SONNY ROLLINS - SONNY BOY

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sonny Rollins - Sonny Boy

Sonny Rollins

Sonny Boy

PRLP 7207

Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, October 5, 1956

Personnel:

Kenny Dorham (tp)

Sonny Rollins (ts)

Wade Legge (p)

George Morrow (b)

Max Roach (d)

981 The House I Live In

Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, December 7, 1956

Personnel:

Sonny Rollins (ts)

Kenny Drew (p)

George Morrow (b)

Max Roach (d)

1031 B. Swift

1033 Sonny Boy

1035 Ee-Ah

1036 B. Quick

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Tracks

1. Ee-Ah [Rollins] 6:53

2. B. Quick [Rollins] 9:11

3. B. Swift [Rollins] 5:14

4. The House I Live In [Lewis/Robinson] 9:21

5. Sonny Boy [Brown/DeSylva/Henderson/Jolson] 8:22

Recorded in 1956 but issued in 1960, Sonny Boy combines three tracks previously heard on Rollins' 1957 release Tour de Force (omitting two ballads sung by Earl Coleman) with the title track, popularized by Al Jolson in the '20s, and an instrumental version of "The House I Live In" from the Frank Sinatra film of the same title.

The blues "Ee-Ah" features a laid-back introduction by pianist Kenny Drew and a remarkable extended solo by Rollins. The aptly-titled "B. Quick" and "B. Swift" are lightning-fast improvs spotlighting exceptional solos by all members, especially drummer Max Roach. Of the previously-unissued tracks, "Sonny Boy" has a bounciness unusual in '50s jazz, and "The House I Live In" (featuring trumpeter Kenny Dorham and pianist Wade Legge) manages to be simultaneously stately and swinging. They're hardly mere leftovers, and should have been issued long before they were.

Review by Scott Yanow

The music on this LP was the last of tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' Prestige dates to appear on CD. Actually the release is a bit odd for it reissues four of the six numbers from the previously released Prestige LP Tour de Force (PR 7126), replacing "My Ideal" and "Two Different Worlds" (the latter an Earl Coleman vocal) with "The House I Live In" from an earlier session that resulted in the Plays for Bird album. Tour de Force is a more logical purchase, although the music on this set does feature the immortal tenor saxophonist in fine form with a quartet comprised of pianist Kenny Drew, bassist George Morrow and drummer Max Roach (other than the earlier selection which also has trumpeter Kenny Dorham).

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