AMG Review of Alternatives

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Sonny Rollins' RCA recordings of 1962-1964 found him really stretching out his style, listening to and learning from Ornette Coleman without losing his own musical personality. This CD, in addition to two numbers with bassist Bob Cranshaw and the congos of Candido ("Jungoso" and "Bluesongo") that were originally on the album What's New, has four selections from Now's the Time along with four very different alternate takes. For example, the original version of "52nd Street Theme" was four-minutes long but the alternate is 14. The personnel also differs much of the time, with cornetist Thad Jones and pianist Herbie Hancock making appearances, but the emphasis is on the exciting improvisations of Rollins, one of the great tenor saxophonists of all time.