The trio features bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes.

In a review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: "The first half of this two-fer... is sometimes a touch lightweight even with moments of interest...

However, the second album... comes across quite well as Corea does justice to the spirit of Monk without losing his own strong musical personality.

"[2] Peter Marsh of the BBC stated: "ECM has always brought out the best in Corea, with the label's tendency towards introspection stripping away most of the fussiness and bombast that makes some of his other recordings a bit hard to stomach.

"[6] Writing for Between Sound and Space, Tyran Grillo commented: "Highly recommend for the lovely Monk set alone, but give the improvisations a chance, and you will surely find a wealth of colors to explore again and again.