Sonny Rollins Quartet and Quintet - Tenor Madness - 180g Vinyl LP (Mono)

Vinyl LP

Tenor Madness was the recording that, once and for all, established Rollins as one of the premier tenor saxophonists, an accolade that in retrospect, has continued through six full decades and gives an indication why as a young player, Rollins was so well liked, as his fluency, whimsical nature, and solid construct of melodies and solos gave him the title of the next Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young of mainstream jazz.

Tenor Madness, using Miles Davis' group - pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, is the only recording of Rollins with John Coltrane, who was also in Davis' group.

Rollins and John Coltrane met in 1956 and went on to largely define the state of jazz tenor saxophone in the mid-Fifties. Their playing set a standard that has been a benchmark of excellence for saxophonists - and others - ever since. By the time this LP was released, Rollins already had such albums to his name as Worktime and Sonny Rollins Plus 4 in addition to his sideman exploits with the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet.

As well as the celebrated title track, Tenor Madness includes an intriguing original, "Paul's Pal", and the mining of unusual material such as "My Reverie" and "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World".

Originally released in 1956.

    Coltrane's fearlessness is front and center as he takes the first solo, firing flurries and fusillades from the high end of his tenor sax. He is definitely on his game for the time. He's a willing teammate as he trades fours with Rollins on an ending dialogue where the two players happily finish each other's thoughts... Rollins shows his romantic-ballad side on 'When Your Lover Has Gone' and 'My Reverie', gets playful on 'Paul's Pal' (his tribute to bassist Paul Chambers), and upends Rodgers and Hart's 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World' when he switches mid-stream from a waltz to a fast 4/4... It's a given that John Coltrane was a miraculous player; his cameo here shows how far he went to become that way.
    -J. Hunter, All About Jazz

Features

    180g Vinyl
    Less Than 1000 Records per stamper, released in limited quantities
    The Original 100% Analog Master Tapes were used working with only the Best Mastering Studios
    Mastered by Kevin Gray & Plated by Gary Salstrom
    Plated and Pressed at Quality Record Pressings on Virgin Vinyl
    Meticulous Test Pressing Evaluation and Quality Control
    Deluxe high-gloss tip-on album jacket
    Officially Licensed & Authorized for release by the Record Label
   

Musicians
Sonny Rollins     tenor sax
John Coltrane     tenor sax (Track 5)
Red Garland     piano
Paul Chambers     bass
"Philly" Joe Jones     drums

Selections

    My Reverie
    Paul's Pal
    The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
    When Your Lover Has Gone
    Tenor Madness