Thelonious Monk – The London Collection, Vols. 1 & 2 (Black Lion/1201 Music, 1988)

Thelonious Monk (p); Al McKibbon (b); Art Blakey (d)

Recorded on November 15, 1971

These 1971 recordings are the last Thelonious Monk ever made as a leader, even though he would live until 1982.  Thelonious made them in London while touring with the Giants of Jazz, an all-star ensemble that also included Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Kai Winding, Al McKibbon, and Art Blakey.  The tour also proved to be Monk's last one. Shortly thereafter he retired from music completely.  

In his biography Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (Free Press, 2009), Robin D.G. Kelly explains that "Monk stopped working, for the most part, in 1973. Over the next three years he would come out occasionally for a concert, but he stopped playing clubs and would not leave New York" (440).

These may have been Monk's final recordings, but there's no evidence of any diminished powers.  Again, Robin D.G. Kelly: 

"The impromptu session was extraordinary for several reasons.  It was Monk's first studio date in three years... It also turned out to be his most productive session ever: In six hours, he recorded twenty different songs in thirty takes.  Finally, the Black Lion session served as a personal and historical accounting.  It was the old man's way of coming to terms with his oeuvre, taking stock of the past as he reflects on his musical legacy" (428).

Monk dedicated the first half of the session to performing solo, and in the second half bassist Al McKibbon and drummer Art Blakey joined him.  The solo piano music is heard on Volume 1, and the trio music is on Volume 2.  (There is also a third volume that collects the alternative takes.) 

All of this music is very special.  

One note about the sound of these recordings: If you have an opportunity, buy the 24 bit remastered versions of this music released by 1201 Music.  I don't consider myself an audiophile, but there is an enormous difference in sound quality between the remastered versions (as shown in the photos at the top of the entry) and the earlier Black Lion releases.  In this case, I think upgrading for better sound is definitely a worthwhile investment.