Joni Mitchell, photographed in 1970. An album of Mitchell's early recordings, Archives Volume 1: The Early Years, was among the best archival releases of 2020. Roy Jones/Getty Images hide caption
Thelonious Monk Thelonious Monk artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Thelonious Monk
Alicia Keys. Her new, self-titled album tops our shortlist of the best new albums out on Sept. 18. Milan Zirnic/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
A previously unreleased concert recording of Thelonious Monk from 1968 will be released next month as the album Palo Alto. Larry Fink/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
A Previously Unreleased Thelonious Monk Concert Is Coming Next Month
Cabaret Cards: The Law Police Used To Keep Musicians Of Color Off Stage
WBGO and Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie performs at the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival on Jan. 15, 1966. Bob Daugherty/AP hide caption
Edward Norton Vava Ribeiro/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Edward Norton On World Cafe
Herbie Hancock, performing during the Thelonious Monk Jazz Trumpet Competition on November 9, 2014 in Los Angeles. The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, which presents these competitions, will change its name to the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. Michael Tran/FilmMagic hide caption
Thelonious Monk performs in London in 1970. David Redfern/Redferns hide caption
The music Thelonious Monk contributed to the 1959 French film Les Liaisons Dangereuses had never been released until the master tapes were discovered last year. Courtesy of Arnaud Boubet - Private Collection hide caption
Newly Uncovered Recordings Find Thelonious Monk In His Prime
Thelonious Monk's new album, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Comes out May 19. Courtesy of Arnaud Boubet - Private collection hide caption
Jason Moran leads an expanded version of his band at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. NPR hide caption
Jason Moran Plays Thelonious Monk
Live at the Cellar Door, the new album from Neil Young, was recorded in 1970. Gary Burden/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
When Donny Hathaway, Thelonious Monk And Neil Young Hit A Turning Point
Paris 1969, from the late Thelonious Monk, comes out Nov. 26. Jean-Pierre Leloir/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Thelonious Monk, 'Paris 1969'
Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
Guatemalan author Eduardo Halfon's most recent book, The Polish Boxer, mesmerized us. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
California poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. courtesy of the artist hide caption
All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen, possibly singing with his parents, circa 1959. Bob Boilen hide caption
Thelonious Monk, photographed at Minton's Playhouse in 1947. William Gottlieb/Library of Congress via Flickr hide caption
Branford Marsalis (left) and Joey Calderazzo. Stephen Sheffield/Marsalis Music hide caption
Judy Garland (right) sang "I Got Rhythm" in the 1943 movie version of the 1930s musical Girl Crazy. Courtesy of MGM hide caption
Thelonious Monk relaxes with his wife, Nellie, before performing at the Royal Festival Hall in London on April 29, 1961. Erich Auerbach/Getty Images hide caption
A collage of records. Christopher Toothman/NPR hide caption