(Sonny Rollins, tenor sax; Clifford Brown, trumpet; Richie Powell, piano; George Morrow, bass; Max Roach, drums)
This 1956 session was an early date for this vital figure in modern jazz who is still going strong as ever today. He was a member of the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, so this wasn’t just a thrown-together studio session. It also is notable for being one of the very last recording dates of the great trumpeter Clifford Brown. Rollins and Brown together constitute a knockout front line; they just seem to each know second-by-second exactly what the other is going to do.
The short but very sweet disc starts off with one of Rollin’s own tunes – the sizzling and swinging Valse Hot. The closing Pent-Up House was first heard in this session and went on to become a jazz standard. Rollins always emphasizes the melody, no matter how speedy the tempo might be. This was a spectacular session, and it’s never sounded better, with Van Gelder’s 24-bit remastering efforts.
TrackList: Valse Hot, Kiss and Run, I Feel a Song Coming On, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, Pent-Up House.
– John Henry
