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SONNY ROLLINS SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS



The year 1956 marked a turning point for Sonny Rollins. Out of the ashes of what had been a talented but troubled young tenor saxophonist, came a new Sonny Rollins, his purpose clarified and strengthened, his muse razor sharp and brimming with new visions. As a new member of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Organization, he was inspired as much by their spiritual consistency as their artistic integrity. .

With Saxophone Colossus, Sonny Rollins created a personal vision of the tenor saxophone and modern jazz brimming over with joy and conviction. Saxophone Colossus  was a breakthrough recording, praised for its lyrical power, thematic logic, relentless swing and spontaneous invention. Borrowing a page from his West Indian roots, Rollins" "St. Thomas" employed elements of Caribbean folk melodies and calypso rhythms to create an exotic, dancing tenor anthem--one of the most identifiable, beloved themes in all of jazz--driven along by Max Roach"s melodic drumming, Tommy Flannagan"s shimmering accompaniment, and the saxophonist"s swaggering melodic invention.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on June 22, 1956. Originally released on Prestige (7079). 

1.St. Thomas
2.You Don"t Know What Love Is
3.Strode Rode
4.Moritat
5.Blue 7

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Sonny Rollins; Doug Watkins (upright bass); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Max Roach (drums).