Episode description

Hannah Rothschild champions the life of the jazz musician Thelonious Monk.

Brilliant, eccentric and one of the true giants of jazz, Monk was an incredible pianist, the composer of jazz standards such as 'Round Midnight', the co-creator of bebop and a close friend of Hannah's great-aunt, the Jazz Baroness Nica Rothschild. Matthew Parris chairs as Hannah and music writer Richard Williams chart Monk's progress through the jazz clubs and recording studios of mid-twentieth century New York.

Producer: Julia Johnson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.