Unique Thelonious Monk

Monk's fi rst major record contract was with Riverside,

though at that time the company was just a small

independent label that paled in comparison to the

magnitude of Columbia, which would be his next step

to success. The pianist's obscurity at the time, and his

aura as a diffi cult musicians' musician, led Riverside's

producer Orrin Keepnews to have Monk dedicate his

two earliest LPs for the label to interpretations of songs

by other composers: a homage to Duke Ellington and

the LP presented here, The Unique Thelonious Monk,

a set of well-known standards. The positive reception

of these works by the public would result in Keepnews

allowing Monk to record his own compositions. Backing

Monk are such brilliant musicians as Oscar Pettiford on

bass, and Art Blakey on drums.