Thelonious Sphere Monk is a cultural American icon. In my opinion, the greatest composer and piano player in American history. His compositions rest in legacy with the likes of Duke Ellington. Monk’s road to recognition was wrought with trials and tribulations both from societal impositions and inner struggles. However, his virtuosity and compositions stand the test of time and the beauty that he made will continue to inspire musicians and listeners on a global scale. Moreover, in every aspect of his art, Monk seemingly carries the “trope of revolution: bebop as a rejection of the status quo…[and] create[s] an idiom expressive of the black subculture…[which subverts] a white-controlled capitalist hegemony” (Deveaux 4). In this essay, I will
