Thelonious Alone in San Francisco

When jazz music is so often a delicate balance of sounds all coming together to form a complete whole, it is interesting to hear how a jazz legend of this caliber handles himself when all alone under the bright lights. Monk's style of piano playing was nothing short of revolutionary when he first came onto the jazz scene in the 1940s, and there is no way to hear this more clearly than on an album of unaccompanied piano solos such as this one. Recorded in 1959 in San Francisco, Monk plays his own classic compositions like 'Ruby, My Dear' and 'Blue Monk,' along with some pieces composed particularly for this album, including 'Round Lights' and 'Bluehawk'.