The Thelonious Monk Reader

Almeta Speaks teaches the history of jazz at l’Йcole Polytechnique in
Paris, France. She is also the producer of the television series Hymn to
Freedom.

This collection of reviews, essays, profiles, and other documents
provides an accessible starting point for people who have never heard of
Thelonious Monk or listened to his music. The book provides a
description of the young Monk’s life and an evaluation of his career
(especially the important role he played in the creation and development
of bebop music). We learn how Monk’s career coincided with important
changes in the New York City music scene. It was an era that saw the
establishment of jazz night clubs, jazz writers, and jazz magazines. As
this music genre began to be seriously analysed not only by its
practitioners but also by music historians and critics, jazz moved from
the small, insular clubs to the mainstream concert halls of New York
City and Europe.

In addressing the controversial issue of who created bebop, van der
Bliek judiciously draws distinctions between the originators and those
who explored and expanded the new sounds and introduced them to a wider
audience. His book is a must-have for students, scholars, and
aficionados of jazz.