For a lot of people, having a world famous parent can be very difficult — many feel immense pressure to live up to their parent’s legacy.

But T.S. Monk is an exception. Although his father was legendary jazz musician Thelonius Monk, he doesn’t share the feelings most offspring of famous parents have.

Having such an influential musician as a father might have been a daunting experience, but T.S. [Thelonius Sphere] only has happy memories of the time they shared together.

“I remember being with him, going everywhere with him,” T.S. said. “We’d hit the road together and I’d go to his concerts. I always knew if my dad was gone, his family was at the front of his mind.

“I remember him cooking me breakfast,” he said. “Lying on a bed with him, talking. He taught me how to act in public, how to treat girls, all the normal things. He was a real father. He was there for me.”

That all changed in 1982 when Thelonius Monk died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

T.S. was left to deal with the pain of his father’s death and the legacy he left behind.

“He was a 20th century musical icon,” T.S. explained. “He is the father of modern jazz. He applied the harmonic foundation necessary for modern jazz. He was one of the fundamental architects of b-bop.”

“He allowed the music to be removed from the superimposing of new melodic concepts on top of old standards,” he said. “He moved beyond that and spawned the next level of jazz, the music of the future. He opened that door because it was previously shut.”

T.S. recently released a tribute CD to his father entitled “Monk on Monk.” The tribute features songs his father wrote for family members and friends. He said his father always wrote a song for the people he loved.

“I don’t think I’m unique because I’m his son,” T.S. said. “In fact, I think I’m less unique than a lot of people who played with him. But I’m grateful for the enormity of his artistry.”

“Monk on Monk” has an all-star roster of jazz talent. Some of the great musicians who stopped by to lend their skills and time include Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Dave Holland, Herbie Hancock and Grover Washington, Jr.

On his own, T.S. formed his jazz sextet six years ago, picking musicians who weren’t well known at the time.

He likely could have started at the top with an all-star band because his father’s legacy could assure T.S.’s success.

But T.S. chose to begin at the bottom rung and climb the ladder through hard work and perseverance.

“The philosophy behind the music is to study hard and find yourself,” he said. “There are a lot of things jazz musicians need to do in order to grow.

“Jazz is a virtuoso endeavor,” he added. “Knowing your instrument from top to bottom is not a bottom-line requirement for earning a living in jazz. You have to study your ass off. The calisthenics of practice are sort of a given. But the philosophy is more important than the calisthenics. Knowing yourself is more important than knowing musical theory and chords.

“Jazz musicians spend more time talking about life than music,” he said. “Not everybody understands that this is a very difficult thing to do. It requires a unique character with the tenacity of a bulldog. The bottom-line goal is to play exactly what you think you are about, not to get applause.”

T.S. believes jazz “is as American as you can get.” He enjoys the way the music allows him to feel like an individual within a team and how it is “inclusive and multicultural while representing freedom to oppressed people.”

He will be releasing a new album with his sextet next year.

The album will be slightly different from his previous work, especially with a little bit of electric mixed into the music and possibly a few vocals from himself, he said.

He also will be touring for the next six or seven months.

T.S.’s next stop will be tonight when he plays two all-ages shows at the M-Shop at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $17, $15 for students.