The Pannonica Piano is a vintage Steinway M owned by "The Jazz Baroness" handpicked and played regularly by Thelonious Monk among other jazz Greats. A revered figure in New York’s Jazz community, Pannonica provided countless musical legends with unstinting generosity and friendship.

The piano was frequently played and surrounded by some of the greatest jazz musicians in history at the nonstop jam sessions she hosted in her feline-filled Weehawken pad, known to the hipnoscenti as "The Cat House.” Known musicians to have played the Pannonica Piano include: Thelonious Monk, Freddie Redd, Sonny Clark and Barry Harris among others.

Her influence is witnessed in at least 20 compositions written in her honor (including the Horace Silver standard “Nica’s Dream” and Thelonious Monk’s haunting ballad “Pannonica”). A list of songs composed on the Pannonica Piano is included at the bottom of the lot description.

The historic Pannonica Piano is currently, exactly where it has always been… in the living room of Weehawken, New Jersey home “The Cat House”, owned by the “Jazz Baroness” and frequented by many legendary Jazz musicians. Weehawken is just across the river from midtown Manhattan, and minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel. At the time this is being written the home is under contract and may pass to it’s new owner shortly before or just after the auction. Should that occur, the piano will be professionally moved (at the current owners expense) to a proper piano storage facility, also in New Jersey. Accordingly, The Pannonica Piano is being sold FOB in NJ.

The Story of The Pannonica Piano

Born in 1913, a member of the English branch of the Rothschild banking family, Pannonica de Koenigswarter fell in love with Jazz in her teens, and as most of the great Jazz was being created in New York she decided to settle there in 1954. She became a patron and confidante of some of the leading Jazz musicians. One Jazz genius who became her particular friend was Thelonious Monk.

“A couple of weeks into 1956, Thelonious Monk accompanied Pannonica to the Steinway showroom to pick out a brand new, five-foot, seven-inch Grand M Ebony with a shimmering lacquer finish. She wanted a new piano for her apartment at the Bolivar Hotel, but she also wanted to make sure Monk always had access to a good instrument and a place away from home where he could compose. On January 30, Steinway delivered the instrument directly from the factory in Queens to her place on Central Park West and 83rd. Anxious to christen the piano, Thelonious showed up the same night and jammed for hours while Pannonica and friends talked and drank the night away.”

Since the Bolivar Hotel’s management did not appreciate their presence, Pannonica moved with her piano to the Algonquin Hotel in March 1957 and a few months later decided that it was time to her a house of her own. By the beginning of 1958 she found a custom-built home perched on a sheer cliff above the Hudson River at Weehawken. In the top-floor living room, the Steinway Grand piano was centered in front of the bank of large plate-glass windows with breathtaking panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline. Pannonica’s new home became a haven for all the leading Jazz musicians of that period. In a piece by The Wall Street Journal it was hailed as “Metropolitan area’s greatest Jazz salon ever and more incredible music was heard there than in most concert halls.”

Innumerable musicians played, rehearsed and composed on the Steinway piano from 1956 to this day such as Lionel Hampton, Bud Powell, Teddy Wilson, Sony Clark, Max Roach, Wynton Kelly, Sir Charles Thompson, Horace Silver, Mary-Lou Williams, Tommy Flanagan, to name a few. But Thelonious Monk and Barry Harris, who were both sheltered at the house for many years, were certainly the most prolific having composed dozens of tunes on the piano. Monk wrote “Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues” when Pannonica was living in the Hotel Bolivar on Central Park West, “Crepuscule with Nellie” at the Algonquin, “Weehawken Mad Pad”, “Jackie-ing” and “Coming on the Hudson” in the Weehawken home.

A litany of books have been explored this piece of Jazz history that this Steinway Grand M Ebony Piano sits at the center of. From David Kastins’ “Nica’s Dream – The Life and Legend of the Jazz Baroness” to Robin D.G. Kelly’s “Thelonious Monk – The Life and Times of an American Original,” many authors and readers alike have been fascinated by the allure of this time period. The book “Three Wishes – An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats” gives a deeper insight into the Weehawken home and greats that graced the space, as a compilation of photographs taken by Pannonica herself documenting the fun, love, and genius. Recently, this fascination has been propelled into film with the 2009 BBC documentary, “The Jazz Baroness,” which delves into Pannonica de Koenigswarter and Thelonious Monk’s relationship.

Although the music quieted long ago and many of the legends that played it have since died, the Pannonica Piano still stands within the Weehawken home, not moved since it was first placed there by Pannonica and Monk.

Songs Composed on the Pannonica Piano
(as provided by the consignor)

Composed by Thelonious Monk:

“Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-Lues are” (at Hotel Bolivar in 1956)
“Brilliant Corners” (at Hotel Bolivar in 1956)
“Pannonica” (at Hotel Bolivar in 1956)
“Crépuscule with Nellie” (at Hotel Algonquin in 1957)
“Coming on the Hudson” (at Cathouse in 1958)
“Jackie-ing” (at Cathouse in 1958)
“Worry Later” (at Cathouse in 1958.
“Christmas Song” (at Cathouse in 1958).

Composed by Freddie Redd:

“Nica steps out” (at Cathouse in 1957).

Composed by Sonny Clark:

“Nica” (at Cathouse in 1960).

Tunes composed by Barry Harris:

“Nicaragua” (at Cathouse in 1967).
“Inca” (at Cathouse in 1978).

Below are links to the songs listed above for your listening pleasure:

“Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-Lues are”

Brilliant Corners”

“Pannonica”

“Crépuscule with Nellie”

“Coming on the Hudson”

“Jackie-ing”

“Worry Later”

“Christmas Song”

“Nica steps out”

“Nica”

“Nicaragua”

“Inca”


This is an online only sale. Items may be viewed upon appointment in New York City.

More detailed condition reports and additional photographs are available by request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in excellent condition. Please message us through the online bidding platform or call Guernsey's at 212-794-2280 to request a more thorough condition report.