 | Friday October 5th at 9pm: Each week in October a different Sonny Rollins album will be performed live at the Jazz Record Art Collective. On Friday, we'll kick off the month with the Isaiah Collier Quartet performing "The Bridge", released in 1962. ALBUM BACKGROUND: “Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' first recording after ending a surprising three-year retirement found the great saxophonist sounding very similar to how he had played in 1959, although he would soon start investigating freer forms. In a pianoless quartet with guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Ben Riley, Rollins explores four standards (including "Without a Song" and "God Bless the Child") plus two fiery originals, highlighted by the title cut. The interplay between Rollins and Hall is consistently impressive, making this set a near-classic and a very successful comeback.” ~Scott Yanow PERFORMANCES BY: Isaiah Collier - Tenor Sam Möching - Guitar James Wenzel - Bass Justin Boyd - Drums Visual Artist - Alex Puryear |
 | Thursday October 11th at 9pm: The second performance of the month is the Chris Greene Trio performing Rollins’ "Way Out West", released in 1957. ALBUM BACKGROUND: “The timeless Way out West established Sonny Rollins as jazz's top tenor saxophonist (at least until John Coltrane surpassed him the following year). Joined by bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, Rollins is heard at one of his peaks on such pieces as "I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)," his own "Way out West," "There Is No Greater Love," and "Come, Gone" (a fast stomp based on "After You've Gone"). The William Claxton photo of Rollins wearing Western gear (and holding his tenor) in the desert is also a classic.” ~Scott Yanow PERFORMANCES BY: Chris Greene - Tenor Marc Piane - Bass Steve Corley - Drums Visual Artist - Alex Puryear |
 | Wednesday October 17th at 9pm: The third performance of the month features the Pat Mallinger Quartet performing Rollins’ "Newk's Time", released in 1957. ALBUM BACKGROUND: “In his early prime and well-respected, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins cut this fine hard bop date as one of several late-'50s sessions for Blue Note. The record is part classic date, part blowing session, sporting a mix of engaging head statements and lengthy solos. Rollins takes to the spacious quartet setting, stretching out on taut versions of Miles Davis' '50s concert opener "Tune Up" and Kenny Dorham's "Asiatic Raes." Keeping the swing hard but supple are drummer Philly Joe Jones, bassist Doug Watkins, and pianist Wynton Kelly; Jones was certainly the standout in this well-respected sampling of the best young players of the period, as he oftentimes matched the intensity and ingenuity of the star soloists he backed.” ~Stephen Cook PERFORMANCES BY: Pat Mallinger - Tenor Dan Trudell – Piano Dennis Carroll – Bass George Fludas - Drums Visual Artist - Alex Puryear |
 | Wednesday October 24th at 9pm: The fourth performance of the month is the Chris Madsen Quartet performing Rollins’ "East Broadway Run Down", released in 1966. ALBUM BACKGROUND: “This was Rollins' last album before industry pressures led him to take a six year hiatus. The album represents one of his more notable experiments with free jazz, and according to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz illustrates, "the furthest extent to which he incorporated noise elements into his playing". Music journalist Piero Scaruffi praised the album for the dissonant titular song, "a bold thematic improvisation on the riff of Lionel Hampton's 'Hey Baba Rebop'.” ~Discogs.com PERFORMANCES BY: Chris Madsen – Tenor Victor Garcia – Trumpet Dennis Carroll – Bass Dana Hall – Drums Visual Artist - Alex Puryear |
 | Thursday October 25th at 9pm: For the final performance of the month guitarist Bobby Broom performs Rollins’ "No Problem", released in 1981. It should be noted that Broom played on this recording when he was working with Sonny Rollins! ALBUM BACKGROUND: “Over the course of the late 70's Sonny Rollins had been utilizing electric instruments and influences of period R&B and funk in his music along with the usual Caribbean influence,all with varying results in albums that sometimes leaned one way or the other or were just right…The main different here is that slow songs are not heavily emphasized.In fact there's only one in the short n sweet "Illusions". The first four cuts,including the lilting title song really showcase that strong calypso rhythm Sonny always had in his music…As with a lot of Sonny Rollins 70's and 80's output this album kind of got slept on but alone in terms of the fact this album proves once and for all that straight ahead jazz can be dancable AND electric without sacrificing musicians talents,as well as among other things this album is really vital to his catalog.” ~Andre S. Grindle PERFORMANCES BY: Geof Bradfield - Saxophone Bobby Broom - Guitar Micah Rutschman - Vibraphone Runere Brooks - Bass Samuel Jewell - Drums Visual Artist - Alex Puryear |
