Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution

by Youssef Daoudi

"Read this invigorating graphic narrative, then—quickly, before the spell breaks!—play one of Monk's records." —Saul Williams

She is Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a free-spirited baroness of the Rothschild family. He is Thelonious Sphere Monk, a musical genius fighting against the whims of his troubled mind. Their enduring friendship begins in 1954 and ends only with Monk’s death in 1982.

Set against the backdrop of New York during the heyday of jazz, Monk! explores the rare alchemy between two brilliant beings separated by an ocean of social status, race, and culture, but united by an infinite love of music. This breathtaking graphic novel by Youssef Daoudi beautifully captures the life of the “the high priest of bop” in spontaneous, evocative pen and ink that seems to make visible jazz itself.

Genres: Music, Graphic Novels, Biography, Comics, Nonfiction, Jazz, History

352 pages, Hardcover

Published September 25, 2018

About the author

Youssef Daoudi is a comic artist and illustrator living in France. He worked as an art director for multinational advertising firms for fifteen years before committing himself to writing and drawing graphic novels, including Monk!. He is an avid traveler, and New York is one of the most inspiring cities he’s ever visited.

Reviews

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb and Surreal Graphic Novel Jazz Biography
Review of the First Second Books hardcover edition (2018)

July 18, 2023 Update while adding Youssef Daoudi's Last On His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century (2023) to my TBR today (inspired by my current read about sparring partner Joe Grim in Grimmish (2021)) I went back to check my brief review of Daoudi's Monk!, about composer/pianist Thelonius Monk, and noticed that the link to Monk's Advice to Musicians was no longer working. I fixed that with a new working link.

Trivia and Link
Thanks to this book I have finally understood what the graphic arrow and brackets in #8 of Steve Lacy's List of Monk's Advice means i.e. that "Know" is "Monk" spelt upside down 😉.

Image of Monk's Advice to Musicians (as written down by saxophonist Steve Lacy) sourced from Open Culture, where you can also read a transcription.

[Jeroen Decuyper · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Een noot kan zo klein zijn als een speld, of zo groot als de wereld. Het hangt af van je verbeelding.” (p. 109)

Bijzonder mooi vormgegeven zwart-wit verhaal dat focust op het turbulente leven van de jazzlegende Thelonious Monk, maar dan gezien vanuit zijn vriendschap met de steenrijke Pannonica de Koenigswarter, een telg uit de Rotschild-familie en gedurende lange tijd zijn mecenas. Zonder Pannonica geen Monk, zoveel is duidelijk, want naast het feit dat ze hem een soort van vast inkomen bezorgt, is zij degene die hem bijstaat in zijn donkere periodes. De constante afwisseling tussen pagina's met een volledig zwarte en andere met een volledig witte achtergrond versterkt dit deel van het verhaal meer dan eens.

Het is geen klassieke noch lineaire biografie geworden maar een graphic novel met meerdere (verhaal)lijnen, net als een jazz-melodie: een hoofdweg en daarbij de ontelbare zijsprongetjes doorheen het innerlijke leven van Thelonious Monk. Met alle onhebbelijkheden, crisissen en aandacht voor zijn depressieve en sombere periodes, maar evenzeer met nadruk op hoe hij op een nogal revolutionaire wijze inging tegen de heersende conventies uit de toenmalige jazzwereld, bevolkt door de groten van het genre: Parker, Gillespie, Davis en Coltrane, om er maar een paar te noemen.

Een visueel hoogstandje puren uit het muzikale levensverhaal van deze Monk en daarbij je lezerspubliek geen seconde vervelen? Faut le faire. Daoudi is daar met verve in geslaagd.

[John of Canada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I played the Monk in Paris cd and it was a fitting background to a well made graphic story.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful graphic novel about Thelonius Monk during the jazz age. Amazing artwork! Read while listening to Thelonius Monk in the background. Perfect.

[Sassenach · Rating 4 out of 5]

A part le nom de ce musicien, je ne connaissais strictement rien ni de sa vie ni de son oeuvre. Du coup, j'ai appris plein de choses, j'ai beaucoup aimé les dessins et la façon d'aborder l'histoire et ensuite, je suis allée m'écouter une petite partie de son immense oeuvre :) Une lecture complète donc !

[Tom D'Hauwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swingend! Helemaal in toe Jazz nu. Dit boek is een veelomvattende intro in het leven van Thelonious Monk. Je kan dit niet lezen zonder de muziek op te zetten. Eerste deel van deze graphic novel is vooral sfeerschepping. Auteur/tekenaar probeert de bebop in beeld te vatten, wat uiteraard moeilijk is. Tweede deel, voorbij de helft bevat meer concretere informatie (ziektebeeld o.a., discografie, …) ….over
The Monk!

Graag gelezen en bekeken (wel even wennen aan de stijl)!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast and brilliant and dissonant and cool. Just like the man himself.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations. The narrative could be better. I guess the author attempted to mimick Monk's Improv into the book's narrative...

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried listening to a couple Thelonious Monk albums in college, but I've never been a fan of jazz music in general and certainly not the dissonant style Monk championed. So I've never had any interest in his life, but, hey, put it in graphic novel form and I'm willing to give it a go.

And I was surprised to find myself engaging with this telling of Monk's life, gaining an appreciation for his life and accomplishments even as his egotism and eccentricities made him a bit unlikeable. In between examples of his genius lie struggles with mental illness, bipolar disorder according to this book.

But this book isn't just Monk's life, it also brings in the aristocratic Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a member of the British branch of the wealthy Rothschild family and a patron of the arts who provided financial support to Monk and many of his peers in the New York jazz scene.

Yousseff Daoudi weaves their lives together in an artful style that seems to evoke the feelings, mood, and techniques of jazz music itself. While those things usually do nothing for my ears, this book was really a treat for my eyes.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: [Prologue] -- SIDE A: Thelonica -- Pannonica -- Thelonious -- SIDE B: Pannonious -- The Science of Improvisation -- Gigs -- Nica's Dream -- The Inside -- ƎꓷIS [Epilogue] -- Origins [Author's Afterword] -- Bibliography -- Playlist

[Holly McGhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the power and beauty of the illustrations and the authenticity of this story, its voice, its dialogue, its glimpse into a profound friendship, I highly, highly recommend this book for what it says about life, art, music, and finding your passion. One of my favorite quotes (and I shared many with my musician children): "A note can be small as a pin . . . or big as the world . . . it depends on your imagination!" Also: "The inside of the tune (the bridge) is the part that makes the outside sound good." I love this graphic novel so much and will be sharing it widely.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a review copy ... and it just floated to the top of my favorite book of the year. Wow. What an exploration of musical genius and creativity, and the use of the graphic storytelling is perfectly in tune (so to speak) with Monk's imagination of how music folds and unfolds. I'm going to pass this book along to my father -- a drummer, music teacher and lover of jazz -- and it may be his first graphic novel he will have read.

[Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

RIYL: Monk, Rothschilds.

[André Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ta-ta-bidu-bong-budu-tata-tchib-bum-pa. Uma HQ para ver e ouvir. As páginas viram partituras para Youssef Daoudi compor a biografia do supremo sacerdote do bop, de sua protetora Pannonica, e também de uma NY embalada pela era do jazz. Um espetáculo cheio de som, fúria e traços magníficos. Cada cena é contagiada pela liberdade do improviso e pela dança de linhas de uma beleza arrebatadora. Bu-honk-drum-paaaaaa.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time connecting to the graphic "music" and the circling around who Monk was until I finally (duh!) realized that I HAD to listen to Monk while reading this. At that point it flowed effortlessly and made some kind of sense. You get a sense of Monk's personality, his demons, his benefactor, Nica de Koenigswarter, and most of all, the soul of his music.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic novel about Thelonious Sphere Monk, & his relationship with his friend & patron, Nica the Baroness of Jazz. Less a biography than a portrait of Monk's vibe & personality. Before reading Monk!, I didn't know much about Thelonious Monk apart from his playing style, & I'd always thought his reputation as an oddball was mostly invented by critics & adoring hipsters, but this book seems to indicate that he really was really out there. I'll have to look up some further reading about both him and Baroness Pannonica, since this is not exactly an exhaustive history. Monk! also illustrates the milieu of the New York bop scene of the 40s-50s. In addition to really making me want to listen to some (more) Monk, I really want to hear some Dizzy Gillespie now. I'd read Daoudi's graphical treatments of the lives of any other Jazz cats.

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monk był muzyką, a komiks Daoudiego świetnie to oddaje. Ta opowieść ma swój rytm i melodię z miejscem na improwizację. Niespotykane jest to jak autor zgrał tę płynną narrację z postacią, którą opisywał. Mimo, że głównym wątkiem fabularnym jest przyjaźń bohatera z baronową, muzyka jest tu na każdym kroku. Świetna rzecz, jedna z najlepszych jakie czytałem od długiego czasu. Nie tylko dla fanów jazzu.

[Paul Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Youssef Daoudi's Monk! is about as close to jazz music in literary form as you can get.

On the surface, this story is relatively simple - this is a biography of jazz genius, Thelonius Monk. But just as any life in general and the life of a black jazz musician in the 1940's-1960's decades is hardly simple, this book weaves a circuitous path to tell the story. Our narrators are Monk and Pannonica de Koenigswarter (a baroness who had been a long-time friend a patron to Monk) in other-worldly, often depressing, scenes, recalling various important moments in a life filled with important moments.

This book is clearly a labour of love and it wouldn't surprise me if it had taken an extremely long time to put together, getting each nuance and each frame of art just right. And yet there is an unmistakable sense of improvisation here as well, just the way jazz would be played. But make no mistake - it's just the sense of improv - this book is tightly written.

As with the story, the art is ... jazz. There's a looseness in the art that mirrors the "flexible rhythmic understructure" (from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition definition) of jazz.

I love Daoudi's art style and his unique approach to page layout that flows the way that jazz music flows. The chapter entitled "The Science of Improvisation" is a case in point. It uses a car drive by Monk to range over the pages as he explores what improvisation means to him. The reader's eye follows the car as it swings from side to side across the page and cuts at odd angles while music scores unroll in the background. My verbal description in no way conveys how effective it is to see. It is a brilliant idea that is superbly executed.

I've listened to plenty of Monk's music, but my knowledge of his life was next to nothing before reading this. It's a fascinating story and the platonic, long-term relationship with Pannonica is odd and lovely, and one can't help but wonder what Monk's music might have been like without this support, this muse, in his life.

This is not only one of the best graphic novels I've read in some time, this is one of the finest books I've read, period. Give it a read.

Looking for a good book? Monk! by Youssef Daoudi, is a graphic novel about Thelonius Monk and is a remarkable achievement in blending biography, art, and the sense of Monk's jazz, into one book.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book I knew the name "Thelonious Monk" but nothing else and I had never (knowingly) heard his music. Jazz is one of those musical genres I always want to get into but never wind up sticking with it. This graphic biography of one of the cornerstones of the bebop style made me appreciate how the artists think about and process music. The actual story and plot was a bit too loose, although that aligns with the subject matter (both person and music).

The best parts of this book are when Monk essentially talks directly to the reader. He discusses how he interprets all the noises of New York City. He goes over the "science of improvisation." He attempts to enlighten the audience about how to compose music and how to listen to music. His focus on the notes that aren't played has been lampooned but my Taoist philosophies make me fully appreciate the sentiment. His purposeful hitting of wrong notes reminds me of advice on how to break programming to create new habits and mindsets, which is in essence what Monk was trying to do by playing music differently.

Like other books from the same publisher that I've read (all the Box Brown books), this graphic novel uses a limited color palette. I think that works for this subject matter as more color would distract from the musical elements. There's a lot of movement in each panel and a lot of onomatopoeia. There is no direct narration; there are disembodied dialog boxes that often make it hard to tell who exactly is speaking. There are also aren't very many guideposts that one usually finds in biographies. Only a handful of dates and locations are spelled out, which is a huge difference from many musical biographies that often turn into a litany of such details.

There are essentially two characters, Monk and Baroness Pannonica "Nica" de Koenigswarter. A ton of other historical jazz characters are introduced but all have fleeting appearances. The main story revolves around Nica's role as patron for Monk's music. Even Monk's wife is pushed to the side, despite her whole-hearted devotion to her husband (enough to trust him with another lady). This focus on Monk and Nica keeps the cast from overwhelming the reader.

Overall, I appreciated learning about such a pivotal musical figure as Thelonious Monk, but I enjoyed the musical atmosphere more than the actual reading.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic novel biography of unconventional jazz musician Thelonius Monk and his friend and benefactor Pannonica (Nica) de Koenigswarter.

Daoudi gets major props for creativity and uniqueness in his illustrations. I’ve never seen a book illustrated anything like this. In the afterward he mentions being inspired by improvisation in jazz, and it shows. The book is primarily illustrated in bright emerald green with contrasts of brilliant fuscia, and occasional highlights of white and fluorescent colors. It’s truly something to behold, and it echoes Monk’s music in that I don’t think everyone will like it, but everyone will sure remember it. There were times when I almost felt like I needed sunglasses to read this book. But it definitely fits the topic quite well. (Color blind readers may not be able to distinguish any part of this graphic novel.) Thelonius was a complicated guy. He was a bit of an alcoholic, had strange notions of harmonics, and also was bipolar. He struggled to make a name for himself for years. Nica was a great friend to stick by him and help him succeed through his bipolar swings. And no, don’t go thinking anything untoward about their relationship. The book makes it quite clear that she was just a friend and patron, and there was nothing romantic between them. Thelonius had a wife he dearly loved who also appreciated Nica’s help in getting Thelonius gigs. I think I found Nica an even more interesting person than Thelonius. She was born into the European nobility but chose to be a patron and friend to the jazz musicians of New York, and at a time when Caucasian women weren’t often public friends of African American men. A very interesting biographical graphic novel that jazz music lovers and fans of exceptional art work should check out.

Notes on content [Based on the ARC]: 58 minor or moderate swear words and 12 strong swear words. No sexual content. A violent incident with the police is reported but the illustration is vague. Thelonius was imprisoned for drug use (and Nica later had to pay a fine for it, though that seems to have been a trumped up charge). Both were smokers, and Thelonius is mentioned to have consumed large amounts of alcohol though that’s rarely depicted.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 5.0 of 5

Youssef Daoudi's Monk! is about as close to jazz music in literary form as you can get.

On the surface, this story is relatively simple - this is a biography of jazz genius, Thelonius Monk. But just as any life in general and the life of a black jazz musician in the 1940's-1960's decades is hardly simple, this book weaves a circuitous path to tell the story. Our narrators are Monk and Pannonica de Koenigswarter (a baroness who had been a long-time friend a patron to Monk) in other-worldly, often depressing, scenes, recalling various important moments in a life filled with important moments.

This book is clearly a labor of love and it wouldn't surprise me if it had taken an extremely long time to put together, getting each nuance and each frame of art just right. And yet there is an unmistakable sense of improvisation here as well, just the way jazz would be played. But make no mistake - it's just the sense of improv - this book is tightly written.

As with the story, the art is ... jazz. There's a looseness in the art that mirrors the "flexible rhythmic understructure" (from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition definition) of jazz.

I will say that when I first started this book, the style of art was just a little off-putting for me - a little confusing. But I set it aside and came back to it a few days later and was much more open to the infusion of jazz in both the art and the story.

I've listened to plenty of Monk's music, but my knowledge of his life was next to nothing before reading this. It's a fascinating story and the platonic(?), long-term relationship with Pannonica is odd and lovely and one can't help but wonder what Monk's music might have been like without this support, this muse, in his life.

This is not only one of the best graphic novels I've read in some time, this is one of the finest books I've read, period. Give it a read.

Looking for a good book? Monk! by Youssef Daoudi, is a graphic novel about Thelonius Monk and is a remarkable achievement in blending biography, art, and the sense of Monk's jazz, into one book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Youssef Daoudi. In this vibrant and fitting testament to a jazz genius, this graphic novel details musician Thelonious Monk's life in black, white, and gold drawings that stylishly navigate the highs and lows of the jazz era.

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than a thousand pieces, whereas Monk wrote about seventy.

Chronicling the latter part of Monk’s adult life, Daoudi showcases the time period, jazz's great musicians, and the man himself in drawings that set each scene with engaging authenticity. Each expertly illustrated story panel captures the energy and eccentricity fueling Monk's creativity. Daoudi shares Monk’s musical sensibilities and evolution, as well as the depth of his unconventional friendship with Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a Rothschild heiress and legendary jazz patron, in images drawn with an almost tangible vitality.

Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution is written and constructed rather well. Daoudi depicts Monk's influence on the beatniks. The use of black, white and gold in Dadudi's illustrations add a touch of sophistication to the novel and Monk himself. Much of Dadudi's approach to this novel is as unexpected and unorthodox as Monk himself. It is a cryptic graphic novel true to the art and genre of jazz.

All in all, Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution is a wonderful biographical graphic novel honoring the jazz legend – Thelonious Monk.

[Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Youssef Daoudi's visuals were the big draw of this book for me. His work on Jack Johnson: The Battle of the Century was a tremendous tour de force through Black American History as well as Boxing History. Daoudi does it again in this book. The flowing movements of the boxing ring translate to the rhythm and dancing of late century jazz clubs. Especially when we see Thelonius' fingers dancing across the keys of his piano.

Sadness so easily could've overcome this book, but it didn't. Daoudi could've lamented and cried over the fact Thelonius Monk never received the recognition of some of his contemporaries, but instead, he focused on the love Thelonius received from his Jazz collaborators and the support he received from Nica, until the very end of his life.

On the topic of Nica, the characterisation of their relationship is brilliantly balanced. Not many books or pieces of media in general portray a sincere non-sexual relationship between a man and woman to this degree. While it's known I have no love for generational wealth or the upper class in general, seeing a Rothschild commit themselves so sincerely to the pursuit of the art of Jazz music filled my heart with love for someone I've never met.

This book is best enjoyed listening to your favourite jazz albums. I doubt it's possible to pick up this book without wanting to pack your suitcase and take in the biggest and best jazz clubs in New York.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a generous graphic novel, filled with a multitude of black and white panels showing the quirky inner workings and unique outer appearances of the eccentric, brilliant jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. For much of his career, while other band members soloed, Monk interspersed his live shows with a light-footed dance, and the illustrator and author, Youssef Daoudi, perfectly captures this impish gesturing, whimsically interspersed between distinct events in Monk's career. Sadly, two such events include a police altercation in New York in the '50s, which led to the revoking of his cabaret card for many years, and a brutal beating from another police altercation while traveling between gigs in 1958.

In 1954 in Paris, Monk met Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a member of the prestigious Rothschild family, who was instantly enamored of his playing. She dropped everything to follow him, promptly buoyed his fortunes and ultimately became his lifelong assistant and confidante. The narrative is non-linear, as "Nica" recalls episodes from the past, while Monk, addled by age, illness, and paranoia, lies in bed, scouring the ether in contemplation, adrift and half babbling to himself. I enjoyed the interesting nuggets of jazz history, such as Monk's spat with Miles Davis in a recording studio, but also marveled at dazzling illustrations of speeding cars, jazz nightlife, and the gritty urban landscape of Monk's time.

[Bee Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully drawn and a great story about Thelonious Monk I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who is a fan of the late great Monk. This follows mostly Monk but also Pannonica de Koenigswarter and how the two of them developed a friendship. The story is set up as the two of them telling each other stories in their older age, which works well for how the narrative is setup and developed. It mostly follows some key moments in Thelonious' and Pannonica's lives while also explaining a bit of how improve jazz and Thelonious's unique artistic process. As a fan of graphic novels this is really well done, the art style is unique and helps the scenes where the jazz artists are playing feel animated and alive. It also gives Youssef Daoudi the opportunity to show off their skills. I highly recommend picking this up if you are the type of person who wants to see how graphic novels are evolving and changing as a medium. I certainly hope this gives Youssef Daoudi the chance to create more works and hopefully some of their older works will be translated too!

[Rick Horner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get to talk about two of my favorite things, graphic novels and jazz music. This take on the life of Thelonious Monk is an interesting treat. Monk was always off-kilter from what I heard before reading this, but the question becomes: did Monk only have made his unique and influential brand of jazz because of his off-kilter personality or was he able to do so in spite of it. Hard to say. The fact that he had not just his family but friends that would look out for him was a nice and sweet part of the story. The fact that Nellie and Pannonica had the patience to deal with Monk's eccentricities and still love them in their ways is a testament to those with good hearts and an appreciation for the artists' take, no matter how off the beaten path it may be. This book is just as off the beaten path, like Monk when he dances you have no idea where it's going, but it'll be something special.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a piece of creative nonfiction, Monk! is fascinating insofar as its composition is reflective of experimental jazz. At times the pace feels disjointed, and the storytelling resists linearity, but eventually everything starts to work the longer you spend with the work. Neat as this is, I will say that I really wasn’t feeling the book early on because the pacing of the opening feels super rushed. I imagine that this craft decision is intentional to reflect Monk’s music, but without approaching that from this mindset, I could see someone putting this down prematurely. I also do wish that there were more visual metaphors in this, as the ones included in this, like the Rothchild’s family tree, were brilliantly conceived, but there aren’t that many of these metaphors in general that I noticed in my first read through.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second bio of an African-American told from the viewpoint of a white woman. i read this a couple weeks after reading Ms Davis, the french graphic bio of Angela Davis, which was told from the point of a made-up white woman.
The first fifty pages of this i kept comparing the two and finally Daoudi's research and writing and art (the art! music on paper, wonderful!) won me over.
The woman in this book is Thelonious Monk's best friend and benefactor, a Baroness and a Rothschild, and a great voice to relate the story. She deserves to be here and the book would be much poorer w/out her (Charlie 'Bird' Parker dies in her apartment).
i don't have much knowledge of jazz and knew nothing of Monk or Pannonica before this book, now i listened to him and am glad she championed him.

[Randy Allain · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of all things revolutionary, I can't avoid the pull of Thelonious Monk - and seeing the rough edges of this unconventional hero softened by his loving relationship with an unlikely benefactor created a beautiful contrast. Thematically, this book also explored the mystery of unique genius - the notion that certain minds feel and process the world differently than those around them.

If friendship and art are forms of love, this book shows us why.

It also helps that this outing was a labor of love for the author/artist, who considers the free-flowing nature of jazz to be a key inspiration for his style.

I'm proud to add this lovely book to my library.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good graphic novel about the relationship between Thelonious Sphere Monk, a giant of jazz, and his patron and protector, Pannonia, a member of the Rothschild family. Pannonica was a benefactor of many jazz musicians, but in the case of Monk helped Monk and his wife survive. I think it’s easy to think of Pannonica as a rich groupie, but what I’ve read elsewhere as well as here is that he put up Monk in her home, and worked closely with his wife Nellie so she and Monk could survive.

Regardless of whether or not you read this book, listen to Monk’s music. The man had a singular voice-especially for the time.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have an interest in jazz, Monk! may be just up your alley. Also, if you have an interest in 20th Century American music, you will find plenty of details to broaden your understanding of Thelonious Monk. But this recommendation comes with some serious reservations. The story line is great. The line art is interesting and eye-catching. But the color scheme causes severe eye strain. I am sorry black letters on blue or purple backgrounds may be stunning to view, but awful to read. So enjoy, but do not try to read in poor light or for too long.