This month, the pianist and composer Thelonious Monk would have celebrated his 96th birthday. While his singular style of piano playing is not necessarily considered BeBop, he is nevertheless sometimes referred to as the “High Priest of Bop,” and his many compositions are canonical in BeBop repertoire (as well as Swing, Hard Bop, and many other styles).

In these videos, pianist Eric Reed pays tribute to Monk in various ways. In this video, he explains Monk’s importance in jazz. In other …

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