Thelonious Monk - Trinkle Tinkle, december 18, 1952

Thelonious Monk, piano;
Gary Mapp, bass;
Max Roach, drums.

During the second session, on December 18, 1952, Robert Weinstock asked Monk what the title of the first piece was. Monk answered “Twinkle, Tinkle,” a title that can be explained by the fact that the recording took place a week before Christmas, a time when the streets around the world, and especially in New York, are full of illuminations, decorations, and holiday magic. But Monk, in addition to talking under his breath (Americans have a word for this: mumble), had a slight pronunciation defect, which made him more likely than the average American to confuse r with w. We will probably never know why Weinstock wrote “Trinkle, Tinkle,” which meant essentially nothing. But that's the title under which the song was officially released and is still known today. So we will follow this custom.