This CD from the Bluebird reissue series fills a lot of gaps in Sonny Rollins' discography. The 13 selections are taken from six different sessions from 1964. The personnel changes from date to date, with either Ron Carter or Bob Cranshaw on bass and Roy McCurdy or Mickey Roker on drums, along with pianist Herbie Hancock on five songs and guitarist Jim Hall on three others. Some of the music is actually alternate takes, and in contrast to a rambling 16-minute version of "Now's the Time," a few of the briefer songs (seven are under 31 minutes) shut down prematurely. However, the great tenor's improvisations are consistently fascinating, as he reconciles his avant-garde flights to the standards he is performing; "Autumn Nocturne" is a high point.
Sonny Rollins frequently played cadenzas to end tunes. Here his opening cadenza visits "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", a calypso melody, and "I Can't Get Started" on the way to starting Miles Davis's "Four".His idea flow is never ending, his sound is ever-varying and he plays with great good humor. This rhythm section, pianist Kenny Drew, Niels Henning Oersted Pederson (NHOP for ...
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 "Sonny Rollins & Co. 1964")
