Go West! The Contemporary Records Albums - Sonny Rollins (3LP box set Vinyl) [CRAFT Recordings]
Product details
- Label Craft Recordings
- Artist Sonny Rollins
- Series CRAFT Recordings
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 2023
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed Yes
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Go West! The Contemporary Records Albums by Sonny Rollins.
Sonny Rollins heading west proved to be one of the great creative decisions in modern jazz, and "Go West! The Contemporary Records Albums" gathers the fruit of those sessions into a single, sweeping collection. Produced by Lester Koenig for Contemporary and recorded by the legendary engineer Roy DuNann, this set captures the tenor saxophonist at a moment of fearless invention, stretching standards and originals across a canvas that feels both intimate and expansive.
At the heart of the collection sits the immortal "Way Out West," the drummerless-yet-driving trio date with Rollins joined by Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. It opens with the wry, high-stepping "I'm An Old Cowhand," a cowboy tune reimagined as a swaggering vehicle for Rollins' humor and thematic ingenuity, before moving through the tender ballad "Solitude," the original "Come, Gone," and a spacious title track that has become a touchstone for saxophone trio playing. "Wagon Wheels" and "There Is No Greater Love" round out a program that turns unlikely source material into something quintessentially Rollins.
The set continues with "Sonny Rollins And The Contemporary Leaders," a warmer, fuller-bodied session that surrounds the saxophonist with a stellar West Coast cast. Here Leroy Vinnegar anchors the bass, Barney Kessel's guitar and Victor Feldman's vibraphone add shimmer and swing, and Hampton Hawes brings his singing piano lines to the fold. Across "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star," "How High The Moon," "Alone Together," and "The Song Is You," Rollins glides through the Great American Songbook with generosity and wit, including a joyous romp through "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody."
For the devoted listener, the real treasure may be the wealth of alternate takes that fill out the collection. Alternate readings of "I'm An Old Cowhand," "Come, Gone," and "Way Out West" reveal how Rollins approached these tunes as living things, reshaping phrases and reordering ideas from take to take. Further alternates of "The Song Is You," "You," and "I've Found A New Baby" offer a rare window into his working process, a chance to hear a master craftsman thinking aloud.
This reissue has been treated with the care such music deserves. Bernie Grundman handled the transfer, mastering, remastering, and lacquer cut, bringing his renowned ear to Roy DuNann's original recordings and letting the natural warmth and presence of these sessions breathe.
Completing the package is an expanded booklet featuring new liner notes and an interview conducted by GRAMMY Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn, adding rich context to a chapter that helped define Rollins' enduring legacy. A definitive document of Sonny Rollins on the West Coast, and an essential addition to any serious jazz collection.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
. Way Out West
A1. I'm An Old Cowhand
A2. Solitude
A3. Come, Gone
B1. Wagon Wheels
B2. There Is No Greater Love
B3. Way Out West
. Sonny Rollins And The Contemporary Leaders
C1. I've Told Ev'ry Little Star
C2. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody
C3. How High The Moon
C4. You
D1. I've Found A New Baby
D2. Alone Together
D3. In The Chapel In The Moonlight
D4. The Song Is You
. Alternate Takes
E1. I'm An Old Cowhand (Alternate Take)
E2. Come, Gone (Alternate Take)
F1. Way Out West (Alternate Take)
F2. The Song Is You (Alternate Take)
F3. You (Alternate Take)
F4. I've Found A New Baby (Alternate Take)
Credits:
Leroy Vinnegar - Bass
Ray Brown - Bass
Shelly Manne - Drums
Barney Kessel - Guitar
Bernie Grundman - Lacquer Cut By
Hampton Hawes - Piano
Lester Koenig - Producer
Roy DuNann - Recorded By [Recording Engineer]
Bernie Grundman - Remastered By
Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone
Bernie Grundman - Transferred By, Mastered By
Victor Feldman - Vibraphone
Notes:
Includes an expanded booklet with new liner notes and an interview by GRAMMY Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn.
Artist: Sonny Rollins
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Craft Recordings
Catalog Number: CR00434
Series: CRAFT Recordings
Release Year: 2023
Country: United States
Condition: Sealed (New)
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