Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane - Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane

John Coltrane's development as an improviser accelerated in the mid-1950s when he was with Miles Davis. During six months of 1957 with Thelonious Monk in a celebrated engagement at New York's Five Spot Cafe, it went into overdrive. Coltrane said later, "Working with Monk brought me close to a musical architect of the highest order. I felt I learned from him in every way - through the senses, theoretically, technically." Because of the artists' conflicting contractual agreements, Jazzland (Riverside's sister label) was unable to capture the Monk quartet live a the Five Spot. Producer Orrin Keepnews managed to record three studio tracks that did not see the light of day until the sixties. "Ruby, My Dear," "Trinkle, Tinkle" and "Nutty" let us hear what all the excitement was about. "Off Minor" and "Epistrophy" find Monk and Coltrane in a septet that included the great Coleman Hawkins. This record also includes "Functional," an unforgettable Monk solo blues.

Originally released in 1961.

Thelonious Monk, piano
John Coltrane, saxophone (tenor)
Art Blakey, drums
Ray Copeland, trumpet
Gigi Gryce, saxophone (alto)
Coleman Hawkins, saxophone (tenor)
Wilbur Ware, bass
Shadow Wilson, drums