Why is Thelonious Monk so under appreciated?

Monk wrote many of today's jazz standards. I guess he is more of a "musicians musician" even though I am just a listener.

Oh, I don't think he is under-appreciated at all in the jazz community. You have to understand though, during the 1950s, in the peak of his career, his cabaret card was taken away and he was not allowed to perform at any of the clubs in NYC. That was devastating, as the 50s were the seminal years of evolution from swing to bop. It's a good thing that he was doing all this stuff back in the 40s, when he invented it. Monk was not only a composer and performer, he was a teacher and he taught many of the greats how to play his music. It is said that Trane used to sit in Monk's apartment for hours waiting for a chance to learn from him.

He is definitely a musician's musician, but he is also quite listener-accessible. Not for the amateur listener, mind you - it takes some time to acquire a taste for Monk if you are a new listener. Once you get it, you see the humor and beauty in all he did.

He's considered a legend. There are many who imitate his style, and many who cover his songs.

He's as underrated as any jazz player, but definitely not more.

Well, I do hear his tunes in television commercials. Many don't know the guy, but his idiosyncratic style has seeped into our culture here in America.

His music is heard in dozens of feature films. "'Round Midnight" alone is heard in several, notably "Devil in a Blue Dress" and "Dave Chapelle's Block Party."

in Jazz? .......under -appreciated?... Thelonious Monk?

What are You talking about?

as a matter of fact ( now that you mention) ...
many stage speaker ,avoid to talk about Thelonious because is redundance

Definatly not under appreciated. Anybody who knows anything about jazz will tell you the same. I had a jazz class in college and we had a whole section that covered him. Who are you talking to that under appreciates him?