Monday Happenings

Monk

-- Thelonious Monk ranks among the greatest American composers working in any genre, and his birthday remains a cause for celebration. Join nine masters of jazz piano, including Geri Allen and Joanne Brackeen, as they celebrate Monk's legacy with a three-hour-long marathon of his music. Congregational Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury St., 7 p.m. $30.

Carters, Little and Otherwise

-- When you hear about a Monster Jam down south, it means that Gravedigger and Bigfoot XXIX will be crushing cars. Up north, however, it means that two self-proclaimed "best rappers alive" will be crushing mics. Sean "Jay-Z" Carter and Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter (no relation) split the stage with thug crooner Ne-Yo for an event that will test the limits of metaphor, the vocoder, and the interior rhyme. TD BankNorth Garden, 7 p.m. $22.50-$250.

Angularity

-- Heirs to the jam bands of post punk, Pit er Pat combine strange time signatures and fuzzy guitar with smooth grooves and soothing vocals. It's what would happen if you locked the Slits in a room with Tortoise for 40 days and 40 nights. Performing with Teletext. Great Scott, 1222 Comm. Ave., Allston, 9 p.m. $8.

Phantoms, Opera

-- Long before it became a byword for theatre nerds, Phantom of the Opera was just another story adapted for the Hollywood big screen. The silent 1925 adaptation made Lon Chaney Sr. a star and remains a chromosome in the DNA of Hollywood horror. Screened with piano and voice accompaniment. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, 7:15 p.m. $9/$6.

Image of Pit er Pat from Myspace.