Art Blakey was present on both Thelonious Monk’sfi rst and last studio sessions, spanning a period of24 years from the 1947 quintet and trio recordingsto the last sets taped in London in 1971, whenBlakey and Monk were touring with the groupcalled the “Giants of Jazz” (which also includedSonny Stitt, Dizzy Gillespie, Kai Winding and AlMcKibbon). Although this album marks Monk’s solerecording as a member of Art Blakey’s celebratedJazz Messengers, the pianist and drummer werevery close friends who understood each other wellon both a personal and musical level. In fact, Withthe exception of Johnny Griffi n’s “Purple Shades,”all of the compositions on this album are classicThelonious Monk tunes.

• 1. Evidence 6:46
• 2. In Walked Bud 6:39
• 3. Blue Monk 7:54
• 4. Monk's Dream 3:05*
• 5. I Mean You 8:02
• 6. Rhythm-A-Ning 7:20
• 7. Purple Shades 7:48
• 8. Bye-Ya 2:45*