Thelonious Monk: the legendary jazz pianist and composer, considered one of the giants of American music. This is one of Monk’s pivotal recordings and is an essential addition to all jazz collections. The album features his earliest recordings for the Prestige label performed with Gerry Mapp and Art Blakey or Max Roach. The album contains the earliest recorded version of the jazz standards “Blue Monk” and “Bemsha Swing”.