Tag: Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins – Road Shows, Vol. 3 (2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Published October 12, 2021

If you’re a longtime jazz or Sonny Rollins fan, you’re probably already aware of the Rollins Road Show Compilations of his live performances that he chooses himself. For some live music junkies, there is nothing more satisfying than catching this legend ‘in the moment’ and with Sonny Rollins: Road Shows Vol. 3, this well earned reputation, based on a career that spans 65 years, lives on.

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Sonny Rollins – Rollins in Holland – The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings (2020/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Published September 16, 2021

This new 2-CD set of 1967 studio and live recordings of Sonny Rollins. Discovered poorly labeled in the Dutch Jazz Archives, these performances are fiery and powerful. His Dutch bassist Ruud Jacobs and drummer Han Bennink, who while accomplished, wondered how they would manage, yet they met the challenge brilliantly; Rollins gave them plenty of opportunity to solo and explore. Rollin’s himself at age 89 had a hand in the production with Zev Feldman, and his interview is included. Aidan Levy, Rollin’s biographer, provided notes and full analysis of each tune. Comments on the choice of saxophone manufacturer and mouthpieces were interesting and unusual.

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Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk And Sonny Rollins (1956/2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Published August 14, 2021

Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk And Sonny Rollins (1956/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 34:04 inutes | 338 | Genre: Jazz
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Digital Booklet | © Prestige Records
Recorded: November 13, 1953 at WOR Studios, New York, NY; September 22 & October 25, 1954 at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ
Remastered: 2006, Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Thelonious Monk’s years as a Prestige recording artist (1952-1954) were tough times for the legendary composer/pianist. Unable to work in New York clubs due to the unjust loss of his cabaret card, and misunderstood when not ignored by listeners as well as many musicians, Monk’s profile was sustained primarily by his appearances as both leader and sideman on a series of Prestige sessions released in the then-new LP format.

The present collection, which samples three of those sessions, appeared as critics and fans were beginning to catch up to Monk’s singular genius and remains one of the best introductions to his iconoclastic brilliance. Three tracks feature leading Monk disciple Sonny Rollins, hitting early peaks on two standards and stretching out on “Friday the 13th,” plus a pair of tracks in which Monk’s greatest studio trio (with Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums) introduce the classic “Work” and “Nutty.”

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Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins – Dig (1956/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published July 8, 2021

Recorded in one day in October 1951, these tracks allowed Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins to stretch out together like they had never done in the studio before, delivering fluid solos with warmth and emotion. The rest of the musicians on this pivotal session are equally praiseworthy: a teenage Jackie McLean on alto sax on most songs, pianist Walter Bishop and bassist Tommy Porter, all held together by the explosive drive of drummer Art Blakey.

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Sonny Rollins – The Bridge (1962) [Reissue 2013] PS3 ISO + FLAC

Published August 3, 2020

The Bridge is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded in 1962. It was Rollins’ first release following a three-year sabbatical and was his first album for RCA Victor. The saxophonist was joined by the musicians with whom he recorded for the next segment of his career: Jim Hall on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on double bass and Ben Riley on drums.

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Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus (1957) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2014] PS3 ISO + FLAC

Published August 3, 2020

Saxophone Colossus is a studio album by American jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. It was recorded on June 22, 1956, with producers Bob Weinstock and Rudy Van Gelder at the latter’s studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. Rollins led a quartet on the album that included pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Max Roach. Saxophone Colossus was released by Prestige Records to critical success and helped establish Rollins as a prominent jazz artist. In 2017, Saxophone Colossus was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or artistically significant”.

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Sonny Rollins – Tenor Madness (1956) [Analogue Productions 2012] {PS3 ISO + FLAC}

Published October 10, 2019

Tenor Madness is a 1956 jazz album by Sonny Rollins. It is most notable for its title track, the only known recording featuring both Rollins and John Coltrane. Rollins and Coltrane had both been members of groups with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in the past. Rollins had had some recent success, and both were emerging as prominent solo tenor saxophone players.

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Sonny Rollins – Rollins Plays For Bird (1957) [Analogue Productions Remaster 2012] {PS3 ISO + FLAC}

Published October 10, 2019

Rollins Plays for Bird is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded in 1956 for the Prestige label, and released in the end of July 1957. It featuring performances by Rollins with Kenny Dorham, Wade Legge, George Morrow and Max Roach on material associated with Charlie Parker.

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Sonny Rollins – Way Out West (1957/2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published September 24, 2019

Recorded and released in 1957, this groundbreaking jazz-country album features Sonny Rollins accompanied by Ray Brown on bass and drummer Shelly Manne, with no pianist. Rollins chose cover songs and wrote originals that captured his love of the Western movies he grew up watching, with their themes of independence and self-sufficiency.

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Sonny Rollins – Alfie (1966/2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published September 24, 2019

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins loaned his flair for the dramatic to the score for the film Alfie, accompanying the story of what the liner notes describe as “the involuntary education of a hipster.” Arranged by Oliver Nelson, the soundtrack follows the character’s evolution from the carefree, rakish Lothario of “Alfie’s Theme” to the contemplative, somewhat broken man reflected in “Alfie’s Theme Differently.” Rollins attempts to capture the textures of life through his incisive and energetic playing, his coherent improvisations, and variations on musical themes. While “Alfie’s Theme” and its variants make the most lasting impression, “He’s Younger Than You Are” is touching, laced with regret. And the sensual, relaxed “On Impulse” has a nice sense of immediacy.