In May of 1967, jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins went to Holland to do a show, record some tunes, and play live on TV. All of which was lost to time…”was” being the operative word there. All three performances were recently unearthed, and are now are available as Rollins In Holland (CD, vinyl), a two-disc set that thankfully preserves these no longer “long lost” recordings.
Between its cover shot of the iconic jazz saxophonist in a cowboy outfit, and songs titled “I’m An Old Cowhand,” “Wagon Wheels,” and “Way Out West,” Sonny Rollins’ album Way Out West probably seemed a bit odd when it came out in 1957. Or maybe a bit cheeky. But in the sixty years since it has emerged as one of the sax master’s best. Thankfully, the new Way Out West: Deluxe Edition (digital, vinyl) corrects many of the mistakes of previous editions, while adding some welcome new outtakes (and, er, some mistakes) as well.
Ever since I got into music in the late-’70s, I’ve been a big fan of live albums. But I’m also very particular when it comes to them; I only like them if they’re organic, cruelty free, and soundboard-to-stereo. In other words, they have to be from a single show, be the whole show, not be “fixed” in the studio, and be professionally recorded by the band, from the soundboard, or broadcast on the radio or the Internet. If they’re two or three shows mixed together, missing songs, feature overdubbed guitar parts and vocals, or recorded by some guy who snuck a tape recorder in by stuffing it down his pants — a guy I’ve been — then I don’t care.
But while I may be super picky about what live albums I’ll put in my speakers, there are actually quite a few great ones that meet the criteria. They’re just not always the most readily available.
Here’s fifteen great sounding, mostly uncut, single show live albums you might’ve missed.
In July of 1962, saxophonist Sonny Rollins was joined by cornetist Don Cherry, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins for a four night stand at New York City’s Village Gate. But while this quartet performed twenty songs during this engagement, only three were ever released (on Sonny’s album Our Man In Jazz), and even then, one of them was heavily edited. But now the complete four night stint has been released as a six-CD boxed set titled Complete Live At The Village Gate 1962. Though while the music is great, the way its presented in this collection might irritate some picky purists.
Sonny Rollins isn’t considered a saxophone colossus just because he named an album that in 1956. It’s because of the music on that album, as well as such other jazz classics as 1966’s East Broadway Rundown, 1998’s Global Warming, 2001’s Without A Song: The 9/11 Concert, and on up through his latest, Road Shows Volume 3.
In 1998, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Rollins for the pop culture magazine Bikini. And while the interview was for an advice column called Tips From Pops, we still covered a wide range of topics, including his penchant for practicing, his place in jazz history, and even The Simpsons.
What follows is a slightly edited version of that 1998 conversation, most of which has never been published before. You can also read an interview I did with him in 1996, for the music magazine Huh, here.
Like supermodels, the best jazz musicians need only one name: Monk, Miles, Coltrane, and, of course, Rollins. But unlike so many of his single-name contemporaries, saxophonist Sonny Rollins is still out there, touring and recording.
In honor of his newest album, Road Shows Volume 3 — which has six tracks recorded in Japan, France, and St. Louis between 2001 and 2012, including a new song called “Patanjali” — I decided to dig up interviews I did with him in 1996 and 1998 for the music magazine Huh and the pop culture magazine Bikini.
What follows is an edited version of my 1996 interview, most of which has never been published before. You can read the 1998 one here.