The Unique Thelonious Monk is a 1956 album by Thelonious Monk.[6] It was his second for Riverside Records, and, like his Riverside debut, is made up of standards. It was a continuation of Riverside's strategy to broaden consumer interest in Monk by having him record cover versions of well-known material which, Riverside hoped, would help to break down the prevailing perception that Monk's original music was "too difficult" for mass-market acceptance.
Riverside, at the time of the first re-issue, printed copies of the stamp that was featured on the cover art.[2] Some of these made their way through the United States Postal Service, which issued a restraining order against the company.[2] Monk was subsequently featured on a genuine stamp, which was issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1995.[7]
