Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Saxophone Colossus is the record where Sonny Rollins stopped being a rising star and became the standard, five tracks of tenor saxophone that sound as inevitable now as they did in 1956.

Recorded for Prestige at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, the session pairs Rollins with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Max Roach, a quartet that plays with total trust. Rollins builds solos like a storyteller, stretching a single idea across chorus after chorus, a method critics have studied for decades, and the band answers each phrase as if reading his mind.

St. Thomas opens with a Caribbean lilt and some of Roach's most melodic drumming, You Don't Know What Love Is lingers over a ballad with real ache, Moritat turns the Threepenny Opera tune into a swaggering workout, and Blue 7 stretches a simple blues into one of the most celebrated improvisations in jazz.

The title was no exaggeration, and neither is the reputation. Warm, witty and effortlessly, unmistakably confident, it remains one of the great entry points into modern jazz, as inviting to newcomers as it is rewarding for veterans. Put it on, close your eyes, and let one of the music's true giants hold the room.

Tracklist

1. St. Thomas
2. You Don’t Know What Love Is
3. Strode Rode
4. Moritat
5. Blue Seven