Released: 1956
Tracks: St. Thomas; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Strode Rode; Moritat; Blue 7
Best track: either St. Thomas or You Don’t Know What Love Is
Track to skip: absolutely none
My friend Kory recommended this CD to me and I have never once been disappointed with his recommendations. Of the long list of CD’s he told me are ‘essential’ this is still my favorite (of the ones I’ve bought so far). This CD was my introduction to Sonny Rollins and it’s never a bad idea to start off with a classic. What instantly grabbed me in this music is Rollins’ tone. It’s very smooth and commanding, familiar and newly exciting. I absolutely love the ideas that come to him as he solos on these tracks. There are SO many great licks and phrases. For a musician this stuff is wonderful to hear. I know that some people who read these reviews aren’t musicians, so I’m happy to say this isn’t just an album for musicians. It’s for all music lovers. Rollins has a pretty solid band here, with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and the most excellent Max Roach on drums. Roach gets some great solos in on St. Thomas and Moritat (the theme from Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera) and overall he gives me a huge smile with what he does. I do wish that Flanagan and Watkins got more time to shine, but when the band leader is Sonny Rollins, it’s not a bad thing at all. This is a pretty eclectic disc, with the aforementioned Moritat, the excellent contemplative You Don’t Know What Love Is, the hard-hitting Strode Rode and the awesome calypso of St. Thomas. There’s a lot here for both jazz and not-yet jazz fans. I tend to listen to this album quite a bit, and it never fails to present something I never heard in it before. Great stuff.
Rating: 94
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