"Sonny Rollins on Impulse!" by Sonny Rollins Impulse! A-91-A

July 18, 2024

There is still plenty of Rollins stuff for me to collect. This title is one that has flown at bit under the radar for me and I’ve never really focused on finding it. I’ve of course known about it and I knew I enjoyed the wonderful calypso ”Hold ’em Joe” where Rollins tears it up. It was on the wall at a local store and I grabbed it. Glad I did cause it’s a beautiful record. Great recording.

The band on this is solid and Rollins is backed by Ray Bryant on piano, Walter Booker on double bass and Mickey Roker on drums. I really enjoy Booker on bass and he has a lovely solo on ”Everything Happens To Me”.

After listening to this original mono pressing this album has actually elevated itself to become one of my favorite Rollins albums. It’s top notch. If you haven’t heard it I suggest you listen to it. I think you’ll enjoy it a lot.

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"The Bridge" by Sonny Rollins on RCA Victor LPM 2527

June 28, 2024

Delightful album, which was Sonnys comeback to the jazz scene from a three year hiatus. During this extended break he focused on himself and his playing and what he really wanted to play. He practiced on the Williamsburg Bridge, which enabled him to be alone, for concentration, inspiration and to not disturb others while he played his horn.

The title of the album is a nod to the Williamsburg Bridge but maybe also to the Sonny of the 50’s bridging over the decade to the returning Sonny of the 60’s. His last studio record before the hiatus was ”Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders”, released in 1959 and the next was the album in focus here, released in 1962.

The cats backing Rollins on this date were carefully chosen. We have the brilliant Jim Hall on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on double bass, Ben Riley on drums, on all tracks except for one, which features H.T. Saunders.

I love Rollins and I love this album. I’m pleased to finally have a copy. My favorite tune on this one has to be Billy Holiday’s ”God Bless the Child”, it’s beautiful. Another favorite is the Rollins original “John S.”. Superb album all the way through.

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"What´s New" by Sonny Rollins & Co on RCA Victor LPM 2572

April 30, 2024

This album is so good. Filled with latin percussion and bossa nova flavors. As much as I love Sonny I hadn’t listened to this title until I bought it some months ago. I’m very pleased that I discovered this, albeit late.

Sonny really thrives in this setting and the music is to die for. He really shows his multifaceted talent here and he creates the sense that this is his primary style of jazz. It feels that it’s so natural for him to play this style. He just breezes through these infectious and groovy tunes with playful yet highly sophisticated ease.

The band backing him are Jim Hall on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on double bass, Ben Riley on drums and Denis Charles, Frank Charles, Willie Rodriguez and Candido all on percussion. Top notch band.

Love the percussion element throughout this album. It provides great texture and really makes the session stand out. As a drummer myself I appreciate that stuff. Feels like being on an island in the Caribbean or on the beach in Copacabana, sipping on a drink.

This copy plays superb. Truly amazing. It’s quite a special thing to play a record from the 50’s or 60’s (like this one) and it plays so lovely.

The weather is starting to get a lot warmer here in Stockholm now, so this album was a perfect choice on this day which is the last day of April, called Valborg here in Sweden, with bonfires being lit all across the country.

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"Freedom Suite" by Sonny Rollins on Riverside RLP 12-258

April 3, 2024

I love Sonny Rollins, both for his great playing and compositions, but also because he was the one who got me really hooked on jazz. The band he had that hooked me was also a trio; him, Henry Grimes and Joe Harris. Just like on this album, but here it is Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach on double bass and drums. I absolutely love the concept of a sax trio. It’s so naked and exposed, so primitive, in a good way. Rollins’ sax really takes center stage in this format and is really in your face. I love “Way Out West” as well, also a trio format.

This album consists of the brilliant Rollins-penned “The Freedom Suite”, taking up the whole of Side 1 and four other tunes on the second side that are beautiful as well. This is a lovely album, one of his best, that I’ve been after for a long time. Not entierly easy to find with the large blue labels (no INC). Happy to finally be able to file this great title. Have plenty of other Sonny Rollins titles that I’m still looking for, so the search goes on for those.

Any thoughts on this album? Please share. Cheers!

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"Tenor Madness" by the Sonny Rollins Quartet & Quintet on Prestige 7047

September 6, 2020

Rollins & Coltrane playing together on one of the tunes.

From one of the true giants of jazz who is still alive. A true classic. Very happy to have been able to add this one to the collection. Sonny Rollins is special to me. As I’ve mentioned before, he is the reason I got into jazz for real back in 2007 when he received the Polar Music Prize, and they showed an old black & white concert on TV with his trio consisting of Henry Grimes and Joe Harris, playing in Stockholm in 1959 at Södra Teatern. I was hooked from that moment on. I love Sonny. I still have a great deal to discover when it comes to his work. But when it comes to discover jazz in general I’m taking small bites out of a lot and let stuff sink in. That means I’ll probably never have any shortage of jazz music/musicians to discover. So, I haven’t listened to all of Sonny Rollins’ albums, and I own just a handful on original vinyl. But I feel “Tenor Madness” is one of the top titles to enjoy so I’m very happy to have secured it.

What makes this album so special is of course the title track, which features both Rollins and Coltrane. It’s the only known recording with these two cats playing together. To have these two giants of the tenor playing together is quite a treat and of great historical importance. Wish they could have done some more stuff together.

The tune “Paul’s Pal” is composed by Rollins and is a favorite of mine, since it was one of the tunes he played together with the trio during that concert I saw on TV back in 2007. The rest of the album is also very enjoyable. I’m sure most of you have heard this recording, but if you’re new to jazz or Rollins and is looking to check out his work I can highly recommend this album together with “Saxophone Colossus”, also recorded for Prestige.

Some questions for my readers: top 5 Rollins albums? Top 5 tenor players of all time?

Autumn is here in Stockholm. The weather changed quickly from summer to autumn. Looking forward to some cozy listening sessions this autumn while the weather is cold and wet outside.

I hope everyone is staying safe and are enjoying their collections. Have a great Sunday. Stay tuned for more great vintage jazz vinyl. Cheers!

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Sonny Rollins Quintet on Prestige, PRLP 186

May 6, 2018

Wonderful 10" Rollins on Prestige with a very cool cover.

This beautiful little 10" record kicks off in style with some great, up-tempo hard bop. I have to say, this is a truly sublime Rollins effort. And the line-up is very, very good with Rollins on the tenor, Kenny Dorham on the trumpet, Elmo Hope, the superb, perhaps underrated pianist, Percy Heath on the double bass and a guy called Abdullah Buhaina which is of course, unmistakably, Art Blakey on the drums.

The cover art for this album is one of the coolest I've seen. With the superb black and white photo of Rollins and the silver text on the front. There's another Prestige 10" (PRLP 190) with a black and white front photograph of Rollins which also is very cool. But for me, this is a tad cooler. I'm still looking for the PRLP 190.

I do love the 10" format, although I have but a handful of them. I've concentrated on 12" records for the most part but I'm aiming to collect a lot more 10" LP's. They feel truly genuine and they came before a lot of the 12" albums, so they are earlier, older, and that makes them highly desirable to me.

This Prestige sounds remarkably nice as these older 10" albums are, from what I've gathered, more difficult to obtain in great shape. Overall, I guess, but especially the Prestige 10" albums. The cover is in superb shape as well. I'm very happy with my copy.

The music on this album was later released on a 12" album called "Moving Out" on PRLP 7058. All the tunes are great and you should check them out if you're unfamiliar with them. One of my favorites is a ballad called "Silk N' Satin", it's beautiful. A highly recommended album.

Spring has at last arrived here in Stockholm. The sun is shining and the trees on my street is getting greener. I've been saving up for a summer vacation with the family for quite a while. It's been difficult to buy albums during this period. But now we have booked it, the flight and hotel. So, perhaps I will be able to put aside some dough now for some nice jazz albums again. I'm extremely motivated to buy some new stuff and let's see if I can track down some nice pieces soon. In the meantime I will post albums from the collection.

I'd like to wish you a great rest of the weekend, take care and happy listening. I have a couple of hours by myself today so I'm seizing the moment. Next, I'm putting on Side 2 of Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and after that Side 1 of "4, 5 and 6" with Jackie McLean on Prestige...

Cheers!

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Afternoon listening: The Sound of Sonny

January 31, 2016

My son took an afternoon nap today, so I decided to seize the moment and listen to some jazz vinyl. I flipped through the collection, and in the end picked Sonny Rollins - The Sound of Sonny on Riverside. I haven't listened to this in a while, and boy is it good. My original 1st pressing sounds absolutely superb. It's quite a relaxing album. I only listened to Side 1, and I enjoyed it very much. A great choice for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I love Sonny Rollins, and he is one of the main reasons I started listening to jazz for real. I have some very nice albums with him, but there's an ocean of stuff I'm missing still. I need to try and secure some more great Rollins LP's soon. It's just that those albums need to become available at the right time, when the funds are there. Also, there are so many albums that I want, I don't always go for a particular artist next, it's more like; I check what's available and go with something I can't resist at that moment. Anyway, a new Rollins album will surely be high on the wishlist after being reminded once more, that he's one of the very best.

Have a great Sunday!

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The Sound of Sonny on Riverside 241

April 6, 2015

A great Sonny Rollins album. Nice laid back mood throughout. And the sound of this original, 1st pressing Sonny LP is superb. Jack Higgins is the engineer. Very nice recording by him. This is truly a must in any jazz collection. One of my favorite Rollins albums so far. I have far too few Riverside albums to date. There's so many great albums on this label. Can't wait to acquire another one. I love these early, white label pressings. They always seem well recorded and well presented.

The personnel on this album are: Rollins (tenor sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Percy Heath and Paul Chambers (double bass) and Roy Haynes (drums). Being a drummer myself, I always listen careful to the drums, and I think Roy Haynes is great. Not my absolute favorite, but he has a nice approach to the drums. Actually, the way jazz drummers play, and the raw acoustic sound of the drums on these recordings from the 50's was one of the reasons I really got into jazz for real. And Sonny Rollins was one of the main reasons I got hooked on jazz. When I saw a concert on Swedish television with him, Henry Grimes and Joe Harris from 1959 recorded in Sweden, I thought it was superb and then I started listening to jazz more and more, to the point where I only listened to jazz. And here I am now, collecting jazz vinyl and loving every minute of it.

If you haven't got this LP in your collection, make amends. It should have it's rightful place on your shelves. Preferably the 1st pressing of course. Stay tuned for more nice stuff!

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Gunslinger jazz, "Way out West" by Sonny Rollins

January 24, 2015

Very cool cover, according to this collector.

Sonny Rollins, the reason I really got into jazz. After seeing his trio with Henry Grimes (bass) and Joe Harris (drums) playing live in 1959, at Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden, on television. I have some of his work, but there's a lot left still to discover. A lot. This album is quite special. With some outstanding tunes. Some of them have that Old West touch, like the opening tunes on each side "I'm An Old Cowhand" and "Wagon Wheels". I like this trio setting. Sonny, together with Ray Brown on double bass and the brilliant Shelly Manne on drums. I dig Shelly. Great drummer. He has recorded lots of stuff that I need to look into more.

The tenor sax really thrives in this stripped down setting. In fact, the double bass and drums both get a lot of focus as well. It's just beautifully recorded. A favorite album of mine. This copy is in very nice condition. An original 1st pressing, with the 2 color back. I love the old yellow Contemporary labels with the deep grooves. I've only got a couple of LP's on the Contemporary label, but I intend to explore the label further and see what I can find.

Please enjoy the images and I'll be back soon with more nice, rare records from the collection.

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