I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good). (1941). Duke Ellington, Paul Frances Webster

Eddie S. Meadows in Bebop To Cool: Context, Ideology, and Musical Identity:

Burrell notes that "Monk was influenced by Ellington as a pianist and as a composer. That's without question. You can hear it, and he even states it himself." Like Ellington, Monk liked to sustain notes as long as possible and explore the lower register of the piano. Also like Ellington, he was a composer who played the piano, and therefore he treated the piano as a harmonic rather than a linear instrument.

Ok, this explains why Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington is so good.

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