In the Summer of 1957, Thelonious Monk turned the New York jazz circuit upside down when his quartet gave their highly publicized extended club engagement at the Five Spot, where it was met with praise and controversy at the time, but it went on to become of his most important achievements. When they returned there in 1958, the Riverside label would be on hand record two live albums in the live event (Misterioso gave us the first half) and Thelonious In Action, also released in 1958, would provide the other half for this live event. The live albums maintain a winning balance among Monk's classic ballad creations, so on Thelonious In Action you have more excellent tracks beginning with Light Blue as it proceeds with other live tracks such as Coming On The Hudson, Rhythm-A-Ning, an intermission-based theme take on his signature classic Epistrophy, Blue Monk, the masterful Unfettered Piano Solo, Blues Five Spot, until ending with a two-part medley of In Walked Bud/ Epistrophy, where they lifts the quartet after quickly developing the instrumental-backed chorus. By capturing Monk at the peak of his abilities as a performer and a jazz titan who's highly showcased "In Action" at the club where he emerged into the spotlight, Thelonious In Action will give you plenty of terrific music to listen to. So for those who want of the live performance in it's entire form, make sure that you download Thelonious In Action right along with Misterioso in your MP3 library, that way they will give you the complete live club date you would hear them from start to finish, and these recorded sessions still sounds as fresh and vibrant today.