Seasoned jazz listeners will undoubtedly be familiar with Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane's historic encounter at New York's Five Spot Cafe in 1957 – part of a six-month residency of which only this surviving recording exists to mark the occasion.

Latecomers, however, will find Craft's carefully-curated 180-gram vinyl reissue (replete with Kevin Gray remastering and cover artwork that replicates the 1980s Original Jazz Classics reissue) an excellent introduction to this seminal recording, where both artists were eager to elevate their individual styles of playing.

For Coltrane, playing with Monk was a learning curve while for the pianist, being involved with the young, aspiring saxophone player gave him the artistic kudos he deserved and pulled him out of relative obscurity. With backing from bass player Wilbur Ware and drummer Shadow Wilson, the early version of the quartet remains a powerful beast, with Monk plucking notes from his keyboard as Coltrane storms behind him. The most notable example here being ‘Trinkle, Tinkle’, where Monk's seemingly simple refrain acts as the portal for Coltrane to let loose a sheets-of-sound-solo that the pianist responds to with an equally elaborate show of strength, precision and dexterity.

Equally impressive is Ware's warm and booming solo that adds an extra layer of power to the piece. As the Five Spot residency extended, other players took part, such as tenor sax player Coleman Hawkins (an early Coltrane influence), alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce and drummer Art Blakey, but on first hearing it is the Monk, Coltrane, Ware and Wilson line-up where the real magic happens – and although Coltrane and Monk only recorded together in 1957, the shape of jazz music had been dramatically altered as a result of their creative communion.