Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Elysee
2. Opus V
3. Hi-Lo
4. Fox Hunt
5. Morpheus
6. Down
7. Blue Room [Take 1]
8. Whispering
9. I Know
10. Conception
11. Out of the Blue
12. Denial
13. Bluing
14. Dig
15. My Old Flame
16. It's Only a Paper Moon

Disc 2:

1. Time on My Hands
2. Mambo Bounce
3. This Love of Mine
4. Shadrack
5. On a Slow Boat to China
6. With a Song in My Heart
7. Scoops
8. Newk's Fadeaway
9. Compulsion
10. Serpent's Tooth [Take 1]
11. Serpent's Tooth [Take 2]
12. 'Round Midnight
13. In a Sentimental Mood
14. Stopper
15. Almost Like Being in Love
16. No Moe
17. Think of One [Take 1]
18. Think of One [Take 2]

Disc 3:

1. Let's Call This
2. Friday the 13th
3. Soft Shoe
4. Confab in Tempo
5. I'll Take Romance
6. Airegin
7. Oleo
8. But Not for Me [Take 1]
9. But Not for Me [Take 2]
10. Doxy
11. Movin' Out
12. Swingin' for Bumsy
13. Silk 'N' Satin
14. Solid

Disc 4:

1. I Want to Be Happy
2. Way You Look Tonight
3. More Than You Know
4. There's No Business Like Show Business
5. Paradox
6. Rain Check
7. There Are Such Things
8. It's All Right With Me
9. In Your Own Sweet Way
10. No Line
11. Vierd Blues

Disc 5:

1. I Feel a Song Coming On
2. Pent-Up House
3. Valse Hot
4. Kiss and Run
5. Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)
6. My Reverie
7. Most Beautiful Girl in the World
8. Paul's Pal
9. When Your Lover Has Gone
10. Tenor Madness

Disc 6:

1. You Don't Know What Love Is
2. St. Thomas
3. Strode Rode
4. Blue 7
5. Moritat
6. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
7. Kids Know
8. House I Live In

Disc 7:

1. Bird Medley: I Remember You
2. Bird Medley: My Melancholy Baby
3. Bird Medley: Old Folks
4. Bird Medley: They Can't Take That Away from Me
5. Bird Medley: Just Friends
6. Bid Medley: My Little Suede Shoes
7. Bird Medley: Star Eyes
8. B. Swift
9. My Ideal
10. Sonny Boy
11. Two Different Worlds
12. Ee-Ah
13. B. Quick

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #162611 in Music
• Released on: 1992-06-01
• Number of discs: 7
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: 1.51 pounds

Amazon.com
This 7 CD set traces the rise of tenor saxophone giant Sonny Rollins from a talented neophyte with a big beat and a big sound, to one of the most commanding melodic and rhythmic innovators of the 1950s. Inspired by R&B/Blues master Louis Jordan, Rollins soon fell under the spell of tenor saxophone trendsetters Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, gravitating to the enormous sound of the latter, and the spacious phrasing of the other. And finally, there was the grand rhythmic/harmonic mastery of Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and (especially) his elder Thelonious Monk and contemporary Miles Davis. You can hear an earnest, inexperienced but shockingly self-composed Rollins navigate the brisk boppish environment of Davis's "Conception" on disc 1, while demonstrating his West Indian rhythmic roots ("Mambo Bounce") and dry bluesy humor ("Shaddrack") on disc 2. But by disc 3's sessions with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in 1953-54, Rollins is improvising with spacious, magisterial authority and composing three jazz standards ("Airegin," "Oleo" and "Doxy") for Davis, while proving the perfect rhythmic humorist and melodic foil for Monk on "Friday The 13th." By the time of his collaboration with trumpet master Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach on "Pent-Up House," Rollins had achieved a comprable level of technical and emotional mastery, but he hit a conceptual peak on his calypso hit "St. Thomas" and "Blue 7," where his mastery of melodic riffs and thematic motifs set an artistic standard that remains imposing-even for Rollins-some 40 years later. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews

A Retrospective of Perfection in Music
I've decided to re-write my original review to compensate for the time required to get to know this set a little better. Since it's a 7CD set, a more conclusive review is appropriate.

Firstly, it's impossible to fault the music on this set. If you're considering buying this, you're 99% likely to be familiar with Rollins already. It covers a vast range of Rollins Prestige recordings (not complete though) from his albums as a leader, and his work with others such as Miles and Monk. The earlier recordings can sound a small bit thin, but not to an extent that steals enjoyment. The set covers a vast chunk of Rollins, and one of his most creative periods. In terms of getting all this material in one place without spending a tonne on the discs individually (yeah, this set isnt cheap either), there's not really any option but to get this one.

Secondly, the track order is a bit problematic sometimes. There's quite a bit of the set that's not in the correct order in terms of recordings and recording dates, but this shouldnt be a problem. You can decide for yourself whether it gives you an easier avenue to explore the larger scale of the music or whether it ruins the flow (I believe box sets should occasionally have that quality too...).

This is an excellent set of recordings, and not a penny/cent will be regretted.

If You Buy Only One 7-Disc Box Set - Buy This One!
The mid-to-late fifties was a golden age for jazz, particularly the hard bop associated with the East Coast. Sonny Rollins was the top tenor player of that era, rivalled only by the great John Coltrane (and they both show their stuff on the legendary "Tenor Madness," included in this box). This set covers Rollins' work from 1954 to 1959, and from early gems like "Mambo Bounce," "Newk's Fadeaway," and "No Moe," through collaborations with Thelonious Monk ("Friday The 13th") and his great signature tune "St. Thomas," to a creative peak with "Blue 7" and "Moritat" (from the Weill/Brecht "Three Penny Opera"), he would never be in better form. Seven discs is lot of music from any artist, especially when the box covers his work for only six years and for a single label, but it is truly a "must have" for any fan of jazz in the 1950's.

Great tunes by one of the greatest
This 7 disc set covers all the recordings Sonny Rollins made for Prestige(either under other leaders or for his own albums) from '49 to '56, but the bulk of it is the last 3 years. While his style and sound might arguably not have shone as brightly as in the companion "Freelance Years" set - albums like "Way Out West", or "Freedom Suite" for example, there is a wealth of material here that should satisfy all but hardcore Rollins fans. You also get the chance to hear Sonny blow with others who would go on to be legends themselves - Miles, MJQ, Monk, Coltrane, Blakey, Brownie's Trio - even Bird on tenor!
The thing is though, is that this set came out in '92, and it's pretty dated. Prestige has recently begun revamping comparable sets by boxing up only the leader's sessions and so forth. So it will be interesting to see what they do with this. Reducing the packaging would be a nice step. Keep the copious notes, but lose half the box and turn the quad disc cases into slimlines. Other than that, Sonny swings!