Alice Coltrane's 1968 solo debut on Impulse still stands tall in the artist's excellent discography. Coltrane had already gained a considerable education playing in the band of her late husband John during one of his boldest and most exploratory periods. The searching quality underpinning the saxophonist's last albums is also present on A Monastic Trio, as are the Eastern modalities and the balance between density and expansiveness often associated with Trane.

But to consider Coltrane's debut a mere offshoot of her late husband's inventions is to do her a great disservice. Coltrane distinguishes herself as a composer (all the tunes on the album are hers), and as an instrumentalist (her harp playing, in particular, is noteworthy). A Monastic Trio also benefits from a superb personnel list, including Rashied Ali on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and the irrepressible Pharoah Sanders on saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet. This recording remains one of the landmark debuts in avant-garde jazz.