SONNY ROLLINS - Sonny Rollins at Music Inn / TEDDY EDWARDS - At Falcon’s Lair with Joe Castro
6099
Tracks 1 10
Sonny Rollins (Tenor 1 to 6); John Lewis (piano except 2 and 3); Milt Jackson (vibes on 5 to 10); Percy Heath (bass)
Connie Kay (drums)
Recorded at Music Inn August 1958
Tracks 11 - 12
Teddy Edwards (tenor); Joe Castro (piano); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Billy Higgins(drums)
Recorded at Falcon’s Lair 1959
This is a discographical mish-mash. Jordi Pujol brought out these sessions which were originally on Metro Jazz and Atlantic. Jordi likes to pack his CDs to the brim. Sometimes that leads to rather a chaotic, indigestible mess. The MJQ play without Rollins on four of the tracks. Rollins plays with the group on just two tracks and, in total, Rollins plays on just half of the tracks!
What we have is Sonny Rollins, almost with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Sonny and the MJQ have never seemed as though they were made for each other, However, the music from Rollins is a revelation. Sonny was obviously at the stage where he enjoyed leaning on a reliable, musically literate, rhythm section. Lewis, Kay and Heath cleverly underpin Sonny’s explorations. Connie Kay provides the speed on ‘Limehouse Blues’. Sonny dissects the tune breaking it up into its constituent parts. That steady rhythm seems to free Sonny and on the first track ‘Doxy’ he is at his freewheeling best. Majestic as ever, he plays several choruses for nearly six minutes before the delicate intelligent improvisations of John Lewis take over. The dynamics that he uses during his solo are impressive. Although Sonny starts from a well known tune it is really free jazz and improvisation of very high order, unfettered thinking and playing.
Another facet of Sonny’s work. it continued throughout his life, was his penchant for choosing pieces from unlikely sources. Here he improvises on ‘I’ll Follow My Secret Heart’ written by Noel Coward. Joining the highly romantic tune to Sonny’s acerbic musical mind produces intriguing results.
The recordings at Music Inn were done in the summer of 1958, during the three-week workshop course where John Lewis was director at the Music Inn. The MJQ was the group in residence ‘Bags Groove’ and ‘A Night in Tunisia’ were the first time that these musicians had worked together since 1953.
So although Rollins only plays on half of the tracks the CD is well worth hearing because he is at his best and at times his sardonic side almost sounds as though he wanted to prick the pretensions of the MJQ. There was never much humour with the MJQ but there is plenty of musical fun with Rollins.
Yes, the CD is a mish-mash but if you don’t have the Rollins tracks they are well worth acquiring. I am sure the Teddy Edwards’ groupies will be pleased with the final two tracks.
Oh yes…. the CD has the old album notes from three albums reproduced so minutely that you will need to employ Tom Thumb to read them.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
6099
Tracks 1 10
Sonny Rollins (Tenor 1 to 6); John Lewis (piano except 2 and 3); Milt Jackson (vibes on 5 to 10); Percy Heath (bass)
Connie Kay (drums)
Recorded at Music Inn August 1958
Tracks 11 - 12
Teddy Edwards (tenor); Joe Castro (piano); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Billy Higgins(drums)
Recorded at Falcon’s Lair 1959
This is a discographical mish-mash. Jordi Pujol brought out these sessions which were originally on Metro Jazz and Atlantic. Jordi likes to pack his CDs to the brim. Sometimes that leads to rather a chaotic, indigestible mess. The MJQ play without Rollins on four of the tracks. Rollins plays with the group on just two tracks and, in total, Rollins plays on just half of the tracks!
What we have is Sonny Rollins, almost with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Sonny and the MJQ have never seemed as though they were made for each other, However, the music from Rollins is a revelation. Sonny was obviously at the stage where he enjoyed leaning on a reliable, musically literate, rhythm section. Lewis, Kay and Heath cleverly underpin Sonny’s explorations. Connie Kay provides the speed on ‘Limehouse Blues’. Sonny dissects the tune breaking it up into its constituent parts. That steady rhythm seems to free Sonny and on the first track ‘Doxy’ he is at his freewheeling best. Majestic as ever, he plays several choruses for nearly six minutes before the delicate intelligent improvisations of John Lewis take over. The dynamics that he uses during his solo are impressive. Although Sonny starts from a well known tune it is really free jazz and improvisation of very high order, unfettered thinking and playing.
Another facet of Sonny’s work. it continued throughout his life, was his penchant for choosing pieces from unlikely sources. Here he improvises on ‘I’ll Follow My Secret Heart’ written by Noel Coward. Joining the highly romantic tune to Sonny’s acerbic musical mind produces intriguing results.
The recordings at Music Inn were done in the summer of 1958, during the three-week workshop course where John Lewis was director at the Music Inn. The MJQ was the group in residence ‘Bags Groove’ and ‘A Night in Tunisia’ were the first time that these musicians had worked together since 1953.
So although Rollins only plays on half of the tracks the CD is well worth hearing because he is at his best and at times his sardonic side almost sounds as though he wanted to prick the pretensions of the MJQ. There was never much humour with the MJQ but there is plenty of musical fun with Rollins.
Yes, the CD is a mish-mash but if you don’t have the Rollins tracks they are well worth acquiring. I am sure the Teddy Edwards’ groupies will be pleased with the final two tracks.
Oh yes…. the CD has the old album notes from three albums reproduced so minutely that you will need to employ Tom Thumb to read them.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
