the faculty at Columbia University's Center for Jazz Studies, where he held the first Louis Armstrong Chair in Jazz Studies. Besides Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Kelley has authored several prize-winning books, including Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression (University of North Carolina Press, 1990); Race Rebels: Culture Politics and the Black Working Class (The Free Press, 1994); Yo' Mama's DisFunktional!: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (Beacon Press, 1997), which was selected one of the top ten books of 1998 by the Village Voice. He is currently completing Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times (Harvard University Press, forthcoming 2011), and a general survey of African American history co-authored with Tera Hunter and Earl Lewis to be published by Norton.

Kelley's essays have appeared in several anthologies and journals, including The Nation, Monthly Review, The Voice Literary Supplement, New York Times (Arts and Leisure), New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Color Lines, Code Magazine, Utne Reader, Lenox Avenue, African Studies Review, Black Music Research Journal, Callaloo, New Politics, Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noir, One World, Social Text, Metropolis, American Visions, Boston Review, Fashion Theory, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, New Labor Forum, Souls, Metropolis, and frieze: contemporary art and culture, to name a few.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
637 global ratings
Incredible book!!
5 Stars
Incredible book!!
I love this book!! I've been listening to Monk the majority of my life and this book changed and informed how I hear recordings that I know inside and out. Whether familiar with Monks music or if it's new to you, I highly recommend this book telling the story of one of the most important and brilliant artists we've seen.
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Top reviews from the United States

J. Snyder
5.0 out of 5 stars A true American Original
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2010
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Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D.G. Kelley is a meticulously researched and engaging read that seeks to put the record straight without any chaser. Popular mythology about Monk tends to cast him as untrained, childlike and eccentric. Drawing upon a wealth of family documents, Kelley masterfully weaves a story that counters these myths and captures Monk's genius and his humanity with compassion and profound appreciation.

As an educator, I found myself drawn to the parts of the story that brought the people and local institutions that nourished Monk's musical creativity into vivid clarity. Very early on, Monk demonstrated a keen interest and talent in music, especially the piano. Growing up in Harlem during the early part of the twentieth century, his budding talents were nurtured thanks in part to his participation in an after school boys and girls club. At this youth center, Thelonious was able to begin his musical education and develop his piano playing. His mother, raising three children by herself, also provided a pivotal role in the young musician's life -- finding ways to provide him with piano at home and lessons to further hone his creativity. Later on, as an adult, his wife Nellie provided a solid foundation of love and support -- emotional, financial and business.

However, to highlight the people who nurtured Monk's musicality is not to detract in any way from his sheer genius. Kelley makes clear that for many years Monk did not receive the accolades he richly deserved. His style of discordant playing formed the basis of what would become BeBop, popularized by two other jazz greats -- Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. While their names are most often associated with the emergence of BeBop, Monk's compositional mastery was foundational to this new form of jazz.

This book is much more than your usual musical biography. Kelley's book stands as a tribute to Monk's humanity. Even as a buddy jazz musician, he took an active role in caring for his children, while Nellie worked outside the home to provide financial support for the family. He pursued his profound sense of social justice by supporting civil rights organizations such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) among others. He courageously struggled with manic-depression, made even more acute due to alcohol and drug usage. Clearly, there was more to the man that his mind-blowing musical virtuosity.

Reading Kelley's book deepened my appreciation for Monk and his contributions to modern jazz, the Civil Rights movement and social justice, in general. Highly recommended for those interested in the history of jazz and the development of a true American original.
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Tree Smith Benedikt
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Jazz fans
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2018
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Thoroughly enjoying reading this meticulously researched and excellently written book about the great Monk. It's one of those rare times when after finishing a book I say to myself, "OK, now what do I do with the rest of my life? Start reading it again?"

I honestly don't even know how to summarize this efficiently. There is a wealth of information, from American history to details on what Monk wore to his concerts. I will say that if the reader is not a big jazz fan then they may grow frustrated with the amount of detail. However, I love jazz and have for many years so I didn't mind learning about all the band members, concerts and recording sessions.
My only two small issues with this book are that I can't help but wonder if Robin Kelley tries too hard to make the case that Thelonious was not as "weird" as people said he was. At times his attempts to explain Monk's behavior, or try to prove the opposite of what people said about him don't ring true to me.
However, this is a small complaint because one comes away from this book seeing Thelonious Monk for the brilliant, troubled, decent man he was. My respect and admiration for him grew immensely after reading this book.
Kelley does an excellent job relaying Monk's great sense of humor. I laughed out loud more than once over the things he did and said, and still laugh even now when I think about them.
Also, while I believe that Kelley provides the most thorough to date profile of Nellie Monk, I am left with the nagging feeling that her story was still left incomplete. Her sacrifices and struggles were big, and she probably deserves a book of her own.
Finally, I appreciate that Kelley included in this biography the mistreatment of Blacks in America. There is no way Monk's story can be told without this important aspect. I was left at times feeling absolute fury at his mistreatment by police and others, and reminded (yet again) at the injustice so many Americans experience at the hands of others no matter how brilliant and accomplished they are.

I have a lot of admiration for the amount of research Robin Kelley put into this book, it is an impressive accomplishment, and Thelonious Monk definitely deserves this much attention and respect
13 people found this helpful
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A Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Biography of A True American Original
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2021
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There will never be a better book about this unique genius. One of the best biographies I have ever read. Long but impossible to put down.

You can find a great interview of the author at NPR’s Fresh Air Archives in which he discusses Monk and this book.

The only quibble: he (1) repeatedly downplays Monk’s eccentricities, largely blaming the media (everyone’s favorite villain these days) for creating “myths” about him (see page 417) while (2) filling his book with example after example of what can only be described as extremely erratic and frequently bizarre behavior. I doubt, for example, that the media deluded his neighbors at Lincoln Towers into delivering a “flood of complaints” regarding “the noise and Monk’s erratic behavior” (see page 419). It’s part of who Monk was - albeit only one part of an endlessly interesting and complex human being.

But to return to where I began: if you love jazz, if you love music, if you love 20th century American history and culture, if you want to learn more about race in America, and, not least, if you love Monk, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It is a masterpiece.
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A. Perper
4.0 out of 5 stars I love the era but i think the author spent too ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2015
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If you're a Monk aficionado, you will gobble this book up. The writing is quite clear and the deep depth of the interactions between Monk and family, friends and musicians is quite intense. I love the era but i think the author spent too much real estate on describing each show, how Monk was feeling, whether he was on time or not, who he interacted with, whether he danced or not, what hat he wore, etc. Not to draw too many conclusions, but the level of detail for events occurring over 40 years ago does make me wonder about accuracy.

All in all, a solid read and good trip down the lane.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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felisfelix
5.0 out of 5 stars biographie remarquable
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2023
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Clair et précis. Bonne biographie avec contexte historique.
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Cliente
5.0 out of 5 stars Totalmente recomendable.
Reviewed in Mexico on December 15, 2020
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Una de las mejores biografías que he leído sin duda. Relata la vida de Monk a detalle, sus giras, sesiones de grabación, colaboradores, dificultades que enfrentó.
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J. MILLER
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive and detailed.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
A truly massive achievement. The life of Thelonious Monk in as much detail as is humanly possible, recounted on an almost week-by-week basis. The author must have researched for years. This book is about 5 times as thick as the Thomas Fitterling biography which I might as well give away now. Everything you wanted to know and a lot you didn't need to, as well. Well written, measured, calm and unexaggerated. A definitive jazz biography.
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Gaspard Grenier
5.0 out of 5 stars Œuvre majeure sur Monk, et sur son époque et sa musique.
Reviewed in France on May 4, 2019
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Magnifique ouvrage, complet, inédit, documenté, érudit.... Vivement une traduction en français.
One person found this helpful
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Tim Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly researched and written
Reviewed in Australia on July 22, 2023
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A comprehensive, balanced and thoroughly engaging biography of this genius of jazz. I really enjoyed this book and will continue to dive into Monk’s music.
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