WOW
WOW WOW
SHAM WOW.
If you have had any doubt that Sonny Rollins is the premier tenor saxist of the past two generations, this three disc set will set you straight.
Yes, much of this material has been available in various bootlegs, but NEVER sounding this good, and never put together in such a cogent fashion. This is a collection that, like so few others, will make you wonder how you truly appreciated Rollins, the tenor sax, or even jazz, before experiencing this collection of Rollins in trio fashion
To put the music in time perspective, by March 1959 Rollins was at one of his creative zeniths, having released classics like Freedom Suite and Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders. By the time this tour of Europe in March of ’59 was over, he would embark on his first musical sabbaticals. To be perfectly frank, if I could play the sax like this, the last thing I’d want to do is to STOP playing, but then I don’t hold myself to Rollins’ standard, which is why I became a chiropractor.
Any, the tour had Rollins teaming with bassist Henry Grimes, and alternating drummers in Pet La Roca, Joe Harris and Kenny Clarke. Even though the drummers had slightly different styles (as Clarke was from the previous generation), there is little to choose between them playing wise.
The music, well, THE MUSIC! The trio with La Roca covers most of the music, and Rollins is simply glorious. He announces the tunes during the Stockholm, Sweden concert, and gives a cozy interview, in which the self-effacing Rollins says “I’m not a creator; I’m just in the experimental stage”, and humbly stating that he doesn’t have a pianist because “it hinders my playing, at this particular time”.
The spaciousness of the rhythm lets Rollins go bel canto throughout, with some glorious solo intros to tunes like “There Will Never Be Another You”, and “Love Letters” while his solos and melodies are a mix of renditions of the melody that are as respectful as if sung by Dick Powell and solos that are as adventurous a trail as if led by John Muir. And his sound? HIS SOUND!!! From the moment of his opening introductions of the melody to when he pops the clutch to veer into his solo, he comes with the force of a 16 pound bowling ball crashing into the head pin on a strike.
The songs for Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Holland are performed for radio stations and local theaters, and the sound quality is crystal clear. The interplay between the three gents is muy simpatico, and Rollins plays peek-a-boo on “Oleo” stupendously and chirps humorously on “I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star”, with each song checking in at around 3-6 minutes. He shows his bop chops on fantastically frantic reads of “It Don’t Mean A Thing” and does the calypso like a local on “St. Thomas”. There’s also what appears to be a solo rendition of “It Could Happen To You” that needs transcription immediately as it is a stream of lyrical consciousness that is simply awe inspiring.
And then, you have the last disc which are three tune ranging from 15-19 minutes with Clarke at the helm. The material consists of “Woody ‘n’ You”, “But Not For Me” and “Lady Bird”, but it doesn’t really matter what the title is. For each of these songs, Rollins is playing THE ENTIRE TIME! Oh, there are a few tradings of fours and eights with Clarke, and Grimes throws in a spotlight here and there, but even with these moments, Rollins is blowing and responding to the teammates, throwing out more quotes than Bartletts, even throwing in lines from his own songs! He never runs out of ideas, never tires, and never wears out his welcome. Like Old Man River, he just keeps rollins along!
The only thing discouraging about this album is that once its over, and you ask yourself “who is out there that is playing like this these days?” you sit back in dejection, because you sadly know the answer. Which is even more reason to just put the disc back on, start over again, and not think about it.
There is an accompanying booklet with an interview with Rollins himself in perspective of the recording and where he was mentally at the time and essays by the likes of James Carter and Joe Lovano, along with biographies of the musicians. Weaver of dreams.