At the end of 1956 Sonny Rollins ended his six-year period
of recording at Prestige Records, and he proceeded to record
prolifically for the next two years for a variety of labels.
Rather than accept the advances against royalties arrangement
of his Prestige contract, Rollins opted to be paid by the
session, without royalty provisions. He recorded this way
for Lester Koenig at Contemporary, Orrin Keepnews at Riverside,
and Alfred Lion at Blue Note, as well as recording a variety
of performances, both as leader and sideman, for EmArcy, Verve,
and Atlantic. This period culminated in the famous vacation
from recording that found Rollins practicing nightly on the
George Washington Bridge.
Volume One was the first recording that Rollins
made as a leader during this 1956-1958 freelance period. Here
we have the tenor saxophonist coming into his own with a first
rate ensemble which includes trumpet player Donald Byrd, pianist
Wynton Kelly, bassist Gene Ramey, and drummer Max Roach. The
playing here is all outstanding, despite the relatively low-key
nature of the song selections. Three of the tracks are variations
on blues or standard changes. The leadoff number, “Decision”
is a 13-bar head that will trip up listeners expecting normal
blues changes. That leaves Rollins’ standout rendition
of the show tune “How Are Things In Glocca Morra?”
as the ballad, and his performance is truly incredible. Equally
incredible is the drum/tenor dynamic on “Sonnysphere”
which lifts the track far out of the ordinary variation on
“I Got Rhythm” chord changes. Roach is at the
peak of his powers here, and he and Rollins are very much
in tune with each other.
There is virtually no way to go wrong with a Sonny Rollins
recording from this two-year period, but Volume One
is especially satisfying, pairing the saxophonist as it does
with such a virtuoso group of jazz stars, all of whom are
in top form on this recording.
