Strode rode (Sonny Rollins) (LP 2676)

Sonny Rollins  Saxophone Colossus (Vinyl, Waxtime Records, 2019, original release - 1956) *****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: My Music Taupo

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Strode Rode

Gear costume: Moritat

Active compensatory factors: I was thrilled to pick up a re-release of this landmark record (on blue vinyl even) on a recent holiday in Taupo. I always seem to find a big jazz album on my visits there!

Rollins' sixth studio album is widely regarded as one of his best, and therefore one of jazz' best. He's very relaxed and the band gel superbly.

In 2016, Saxophone Colossus was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Where do they all belong? A great addition to the collection.

Paradox (Sonny Rollins) (LP 2373 - 2376)

Dizzy Gillespie/Sonny Rollins  Duets (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1958) ***  

Sonny Rollins  Tenor Madness (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1956) ****  

Sonny Rollins  Plays For Bird (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1957) *** 

Sonny Rollins  Worktime (CD, Classic Jazz Records, 2010, originally released 1955) ****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: FOPP

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Tenor Madness

Gear costume: The Most Beautiful Girl In the World (Tenor Madness)

Active compensatory factors: These four albums form a '4 Originals' CD package and the four albums are featured in the order above.

First up is really a Dizzy Gillespie album with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt taking turns on tenor sax with Dizzy's trumpet. I'm not a Gillespie fan. My dad liked him but I find his tone too strident.

Ray Bryant (piano), Tommy Bryant (bass) and Charlie Persip (drums) are the other musicians featured. 

Tenor Madness features the title track with John Coltrane joining Sonny. The other players on that track and the rest of the album are impressive as well - Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

AllMusic sums this album up with: a recording that should stand proudly alongside Saxophone Colossus as some of the best work of Sonny Rollins in his early years, it's also a testament to the validity, vibrancy, and depth of modern jazz in the post-World War era. It belongs on everybody's shelf.

Sonny Rollins Plays For Bird features material associated with Charlie Parker. It also has Kenny Dorham on trumpet, which both adds and detracts from Rollins own playing.

Worktime is a classic sax, piano, bass, drums quartet with Rollins joined by Ray Bryant (piano), Max Roach (drum titan), and bass player George Morrow. 

It's a terrific album. No trumpet cluttering up the approach. One of my favourite albums from Rollins, along with Tenor Madness.

Where do they all belong? Next up in the jazz section - St Germain.

Everything happens to me (Sonny Rollins) (LP 1088)

Sonny Rollins  Sonny Rollins On Impulse (Vinyl, Impulse! Records, 1965 - re-release 1986) ****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Facebook friend purchase

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Three Little Words

Gear costume: Blue Room

Active compensatory factors: I'm not precious about eighties reissues of classic albums. 'The music is the message' after all. This one came out originally in 1965 and was Sonny's first for the legendary label.

Sonny Rollins has a unique, muscular tone which he brings to these five standards with a quartet (Ray Bryant on piano, Walter Booker on bass, Mickey Roker on drums round out the band). 

There's plenty of room for the musicians to stretch out. I could have highlighted any of the tracks but the last two provide a fantastic end to the record, so I went with those.

Where do they all belong? My only Sonny Rollins to this point, but I'll be searching out others.

Body and soul (Thelonious Monk) (LP 630 - 631)

Thelonious Monk  Brilliant Corners (Vinyl, WaxTime Records, 1956, this re-released version 2013 ) ****

The Thelonious Monk Quartet  Monk's Dream (Vinyl, WaxTime Records, 1962, this re-released version 2013) **** 

Genre: Jazz piano 

Places I remember: Music shop in Taupo

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: The consistency is set to high and impressive over these four sides but Bemsha Swing has something extra special.

Active compensatory factors: Although I had the CD versions, it was great to pick these two up on reissued prime vinyl on a recent Taupo holiday.

Both are classics and rightly so. Monk is a musical genius and no one on earth plays like him.

Brilliant Corners features Sonny Rollins on tenor sax. He is, of course, a star in his own right. I'm not qualified to pass technical judgement on his playing but he and Monk sound great throughout.

Monk's Dream features Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, John Ore bass, and Frankie Dunlop. Downbeat originally said this 'is a beautiful album in every respect, completely stimulating in each second of its more than 47 minutes'.

I heartily concur!

Where do they all belong? A lot more Monk to come on CD, but that's it for vinyl at this stage.