. . "Thelonious Monk, Jr. had an extraordinary childhood. ???As the son of jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk, his home was the gathering place for Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and other musicians who created some of the greatest jazz music of all time. ???As a child, Monk began playing drums after receiving encouragement and his first pair of drum sticks f" . . . . .