Monk was one of the greatest blues stylists, improvisers and risk-takers ever to grace a piano bench. A composing giant of the 20th century, he kept melodies clear and catchy while injecting unexpected notes into themes, summoning the spirit of atonality. With a songbook that includes “‘Round Midnight”, “Straight, No Chaser” and “Crepuscule With Nellie”, even his most out-there solos have a firm foundation in song. And he always swung like mad, whether playing in a small band in the late ‘40s, with Coltrane in the ‘50s or in his late-career sessions.