On May 14 and 15, 1957, Thelonious Monk sat in with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers to record a one-off album for Atlantic Records; Monk’s lone appearance on the label. It was also his only recording with the Jazz Messengers, an ever-evolving collective led by drummer Art Blakey, who’s joined on the album by Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and bassist Spanky DeBrest.

The vinyl version of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk comes in a replica of the original sleeve, which features photos from the era, including the cover art taken by Lee Friedlander, an award-winning photographer renowned for the portraits of jazz artists he took for Atlantic Records in the 1950s. Both the CD and LP version of the deluxe edition include a newly remastered version of the 1958 album, plus unreleased outtakes on disc two. An illustrated booklet comes with the collection and features liner notes by music historian, journalist, and producer Ashley Khan. His writing provides historical context about the artists and insightful commentary about their art.