Volume 2 [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Sonny Rollins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000I41I
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,861 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #45 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Bebop
  • #79 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Modern Post Bop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In 1999, it's easy to look back at this remarkable lineup--Sonny Rollins, Jay Jay Johnson on trombone, Horace Silver and Thelonious Monk sharing piano duties, bassist Paul Chambers, and drum wizard Art Blakey--and call it an all-star affair. Fact is, it was just as easy to recognize its exceptionality in 1957, when these musicians were all (except for Chambers, who held down a spot in Miles Davis's quintet) respected leaders in their own right. In this case, the collective talent level did not disappoint, instead creating wonderfully alive, assured, and immediate hard bop. The two ebullient Rollins originals and two standards that bookend the record feature Silver on piano; Monk is at the bench on his own ballad "Reflections"; and the now-famous version of Monk's "Misterioso" features both pianists. It's interesting to note how Monk's presence affects the mood and opens the mind of the session--even Silver's solo on "Misterioso" is relatively sparse and pensive when he feels Monk sitting next to him. The leader meanwhile is bursting with confidence, enthusiasm, and bright ideas throughout. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rollins in his prime, and in good company., May 21, 2001

By 

Dan Carlin (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Volume 2 (Audio CD)

Many jazz fans and critics fawn all over "Saxophone Colossus" as the definitive Sonny Rollins album, but on "Colossus" it seems to me the elegance of the compositions and the crispness of the solos sound almost artificial. There is a telling lack of spare notes in the solos--a sign of missing spontaneity--and in attempting perfection, Rollins and co. ended up sounding a little cold. No such problem on "Volume 2" in which the stunning line-up rolls from one brilliant and virtuosic solo to the next. The album begins with a swinging studder in "Why Don't I" which quickly shifts into a scorching up-tempo hard bop number. Rollins shows his remarkable dexterity especially well on "Wail March" which also features the brilliant trombonist J.J. Johnson, who plays his unwieldy trombone more nimbly than most trumpet players. And "You Stepped out of a Dream" is simply one of the most exciting pieces Rollins ever recorded, with stunning solos from the whole group. Indeed, with the rest of the combo including Art Blakey on drums, Horace Silver AND Thelonius Monk tickling the ivories and the great Paul Chambers on bass, this album had all the potential to be Rollins' best. I'm tempted to say that it is ("Live at the Village Vanguard" gives me pause).

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quintet of jazz legends with Rollins at the helm, June 28, 2000

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Volume 2 (Audio CD)

Though this LP isn't held in the same regard as Rollins' 1950s works for Prestige and Riverside, it's the disc that turned me on to his playing (and Thelonius Monk;'s and Horace Silver's). Thanks to Joe Jackson for apeing the cover on his own "Body and Soul" LP for inciting me to look this one up.

The all-star lineup, including Monk, Silver, J.J. Johnson, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey went a long way in defining this era's jazz for me. And Monk's stupendous "Misterioso" is something I listen to over and over again - not least of which to hear Monk and Silver's dueling solos. Similarly, the revival of Rollins' own "Wail March" adds something new to his earlier recording, as does a new interpretation of "You Stepped Out of a Dream."

One of a few jazz albums that I relisten to with regularity.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rollins caught "in the moment", January 30, 2001

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Volume 2 (Audio CD)

Of all of Rollins' albums this is my personal favorite. Despite being a studio album, it captures the fire and passion and serendipitous inventiveness that are the hallmarks of his best playing in person. Along with Rollins, the chemistry of J.J. Johnson as 2nd horn player, of both Horace and Monk (on the same track!), and of the forever insistent Art Blakey is an unusually potent mix. And who better to capture the explosive result than jazz' and Blue Note's ace recording engineer, Rudy Van Gelder? More than the "classic" Rollins of "Blue 7," "Tenor Madness," "The Bridge," etc., this is living testimony to the power of the man's playing. "Why Don't I" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream," in particular, are likely to produce the same amount of adrenaline today as when the album was first released.