5 By Monk By 5  by Thelonious Monk

5 By Monk By 5 is an iconic album by Thelonious Monk, recorded in June 1959 and released by Riverside Records. The name derives from the fact that a quintet (5 people) plays five Monk compositions: Thelonious Monk (piano), Thad Jones (cornet), Charlie Rouse (tenor saxophone), Sam Jones (bass) and Art Taylor (drums).

The album moves in the realm of hard bop, maintaining Monk's unique, unconventional style with intense dissonance and distinctive rhythms. The production was done by Orrin Keepnews, while the recording took place in New York (June 1, 2 and 4, 1959) with sound engineer Jack Higgins.

Although it did not make a splash on the commercial pop charts of the time (like most jazz albums of '59), it is considered a classic in jazz circles and received excellent reviews.