- This KILLER Prestige “not-very-stereo” pressing has super sound on both sides
- Like many other Prestige “stereo” reissues, if there is any left-right information, you would never know it without checking for it with a pair of headphones
- In other words, this ’50s mono recording has been mastered in the ’60s to sound like it’s supposed to sound – there’s absolutely nothing artificial or modern here, which makes this a very special pressing indeed
- Again and again the notes read “solid, big and rich,” and that’s the kind of sound fifty year old records give you, in spades
- “Tenor Madness was the recording that, once and for all, established Newk as one of the premier tenor saxophonists, an accolade that in retrospect, has continued through six full decades and gives an indication why a young Rollins was so well liked, as his fluency, whimsical nature, and solid construct of melodies and solos gave him the title of the next Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young of mainstream jazz.”
- If you’re a fan of Sonny’s, this is a Top Title from 1956.
rollinsbest
Sonny Rollins – Alfie
- This Sonny Rollins classic finally returns to the site boasting superb sound on both sides of this original Impulse stereo pressing
- A triumph for Rudy Van Gelder, a Top Impulse Title, and as much a showcase for Oliver Nelson as it is for Sonny Rollins
- 4 1/2 Stars: “Rollins attempts to capture the textures of life through his incisive and energetic playing, his coherent improvisations, and variations on musical themes.”
- If you’re a fan of Sonny Rollins, this Impulse from 1966 surely belongs in your collection.
This album is on the TAS Super Disc list, which is probably what first alerted me to it. I know I was listening to this album decades ago, just from the memory of hearing it in the condo I used to live in. It sounded great back then and it sounds even better now! It may just be my personal favorite of all his work.
What makes this album so great? For starters, great players. Kenny Burrell is wonderful as always. Interestingly, I never realized that Roger Kellaway is the pianist on these sessions. I saw him live years ago with Benny Carter (who was 90 at the time) and he put on one of the most amazing performances at the piano I have ever seen. For some reason, he was never able to make it as a recording artist, but the guy is a genius at the keyboard.
Of course, any orchestration by Oliver Nelson is going to be top flight and this is no exception. Two of his records are Must Owns, in my book: Jimmy Smith’s Bashin’ and his own The Blues and the Abstract Truth. No jazz collection without them can be taken seriously.
Sonny Rollins – Our Man In Jazz
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More Living Stereo Recordings
- An original Black Label Living Stereo copy, with outstanding Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from the first note
- A superb 1963 Living Stereo recording with tons of Tubey Magic, one of Sonny’s best
- We’ve played quite a number of Our Man in “X” RCA titles, and I don’t think we have ever heard a bad one
- It’s the exceptionally rare copy that sounds as good as this one does – let’s find it a good home!
- Recorded live in 1962 at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village, NY and featuring Bob Cranshaw, Don Cherry, and Billy Higgins
Sonny Rollins / The Sound of Sonny – Reviewed in 2007
Riverside White and Blue original 2 Mic Label Mono LP. Side one sounds like a typical old Riverside jazz record, but side two sounds EXCELLENT! I don’t know when I’ve heard an early Sonny Rollins record sound better. His horn is really full-bodied and dynamic and has amazing IMMEDIACY on some tracks. It makes side one sound sick in comparison.
The surfaces for old jazz records are always the problem. This one plays M– to EX++ and has some groove damage in the inner grooves — nothing too serious, but it’s definitely there. We played all the marks and only a few of them repeat, and not for long. I’ve never seen a clean quiet copy of a record like this in my life. I’m sure they exist, but I don’t come across them, at any price. (more…)
Sonny Rollins – Brass / Trio
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- An incredible sounding copy and the first to his the site in SEVEN years! Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or very close to it on both sides; exceptionally quiet vinyl too!
- Both sides sound wonderful here — rich, full-bodied, Tubey Magical and musical with a solid bottom end
- This is a very tough album to find with the right sound and surfaces; they’re usually beat to hell!
- “In 1958 Sonny Rollins split an LP between two very different settings… [he] excels in both of these settings, making this an easily recommended set.” – All Music
This isn’t an easy album to come by and even when you find a clean one they tend to be noisy, and as you might expect not all of them sound all that good. Add in the fact that you’re always going to pay good money for a clean early pressing like this one, and you’ll realize that getting a great copy in your collection is not going to be an easy task. Unless of course you’d like to take this 100% Guaranteed Hot Stamper home for a spin — that’s probably the easiest (and cost-efficient) method. And who knows if we’ll ever find another copy like this one? Certainly we haven’t been able to find a good one for many years, and we’ve been doing this for a LONG time. (more…)
Sonny Rollins – Vol. 2 – Our Shootout Winner from 2011
- Side two of this stereo pressing is at least Super Hot – it’s huge, rich and tubey
- Side one is Super Hot, musical, lively, clear and real sounding
- Another classic late ’50s RVG recording of some of the greatest Jazz Giants who ever lived
- “…a timeless session and a milestone in jazz history that gathered together some of the founding fathers of the post-bop era.”
Even though this session was supposedly recorded in one day on April 14, 1957 we heard an anomaly that took us somewhat by surprise. The first and third track on side two sound amazing, better than anything on side one. However, the second track, You Stepped Out Of A Dream, has sound that is clearly a step down from anything else on the album. It’s smaller and more congested. Why that is we have no idea, but we felt it was worth pointing out.
Sonny’s horn on side two is especially big and rich, with huge amounts of Tubey Magic as befits an all-tube 1957 Blue Note recording. This is clearly the right sound for this music.
Note that side one is not quite as tubey but makes up for it with energy and clarity that we found conveys the music beautifully. (more…)
Sonny Rollins – Now’s The Time
- An outstanding copy with Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound on side two mated to a very good side one
- Ray Hall once again engineered brilliantly for RCA – the Tubey Magical richness and dynamic energy of the sessions are captured with audiophile quality sound
- Forget the Classic Records reissue from the ’90s and whatever Heavy Vinyl they’re making now – it sure won’t sound like this!
- Features performances by Rollins with Herbie Hancock, Thad Jones, Ron Carter, Bob Cranshaw and Roy McCurdy on several bebop tunes
Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins / Sonny Meets Hawk – Great in Stereo
This is a TOP SHELF pressing, one of the most exciting jazz records we’ve heard in some time! We dropped the needle on side one of this RCA stereo pressing and were FLOORED. After evaluating it completely and awarding it our top grade of A+++, we flipped and were blown away to find that side two was every bit as good. And to top it all off, the vinyl plays quietly throughout.
Think about this — due to the nature of our business we play tons of jazz vinyl every week, multiple pressings of multiple albums. And this record completely knocked us out.
If you’re a fan of classic jazz and superb sound, wouldn’t you like to hear what this one does on your system? (more…)
Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins – Sonny Meets Hawk – Great in Mono
WONDERFUL SOUND AND MUSIC! It is ridiculously tough to find copies of this album with good sound and quiet surfaces, but this pressing is a MONSTER. We’re generally not big fans of Mono recordings, but for this music it is really doing the job. It gives you mindblowing presence to the brass and real weight to the bottom end.
Side one is KILLER. I don’t know what you could do to this music to make it sound any better than it does here. It’s super transparent with BIG TIME immediacy. The brass is rich and full with lots of breath, and the bass is DEEP and TIGHT. Listen to how silky sweet the top end sounds; the cymbals are Right On The Money.
Side two is excellent as well, but lacks a slight degree of extension up top. The presence and immediacy are EXCELLENT. (more…)
Sonny Rollins – On Impulse
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Hot Stamper Pressings of Recordings by Rudy Van Gelder
- Superb Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER from start to finish on this outstanding copy of Sonny’s Impulse! label debut
- Some of the best Sonny Rollins sax sound we’ve heard – both sides are super big, full and lively with a huge bottom end
- 4 stars: “This date is significant for the manner in which Rollins attacks five standards with a quartet that included pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Walter Booker and drummer Mickey Roker.”