The Unique Thelonious Monk

The Unique Thelonious Monk
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1956
RecordedMarch 17 and April 3, 1956
GenreJazz
Length38:12
LabelRiverside
ProducerOrrin Keepnews
Thelonious Monk chronology
Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington
(1956)
The Unique Thelonious Monk
(1956)
Brilliant Corners
(1957)
Original cover
Cover of the original 1956 release. The "postage stamp" cover was used for pressings from 1958 onward.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

The Unique Thelonious Monk is a 1956 album by Thelonious Monk. It was his second for Riverside Records, and, like his Riverside debut, is made up of standards. It was a continuation of Riverside's strategy to broaden consumer interest in Monk by having him record cover versions of well-known material which, Riverside hoped, would help to break down the prevailing perception that Monk's original music was "too difficult" for mass-market acceptance.

Riverside, at the time of the first re-issue, printed copies of the stamp that was featured on the cover art. Some of these made their way through the United States Postal Service, which issued a restraining order against the company. Monk was subsequently featured on a genuine stamp, which was issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1995.