Monk's Patron

David Kastin has written a new book on jazz pianist Thelonious Monk's exotic patron, Nica Koenigswarter, or "the jazz baroness." It is called Nica's Dream. I have yet to give a full review of a jazz book here, but I will try. The book should be fascinating. Monk's son, T.S. Monk endorses the book as a "must-read" and notable jazz writers such as Robin D. G. Kelley and Ashley Kahn hail it as well. I doubt we will find Nica a saint (she left her family to come to America and support Monk), but jazz personalites often paint a rich, if flawed, picture of humanity.