Jazz Changes

Thelonious Monk, music · Abbey Lincoln, lyrics (1961) · First recorded for Prestige, 1954

Blue Monk

A twelve-bar blues in B♭ that Thelonious Monk wrote in the studio and first recorded in 1954. The form is a plain blues, so it is easy to learn and leaves room for long solos. You will hear it on most of Monk's live albums and at jam sessions.

▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.

  1. 1 Learn the song Thelonious Monk Trio
  2. 2 Hear it with horns Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk
  3. 3 Hear the form alone Thelonious Monk
  4. 4 Hear the words Abbey Lincoln
  5. 5 Hear a long live version Thelonious Monk Quartet
  6. 6 Hear a second singer Carmen McRae
  7. 7 Hear guitar and piano Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell
  8. 8 Hear a modern trio Chick Corea Trio

How the tune works

B♭ majorusual key
12 barsA form
B♭key centers

Each chorus is twelve bars in B♭, in three lines of four bars. The first line sits on B♭ with one step to E♭ in bar 2. The second line goes back to E♭, passes through a diminished chord in bar 6 and returns to B♭ in bar 7. The last line moves to F for two bars and closes on B♭. The same twelve bars repeat for the melody and for each solo.

The usual changes in B♭. Most bars are dominant sevenths, with a diminished chord in bar 6 that leads back to B♭ in bar 7.

Key B♭ major
Abars 1–12
Bar 1: B♭B♭7
Bar 2: E♭7
Bar 3: B♭7
Bar 4: B♭7
Bar 5: E♭7
Bar 6: E°7
Bar 7: B♭7
Bar 8: B♭7
Bar 9: F7
Bar 10: F7
Bar 11: B♭7
Bar 12: B♭7

The base chart (medium swing) shows E♭7 in bars 5 and 6. Piano With Jonny's analysis of the published lead sheet places E°7 in bar 6, resolving to the tonic in bar 7, and that is the version drawn here. Jazz Improv Institute says Monk's original used plain B♭ triads in bars 1, 3 and 4 and stayed on F7 in bars 9 and 10, and that the turnaround in bars 11 and 12 is a common reharmonization point, so recordings vary. Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.

Source: Standard Repertoire: Blue Monk chord chart (12 bars, B♭, medium swing), checked against Piano With Jonny's lead sheet analysis and Jazz Improv Institute's note on Monk's original changes

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

You hear Monk's own trio first, then a band with horns, Monk alone, and Abbey Lincoln singing her lyric. A long live set, a second singer, a guitar and piano duo and a modern trio follow.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Thelonious Monk Trio 1954

    Thelonious Monk Plays

    B♭ major

    Listen for
    Count twelve bars at a time and tap the first beat of each bar. The chart on this page shows the chord moves to listen for: E♭ in bar 2 and again in bar 5.
    Try this
    Play the chart's chords with the recording, one chord per bar, roots only. If you lose count, wait for the next chorus and come back in.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear it with horns Now playing

    Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk 1957

    Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk

    Listen for
    Two horns, trumpet and tenor saxophone, join the piano, bass and drums. When a horn is out front, listen for what Monk's piano does behind it.
    Try this
    Play the third and seventh of each chord, one chord per bar, along with the recording. For B♭7 that is D and A♭.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear the form alone Now playing

    Thelonious Monk 1959

    Thelonious Alone in San Francisco

    Solo piano

    Listen for
    With no band, one player carries the whole 12-bar form. Tap one beat per bar and listen for where each chorus starts over.
    Try this
    At a slow tempo, play bars 5 to 8 of the chart: E♭7, E°7, B♭7, B♭7, one chord per bar. If E°7 is new, play E♭7 in bar 6 first, then swap in E°7 (E, G, B♭, D♭).
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear the words Now playing

    Abbey Lincoln 1961

    Straight Ahead

    Sung with Abbey Lincoln's lyric

    Listen for
    A singer shows where the phrases begin and end. Compare her phrases with the three four-bar lines of the chart.
    Try this
    Play the melody along with her for one chorus and match where she starts each phrase.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear a long live version Now playing

    Thelonious Monk Quartet 1964

    Live at the 'It' Club

    Runs over ten minutes

    Listen for
    At over eleven minutes, the 12 bars come around many times. Count the choruses and note who is out front each time: tenor saxophone, piano, or the whole group.
    Try this
    Keep a tally of choruses while you listen. Then play along with chord roots, one per bar, for any three choruses in a row.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear a second singer Now playing

    Carmen McRae 1988

    “Monkery's the Blues”, Carmen Sings Monk

    Sung with Abbey Lincoln's lyric

    Listen for
    The same lyric you heard in step 4, sung by a different singer with a quintet. Notice where McRae starts and ends her phrases compared with Lincoln.
    Try this
    Play the melody along with McRae, then with Lincoln. Write down one place where the two singers phrase it differently.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear guitar and piano Now playing

    Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell 1997

    Songs We Know

    Guitar and piano duo

    Listen for
    With only two players, listen for who has the tune and who fills in the chords, and for when they swap.
    Try this
    Guitarists: play B♭7, E♭7 and F7 in any voicing, one chord per bar, with the recording. Other players: do the same on any chord instrument.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear a modern trio Now playing

    Chick Corea Trio 2013

    Trilogy

    Runs over ten minutes

    Listen for
    A piano trio plays the same 12 bars for over ten minutes. Follow the bass to keep the count while the piano changes what it plays on top.
    Try this
    Play along with the first minute using chord roots, one per bar. Then replay the 1954 trio from step 1 and name one thing that differs, such as tempo or length.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

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