Rudy Van Gelder remastered two recording sessions with Sonny Rollins as the leader. The name of these two albums are “Sonny Rollins Volume 1” and “Sonny Rollins Volume 2.” I will feature both of these special albums but will not play all of the songs. I will take a few from each album and make sure it will be at least an hour long. After a week or so I will place all the songs from both volumes into the rotation and because of the nature of these albums, they will be placed into two separate playlists. Volume One will be in the Hard Bop and Volume 2 will be placed in the “G4” Playlist (Find out more). Volume one was organized as a complete band with members who played together with Sonny Rollins in the past. Volume two was more like a jam sessions and where you have two Jazz giant pianists, Horace Silver and Thelonious Monk, taking turns on different tunes. Sonny Rollins didn’t play with these artists regularly, it was more like a one-time occasion. Check the schedule link for play times, below are the songs I will feature and the order they will be played, ENJOY!
Tracks that will be featured:
1. (Vol. One) “Decision” 2. (Vol. One) “Plain Jane” 3. (Vol. One) “Sonnysphere” 4. (Vol. Two) “Why Don’t I” 5. (Vol. Two) “Misterioso” 6. Vol. Two) “Reflections” 7. (Vol. Two) “Poor Butterfly”
About the Volume One album:
Sonny Rollins’ Blue Note years produced some of the quintessential recordings of the post-bop era. The simply titled VOLUME ONE is one such disc that exemplifies the classic swinging quintet format that defined small ensemble performance style from then on. Expertly recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder, Rollins and his men–a young Donald Byrd (trumpet), the masterful Wynton Kelly (piano), Gene Ramey (bass) and bebop pioneer Max Roach (drums)–display expert improvisational skills on the bluesy opener “Decision” and the hard-swinging “Bluesnote.” Sounding very much like the famed Miles Davis quintet of the same period…..Read More
About the Volume Two album:
The Rudy Van Gelder Edition of VOLUME 2 includes an essay by Bob Blumenthal. This is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Editions series. Sonny Rollins’ VOLUME 2 for Blue Note is one of those timeless discs. It is a milestone in jazz history that gathered together some of the founding fathers of the post-bop era. Joining Rollins are Jazz Messengers Art Blakey (drums) and Horace Silver (piano), Miles Davis’ favorite bassist Paul Chambers, the quintessential trombonist J. J. Johnson and even Thelonious Monk himself. This is a swinging tour-de-force that begins with a bang and doesn’t let up until the last note has faded away. Sonny’s own up-tempo “Why Don’t I” kicks off the session with a rhythmic jolt before Rollins’ big tenor launches into a classic swinging solo followed by turns by Johnson, Silver and some heated exchanges with Blakey……Read More
