The following list is not comprehensive. Rather, it is a representative example of Monk’s entire body of work for readers who may want to pursue a deeper examination of the music. I have provided session details and other discographical information for all of Monk’s recordings in the footnotes to this book, but in most cases list the original release rather than subsequent CD issues. For the most complete and accurate sessionography, see my website, http://monkbook.com. The site contains material related to Monk that could not be included in this book. The list below also excludes bootleg discs made from unauthorized concert recordings and radio broadcasts. For the most exhaustive discography of Monk’s work, see Chris Sheridan, Brilliant Corners: A Bio-Discography of Thelonious Monk (Westport and London: Greenwood Press, 2001), or consult the following websites: Jacques Ponzio’s “Round About Monk” website, www.sojazz.org/monk/thelonious05.html; Howard Mansfield’s Thelonious Monk website, www.howardm.net/tsmonk; or the official Thelonious Monk site, www.monkzone.com.
The Early Thelonious Monk (Moon CD 086-2)
The Complete Blue Note Recordings (Blue Note 30363 4-CD boxed set)
Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bird & Diz (Verve CD 314 521 436-2)
Solo 1954 (Vogue 111502)
Thelonious Monk—The Complete Prestige Recordings (Prestige 4428-2 3-CD boxed set)
Gigi Gryce, Nica’s Tempo (Savoy MG 12137)
The Complete Riverside Recordings (Riverside RCD-022-2 15-CD set)
Or the following individual Riverside releases:
Thelonious Monk plays Duke Ellington (Riverside CD OJC 2531-24-4)
The Unique Thelonious (CD OJC 2531-64-4)
Brilliant Corners (CD OJC-026-2)
Thelonious Himself (CD OJC 2531-254-2)
Monk’s Music (CD OJC-084-2)
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (CD OJC 2531-039-4)
Gerry Mulligan and Thelonious Monk, Mulligan Meets Monk (CD OJC 2531-301-2)
Clark Terry Quintet, with Thelonious Monk, In Orbit (CD OJC 2531-302-4)
Thelonious Monk Quartet—Thelonious in Action (CD OJC-103-2)
Thelonious Monk Quartet—Misterioso (CD OJC-206-2)
The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (CD OJC 135-4)
5 by Monk by 5 (CD OJC-362-2)
Thelonious Alone in San Francisco (CD OJC 2531-231-2)
Thelonious Monk Quartet Plus Two at the Blackhawk (CD OJC 2531-305-2)
Thelonious Monk Quartet—Monk in France (CD OJC-670-2)
Thelonious Monk Quartet—Monk in Italy (CD OJC-488-2)
Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk (Rhino R2 75598)
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (Blue Note 35173)
Monk’s Dream (Columbia CK 40786)
Criss-Cross (Columbia CK 48823)
It’s Monk’s Time (Columbia CK 468405)
Monk. (Columbia CK 468407)
Monk at Newport, 1963 & 1965 (Columbia C2K 63905)
Straight, No Chaser (Columbia CK 64886)
Underground (Columbia CK 40785)
Big Band and Quartet in Concert (Complete) (Columbia C2K 57636)
Monk in Tokyo (Columbia C2K 63538)
Straight, No Chaser Soundtrack (Columbia CK 45358)
Thelonious Monk—The Columbia Years (1962-1968) (Columbia C3K 64887)
Always Know (Columbia CD 469185-2)
Live At The Jazz Workshop Complete (Columbia C2K 65189)
Live At The It Club Complete (Columbia C2K 65288)
Monk Alone—The Complete Columbia Piano Solo Recordings (Columbia C2K 65495)
The Giants of Jazz (George Wein Collection) (Concord Jazz GW-3004)
Giants of Jazz in Berlin ’71 (EmArcy 834567)
The Complete Vogue and Black Lion Recordings (Mosaic MR4-112 3-CD boxed set)