Reddit mentions of Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

if you're already into duke, thelonious monk plays duke ellington might work for you. that being said...

i can't think of any bad monk albums, but he's at his best when he gets to stretch out on longer solos, building rhythm patterns, echoing and deconstructing melodies, etc. he often re-worked the same compositions at different points in his career, so for a lot of tunes there's not a canonical this-is-the-official-version "best" recording. you might try this imho stellar recently-discovered live recording at carnegie hall with john coltrane.

i always end up back on Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall.

Hehe, I'm just busting your balls, dude. I actually didn't start with the early classics either. Made my way from 70s prog rock to fusion jazz to contemporary jazz and then made my way back.

Anyway, look into the concert at the Carnegie Hall Monk did with Coltrane. That should be a good intro. Underground is also a great album.

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

This audio CD is notable for many reasons:

1. It represents a style at its height (1957).
   
   
2. It contains two of the world's greatest jazz artists, during the very short time they worked together (less than a year).
   
   
3. It documents Coltrane's style at a time when it really began to take flight.
   
   
4. The recording was discovered at the Library of Congress in 2005, so it's "new".
   
   
5. It was recorded live, and extraordinarily well for its day, at Carnegie Hall.
   
   Edit: it's also nice for getting your groove on with the ladies.