COLLECTING… Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
(Blue Note, BLP1542, LP, US, 1957) £2,600
Often referred to as “Sonny Rollins Volume 1,” this was the first of two self-titled albums recorded for Blue Note after the saxophonist became a freelancer following the expiration of his exclusive, long-term contract with Prestige Records. The drummer on the session is bebop god Max Roach, in whose band Rollins was playing at the time. Pristine original first pressings (bearing Blue Note’s Lexington Avenue address) are ultra-rare and change hands for big money.
Saxophone Colossus
(Prestige, 7079, LP, US, 1957) £2,300
This was the landmark album that gave Rollins, just 26 at the time, his nickname. A stunning showcase of Rollins’ improvisational flair, it found him fronting a stellar quartet comprising pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer, Max Roach. Among the album’s high points is the calypsoinspired St. Thomas, which celebrated Rollins’ Caribbean roots. The first UK version, released on the Esquire label, is more affordable but at £150 for a mint copy, it’s still not cheap.
Sonny Rollins Plays
(Period Records, SPL 1204, LP, US, 1958) £1,130
This rare and unusual album – where the Sonny Rollins Quintet (featuring trombonist Jimmy Cleveland) occupied one side and trumpeter Thad Jones And His Ensemble the other – was released on jazz writer Leonard Feather’s short-lived Period imprint. Rollins’ three tracks include the first studio version of the bluesy Sonnymoon For Two and his late-night ballad treatment of a classical music piece: Theme From Tchaikovsky’s Symphony Pathetique. The record was issued in the UK in 1972 by the Ember label as Double Mint Jazz; it’s much cheaper to buy than a US original and can be picked up for about £10.
Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins
(Prestige, PRLP 7075, LP, US, 1957) £1,000
Such was Rollins’ stature in the jazz world during the late 50s that this compilation of tracks recorded in 1953 and 1954 gave the saxophonist equal billing with his guru, pianist/composer Thelonious Monk, even though he only appeared on three of the set’s five numbers. The LP’S striking cover art was by Tom Hannan, whose modernist, abstract designs were popular in the late 50s and also graced Prestige albums by Miles Davis and Jackie Mclean.
Complete Sonny Rollins In Japan
(Victor, VICJ-70051-2, 2CD, Japan, 2018) £34
Never released outside of Japan, this 1973 live album recorded at Tokyo’s Nakano Sun Plaza hotel includes faithful renditions of Rollins’ biggest tracks – Alfie, St. Thomas, and Moritat – but the most telling cut is an exploratory 19-minute groove called Powaii, which shows where the saxophonist was really at stylistically at that stage of his career. The 2018 reissue, expanded to a limited edition, high-fidelity, double SHM-CD, adds three further tracks.