What is 'Monk's Music' about?

Monk's Music is a blog post exploring a significant musical encounter between jazz legends Coleman Hawkins and a young John Coltrane that took place one afternoon in Hackensack.

Who were the key musicians involved in this Hackensack session?

The key musicians were Coleman Hawkins, the pioneering tenor saxophonist, and John Coltrane, who was at an early stage of his influential jazz career.

Why is this Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane meeting historically important?

This meeting represents an important moment in jazz history, documenting the interaction between an established jazz innovator and a young musician who would become one of the most transformative figures in modern jazz.

Monk's Music — Thelonious Monk

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How to Listen to Jazz for Beginners (And Actually Hear It)
Best Sounding Jazz Albums Ever Recorded: Where to Start
The Best Late Night Listening Albums for Your Turntable

More from Thelonious Monk

Brilliant Corners

How to Listen to Jazz for Beginners (And Actually Hear It)
Best Sounding Jazz Albums Ever Recorded: Where to Start
The Best Late Night Listening Albums for Your Turntable

More from Thelonious Monk

Brilliant Corners

How to Listen to Jazz for Beginners (And Actually Hear It)
Best Sounding Jazz Albums Ever Recorded: Where to Start
The Best Late Night Listening Albums for Your Turntable

More from Thelonious Monk

Brilliant Corners

The Record

LabelRiverside Records

Released1957

RecordedVan Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, June 25, 1957

Produced byOrrin Keepnews

Engineered byRudy Van Gelder

PersonnelThelonious Monk (piano), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone), Ray Copeland (trumpet), Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone), Wilbur Ware (bass), Art Blakey (drums)

Track listing

1. Abide with Me2. Well, You Needn't3. Ruby, My Dear4. Off Minor5. Epistrophy6. Crepuscule with Nellie

Where are they now

Thelonious Monk

withdrew almost entirely from public life around 1973, played his last known concert in 1976, and died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1982.

John Coltrane

recorded 'A Love Supreme' seven years after this session and died of liver cancer in 1967, aged 40.

Coleman Hawkins

continued performing through the 1960s but declined sharply in his final years; died of pneumonia in 1969.

Art Blakey

led the Jazz Messengers until his death in 1990, mentoring virtually an entire generation of jazz musicians along the way.

Wilbur Ware

largely withdrew from the scene in the 1960s due to personal difficulties; died in 1979.