In 1956-1957, Sonny Rollins albums fell from the sky. There were so many of them that it was as though they simply rained down from the heavens.

This was a year when Miles Davis was busy reestablishing his career after an extended absence, and John Coltrane was still trying to establish his own. From 1956 to 1957, Sonny ruled the roost and released somewhere between ten and nineteen distinct releases (depending on who you ask and whether you count live albums and duets) to prove it. Of course, Down Beat Magazine hailed him as the best new sax player in Jazz, but with that sort of output, did they even have a choice? The thing that made this prodigious output even more impressive was that he was consistent. In all seriousness, every Rollins album I could get my hands on from this era is both unique and excellent, so how to choose? Which would be my Sonny Rollins desert island disk? Believe me, choosing was no easy task. After about two weeks of playing nothing but Rollins tunes and driving every human being who knows me batshit crazy, I culled the list down to an even five (okay five is an odd number, but it matches the numbers of fingers I have on one hand, and…oh, never mind), those being “Tenor Madness”, “Saxophone Colossus”, “Vol. 1”, “Way Out West” and “Vol. 2”. Each is distinctive enough to tell them apart, but these five albums never veer off course, not even for a track. I presumed that the average listener would never divest themselves of so much precious time to pick a favorite, so my torture of family and friends continued for another week or so, until I could genuinely discern what I appreciated about each album, and interestingly, at about the same time, my wife and peers stopped complaining. They seemed to enjoy the music as much as me, and now it seems like everybody digs Sonny Rollins (apologies to Bill Evans for co-opting his album title)!

As I always do, I arranged the albums in chronological order (which in itself was not an easy task - the order in which they were recorded is as listed above) and listened relentlessly. I took notes. Lots of notes. I memorized the session players on each album and noted the differences in their approach, as well as my own preferences regarding their style. For example, of the five albums there are four drummers – Philly Joe Jones (the first two), Max Roach,, Shelly Manne and Art Blakey, in order; Four bass players as well - Paul Chambers (one and five), Doug Walters, Gene Ramey and Ray Brown. Piano players numbered five, with two of them appearing (simultaneously, in one instance) on “Vol. 2”. Sidemen include John Coltrane (“Tenor Madness”, perhaps obviously), Donald Byrd (trumpet, “Vol. 1”) and Thelonious Monk (“Vol. 2”). If there’s one thing that I’ve learned as a musician, it’s to realize that the best way to get better at what you do is to play as often as you can with as many people as you can. The steady output and the variety of bandmates keeps you challenged and attentive, and you learn to react quickly while your own creativity soars, due to a wealth of inspiration. Sonny Rollins is a prime example of this discipline.

At first, I believed the album with Coltrane (“Tenor Madness”, the first chronologically) was a hands down winner. Full of nuance and patient pacing (with Coltrane!), it always satisfied me, but “Saxophone Colossus” kept challenging that assumption. The teamwork (and Donald Byrd’s trumpet) of “Volume 1” confused me further, while the straightforward trio approach of “Way Out West” was certainly the coolest of all that preceded. Repetitive listening revealed growth, as well as an increased sense of maturity, confidence and finesse over time. It took me better than a month to recognize it but ultimately, to my taste, “Vol. 2” is the true best in my collection of ‘best’ Sonny Rollins albums because it sounds like everyone involved broke a sweat (due to the insanely talented muscle of Art Blakey and Paul Chambers holding down the rhythm). It’s energized perfection...with Monk. This album’s version of Monk’s “Misterioso” is the coolest version of the most original twelve bar blues tune ever written, with the songwriter playing piano (and so does Horace Silver!)! In a  contest where everyone’s a winner, “Vol. 2” takes the trophy because subsequently, nothing touched it.

A year or so after releasing “Volume 2”, Rollins burned out and took a leave of absence for three years (in lieu of recording another fifty albums). Call it a vacation, but as I hear it, he spent that time walking out onto the Delancey St. bridge nightly, playing to the water and the passing cars for hours at a time. I’m not gonna lie. All five of these albums really are worth the time it takes to get to know them. In honesty, so are the other twelve that I listened to incessantly before coming to this hasty conclusion. Take my advice, or go ahead and dive in. The journey is its own reward. Now I have to figure out how to tell my wife and friends that I need to dig deeper and do the same thing with the entire Charlie Parker discography. It’s what I do.

Featured Tracks:

Why Don't

Wail March

Mysterioso

Reflections

You Stepped Out of a Dream

Poor Butterfly

June 1957 – Billboard Did Not Chart