Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 (Blue Note Tone Poet Series)

Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 joins the Blue Note Tone Poet Series on 180-gram vinyl, giving one of the label's great 1957 sessions the collector's treatment it deserves.

Rollins was on a remarkable roll at the time, fresh from Saxophone Colossus and already being talked about as the most commanding tenor player of his generation. For his second Blue Note date as leader he assembled a heavyweight band: J.J. Johnson on trombone, Horace Silver on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Blakey on drums, with Thelonious Monk dropping by for two tracks.

"Why Don't I" opens with Rollins at full strength, his phrasing bold and good-humoured, and "Wail March" turns a parade rhythm into a hard bop romp with Blakey driving hard. "Misterioso" famously features both Monk and Silver at the piano, a rare meeting that gives the blues a delightfully crooked shape, while "Reflections" lets Rollins explore one of Monk's most beautiful ballads with the composer himself beside him.

The interplay between Rollins and Johnson is a highlight throughout, the trombone's warm, rounded tone setting off the tenor's muscular attack.

It is one of those records where every musician sounds glad to be in the room, and this edition puts that energy front and centre for anyone building a serious hard bop shelf.