A famous European set from Thelonious Monk, recorded in 1961 with his famous quartet that included Charlie Rouse on tenor sax. Rouse's performance is amazing, really stretching out in modern, angular lines that are quite different than any of his recordings from a few years before. He's a perfect match for Monk's inventive piano, as would later be demonstrated on a host of classic studio recordings. There's an open, spontaneous energy between the pair in this live setting, though, with John Ore's bass and Frankie Dunlop's drums rounding things out. Recorded live in Milan, April 21, 1961; originally released in 1963.