SONNY ROLLINS QUINTET IN TOKYO, WITH FRIENDS: PLUS SURPRISE
RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 01/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Five DIVERSE Stars!! Outstanding performances!! This 1963 performance catches tenor saxophone titan Sonny Rollins in Tokyo with his quintet that included the trailblazing pianist Paul Bley and obscure trumpeter Reshid Kmal Ali; Betty Carter with two winsome songs (uptempo "The Way You Look Tonight" & ballad "When I Fall In Love") without Rollins; Rollins with a talented Japanese quintet; and finally the extra-track surprise from RLR recordings, Rollins back in the mid-50s with the Max Roach Quintet, after the deaths of trumpeter Clifford Brown and pianist Richie Powell (and wife, Nancy) in an auto accident. Whew, quite a package!! Discographically, this is immediately after Rollins' "new thing" captivation on RCA's "Our Man in Jazz" backed by Ornette's guys Billy Higgins and Don Cherry, and "What's New", (the atmospherics of Impulse's "East Broadway Run Down" would come later with Coltrane's guys: Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison). The sound quality is mostly good but not great on this historic recording.
"Moritat" (Mack the Knife) from the Three Penny Opera is 22 minutes of classic Rollins, building his clever solo on a giant sonic canvas and giving a seminar on 'thematic improvisation', with Paul Bley getting off an interesting oblique solo. Reshid Kmal Ali is channeling Don Cherry's stylistic swagger on the 23 minute "Oleo" with Sonny, Bley, and Roy McCurdy showing exceptional solo chops. The Japanese group holds up very well with an involved "On a Slow Boat To China" as Rollins' takes flight. But the surprise is the Max Roach Quintet, with a superb Kenny Dorham and fleet Ray Bryant replacing Brownie and Richie, and the performance is marvelous. Oddly, we get only the final traded 'fours' and the amazing Max Roach drum solo from the "Valse Hot" performance, but then we get the full performance of the familiar arrangement as "I Get A Kick Out Of You" hits a high gear with a different, blazing performance by this group. KD's trumpet is stupendous in filling Brownie's shoes, Bryant's pianism is imaginative & Rollins is a revelation. RLR (Rare Live Recordings) has produced another 'historic' performance, with bonus tracks, intended for collectors and the sound here is far from perfect but better than expected. Highly Recommended. Five HISTORIC Stars!! (Audio CD: 77:45, excellent notes by Matias Rinar.)"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1