(1917 – 1982) Visionary composer and pianist who was part of the select group of musicians who created the postwar jazz genre of bebop, and whose influence continued into the postbebop era. Moving to Harlem at the age of five, he studied with the great pianist Mary Lou Williams and started performing in 1934. Although his compositions and performance styles were valued by his peers, Monk was under-appreciated by jazz fans and critics during his early career. He was quirky unorthodox and sparse as a composer, improvising at times from the melodic line and not the chordal structure. He employed abrupt tempo changes and melodic twists to invigorate his unorthodox playing—his signature stylings served to inspire other mavericks.