Track Listing

1. St. Thomas
2. You Don't Know What Love Is
3. Strode Rode
4. Moritat (Mack The Knife)
5. Blue 7

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29533 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 40 minutes

CD Description
The year 1956 marked a turning point for Sonny Rollins. Outof the ashes of what had been a talented but troubled youngtenor saxophonist, came a new Sonny Rollins, his purpose clarified and strengthened, his muse razor sharp and brimming with new visions. As a new member of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Organization, he was inspired as much by their spiritual consistency as their artistic integrity. By his own admission, even as a jazz tadpole, Sonny Rollins possessed a brawny sound and a powerful rhythmic drive...but other elements were missing. With SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS, Sonny Rollins createda personal vision of the tenor saxophone and modern jazz brimming over with joy and conviction. SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS was a breakthrough recording, praised for its lyrical power, thematic logic, relentless swing and spontaneous invention. Borrowing a page from his West Indian roots, Rollins' "St. Thomas" employed elements of Caribbean folk melodies and calypsorhythms to create an exotic, dancing tenor anthem--one of the most identifiable, beloved themes in all of jazz--driven along by Max Roach's melodic drumming, Tommy Flannagan's shimmering accompaniment, and the saxophonist's swaggering melodic invention. Rollins displayed fresh harmonic power and innovative methods of thematic develpment throughout SAXOPHONECOLOSSUS. On the swinging starts and stops of "Strode Rode"and the dreamy blues cycles of "Blue 7," Rollins began his solos with simple melodic motifs, and orchestrated them intogrand, elongated thematic statements--every note made meaningful by Rollins' extraordinary sense of development and intuitive musical architecture. In addition, his tenor timbre took on renewed vigor and complexity on two ballads: "Moritat" (our old friend "Mack The Knife") and his epic reading of "You Don't Know What Love Is."

Customer Reviews

The Master's Masterpiece
Quite simply the best recording Rollins ever made, and that's saying a lot. I heard this as one of my forays into modern jazz back in the 60s and am as delighted and amazed now as then with his inventiveness and his ability to swing like blazes. St Thomas and Strode Road were available on EP in those days, and it's a pleasure to have the other pieces added.

Rollins is the only sax player who can make his instrument moo like a cow - and still sound good.

Flanagan solos and comps very professionally, and even my bete noire, Max Roach, plays with restraint and rhythm.

Buy this with every confidence.

Rollins the master
This is one of the best ever Jazz albums, recorded by one of the top five tenor players in Jazz history.

The other musicians are:
Tommy Flanagan - Piano
Doug Watkins - Bass
Max Roach - drums

Even if you're not a Jazz fan you'll know Sonny Rollins 'St Thomas' which opens the album, with its calypso melody its one of the best known Jazz tunes. The performances are uniformly excellent and the sound is incredible since this album was recorded 50 years ago.

The track 'Moritat' is in fact 'The theme from the three penny opera', but it sounds remarkably similar to 'Mack the Knife'. Whatever the tune really is, Rollins is never less throughly inventive, as anyone who has seen him live will testify to. This track perhaps contains the highlight of the album, where Sonny Rollins trades 4's with Max Roach.

This is one of the classic Jazz albums and should be in everyones collection.

One of the best modern jazz albums ever!
If you only ever own ONE album by Sonny Rollins, this has to be it. Having said that, why have you only one album by the great man???.... More like 10 stars!