Style:

Swing, typically played at a comfortable medium tempo.

Form:

A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Key:

Eb Major

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is functional, and strikingly conventional considering many of Monk's other compositions. The A sections are very easy going and are for the most part entirely diatonic. Bars 3-4 can be  treated as simply IMaj7 - IImi7 - IIImi7b5 - VI7b9, although the changes used commonly by Monk speed up the harmonic rhythm in the 3rd bar with  IMaj7 - VII7b5 - bVII13 - III7sus before landing on VI7b9 in the 4th  bar. The bridge begins with a II - V of IVMaj7 and finishes predictably with a momentary stay on II7 before a final II - V returns back to the  tonic.

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 60 times and is a widely popularThelonious Monk composition. Monk first recorded it on his album Misterioso in 1958 and would also record it as a sideman on Clark Terry's album In Orbit the same year. Monk also recorded it with a big band on his album Monk's Blues nearly a decade later. It is one of Monk's more accessible compositions  and as a result it has found its way into the repertoire of many musicians, becoming a jam session main stay.

JGC Top Picks:

Thelonious Monk, Misterioso, 1958

Steve Grossman with the Cedar Walton Trio, A Small Hotel, 1993

Adam Rogers, Sight, 2008