Sonny Rollins - Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Recordings -

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2024

Sonny Rollins was very much at the top of the jazz world when he toured Europe in 1959. He was the new tenor saxophone star who had incorporated the inventions of Charlie Parker into a vital style which was suited to both fast blues songs and beautiful ballads.

Rollins brought his own band with him. Bassist Henry Grimes supported Rollins with his big sound and well-chosen notes. Drummer Pete La Roca had played with Rollins on the classic A Night at the Village Vanguard (1958) set. During the tour veteran bop drummers Joe Harris and Kenny Clarke sometimes replaced him.

During the tour they were often documented by European public broadcasting. The new set from Resonance records collects studio and live recordings of the band from Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France.

Some of the music has been released previously, like the music recorded in Stockholm. It shows Rollins in high form playing both original songs and standards often recorded on his recent albums.

Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings is the first official release of the 'Saxophone Colossus' Sonny Rollins’ European tour in 1959 with bassist Henry Grimes, and drummers Pete La Roca, Kenny Clarke and Joe Harris. Available previously only as a bootleg release, this is the first official release in cooperation with Sonny Rollins and released as a 3-CD set. Freedom Weaver includes an elaborate booklet with rare photos by Ed van der Elsken, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Bob Parent and many others; lead liners by jazz scholar Bob Blumenthal, and new interviews with Rollins himself, Branford Marsalis, James Carter, Joe Lovano, James Brandon Lewis and Peter Brötzmann. Mastered by the legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.

Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
Henry Grimes – bass
Pete La Roca, Joe Harris, Kenny Clarke – drum

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