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Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet
Released : 1956
Label : Prestige
Recorded :
January 17, 1951 (Track 13)
December 17, 1951 (Tracks 5-12)
October 7, 1953 (Tracks 1-4)
Apex Studios, New York City
Format: [email protected]
This album “ Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet “ was also released as “Sonny & the Stars” featuring his earliest recordings for the Prestige label under his leadership, including four tracks performed by Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet (John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke), eight tracks where Kenny Drew and Art Blakey replace Clarke and Jackson, and one track with Miles Davis on piano. Tracks 5-11 and 13 were originally featured on the 10" Prestige vinyl “Sonny Rollins Quartet “(1952).
First off, don't be misled by the title—Rollins and the Modern Jazz Quartet only appear together on four of the thirteen selections. This CD is in fact comprised of three separate sessions from 1951- 53: one track recorded at the tail end of a Miles Davis session, eight done by Rollins' working quartet, and four featuring John Lewis & co.
These represent Rollins' first recordings as a leader, and it's astonishing how fully formed his style was even early on in his career. The middle selections are agreeable hard bop tunes and standards, but nothing you haven't heard before (especially if you've heard Rollins' other records). Rollins was truly blessed with the rhythm section of Kenny Drew, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey, who take a workmanlike approach to their duties, and the quartet seems to effortlessly glide through a variety of tunes. Rollins certainly knows how to handle the changes, but had yet to realize his full potential.
The real treats are the tracks featuring the Modern Jazz Quartet, recorded two years later. The brash tenor of Rollins and the chamber music leanings of the MJQ may seem like an odd matchup, but the music has a depth and grace not heard on the other tracks due to Lewis' devotion to texture and composition. "In A Sentimental Mood" showcases Rollins' melodic gifts over a bed of shimmering vibes and sparse piano; "The Stopper" is a funky Rollins original with a little more edge than the MJQ may have preferred. Rollins sounds more assured and confident, and we can see glimmers of the gentlemanly approach to jazz the MJQ would patent a year later with Django. If the whole session featured the pairing, we would certainly have a classic. Instead, this CD is a decent representation of the early efforts of both, but not a definitive recording of either.
The last track was quickly recorded at the end of a Miles Davis session, and is of marginal interest simply because Miles plays piano.
Tracklist
1."The Stopper" - 2:59
2."Almost Like Being in Love" - 3:26
3."No Moe" - 3:32
4."In a Sentimental Mood" - 3:20
5."Scoops" - 2:16
6."With a Song in My Heart" - 3:08
7."Newk's Fadeaway" - 3:15
8."Time on My Hands" - 2:42
9."This Love of Mine" - 2:26
10."Shadrack" - 2:35
11."On a Slow Boat to China" - 2:41
12."Mambo Bounce" - 2:25
13."I Know" - 2:32
Personnel
Tracks 1-4
Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
John Lewis – piano
Milt Jackson – vibes
Percy Heath – bass
Kenny Clarke – drums
Tracks 5-12
Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
Kenny Drew – piano
Percy Heath – bass
Art Blakey – drums
Track 13
Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
Miles Davis – piano
Percy Heath – bass
Roy Haynes – drums |
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