Customer Reviews

Newk's Time

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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Unlike most of the recent batch of RVG releases (3/9 & 3/23/04), Sonny Rollins' classic "Newk's Time" has been readily available for years, but this remastered reissue is a welcome addition to the Blue Note catalog nonetheless. Of Sonny's three studio albums for the label, "Newk's Time" has always been my favorite. His debut, "Volume One" (see my review), never measured up to his contemporaneous efforts for Prestige, and "Volume Two" featured an incredible supporting cast, but at the expense of showcasing the tenor titan's individual talents. Therefore, on this September 22, 1957 session it was clearly time for "Newk" to stand in the spotlight. The quartet setting (in this case Wynton Kelly on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums) gave Rollins the ability to stretch out, yet provided him with a stability that, for me anyway, was consistently lacking with only the bass and drums support of the live "Night at the Village Vanguard" volumes. The performances featured here of Miles Davis' "Tune Up," Kenny Dorham's "Asiatic Raes" and Rollins' only original "Blues for Philly Joe" (along with the album's three standards) are all so good, it is hard for me to even begin to select the best track. Suffice it to say that a good time will had by all with "Newk's Time."

Sonny Rollins has a massive discography, and within that discography there are many great, even classic, albums. But for my money this is the place to start, and the place where I most often come back to. For one thing Rollins is the sole horn on this date, and his backing is as smooth as the worn ivory of Monk's piano. Doug Watkins, though it's hard to tell from this uncharacteristically bass-lite mix, was one of the top bassmen ever (I highly recommend his album: "Watkins at Large", or Donald Byrd's "Byrd's eye view", both featuring hank mobley, to get a better idea about what he could do). In addition Philly Joe Jones is at his beat-conscious, blue flame, simmering best, and Wynton Kelly is a good choice to accompany Rollins as his piano playing has an emphatic quality to it that accentuates the volatile Rollin's solos. And what solos they are. On "Newk's Time" Rollins is at his searing, sputtering, round-toned, passionate best. Though "vol.2" is also a five star classic, it was cluttered by the musings of all those other legends and didn't give Rollins enough time to shine. At his personal best Rollins loved space and time to roam around in, to see where he could go, and to extend his ideas (see "way out west" and the live villiage vanguard recordings), he gets that here to a slightly more structured and polished degree. Indeed the only thing wrong with this album is that it isn't longer, but in music, as in life, it's quality, not quantity, that counts for the most.

The music on this cd is straightahead collection of standards and one Rollins' original. While it is not as exceptional as his albums from the same period such as "Way Out West" or his "Live at the Village Vanguard" sessions, "Newk's Time" is very enjoyable. Rollins' tenor is robust and swings throughout. The Miles Davis cut "Tune Up" and the Kenny Dorham original "Asiatic Raes" are highlights. Rollins' quartet includes talented veterans Wynton Kelly on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The trio's familiarty with each other is evident as they are watertight in support of the tenor. This is a solid swinging set from Rollins and should be enjoyed by fans of the great tenor and fans of straight ahead hard bop alike.

Sonny Rollins was (and I suppose still is) fond of standards. If any jazzman uses them, in accordance with be-bop theory, as a framework for something new Rollins does it here. This is 'Surrey with a fringe on top' as you have never heard it sound before; a surreal pre-reggae honk, and a duo to boot, which works perfectly and leaves any thought of the original far behind whilst spookily managing to respect its form and harmonic structure. 'Asiatic Raes' again evokes the black world outside America (Rollins antecedants were from the West indies) and is a treat, with alternating African and American jazz rhythms underpinning theme and top class variations - a treat. Tune Up, composed by Miles or Cleanhead Vinson, depending who you believe, is brilliant. Some reckon Sonny to be the greatest genuine improvisor and on this evidence you have to believe it. Blues for Philly Jo is an excellently turned out original, but it is with the two ballads, Namely You and Wonderful Wonderful that the alchemy of turning a standard into something new is again cleraly in evidence, even after forty-odd years. Paul Chambers and Philly Jo Jones are at the top of their game throughout and this is one of my all time favourites.

Although I believe that this CD is not as good as Anight at the village Vanguard and Saxophone Colossus, but for the sound, the rhythmic invention, the tightness, and the skill - it is a certain 5 stars. So when discussing this CD, one should take into account that there are others that are even more exciting.
The opener, Tune Up, is a masterpiece - the band plays with fire, and the sparks go flying. Rollins takes the melody and harmony apart and does wondedrful things with them. His playing here falls short of nothing.
The rest of the CD is great but not AS great, although Rollins continues his high form and the rhythm section provides perfect support.
I always liked Rollins ballad playing, and the closer is up to Rollins' ballad standard.
This is a CD for anyone who likes to hear a strong hard-bop tenor master, for Rollins' fans, and for saxophone players who need to learn from Rollins improvisational skills.

The last time I caught Rollins (just under ten years ago) he opened the concert with a string of over 50 solo blues choruses in succession (we actually counted). That's the kind of "generous" Rollins you'll hear on this session, as good a Rollins' recording as I've heard ("Way Out West" and "The Bridge" both have more restrained Rollins and thin accompaniment textures that begin to sound repetitious). Rollins here plays with the fire, inventiveness, and total commitment to melody of the best beboppers yet retains his flare for motivic development, constantly surprising the listener with unusual rhythmic patterns, and with what he does and doesn't repeat during the solo. Additionally, there are surprises in the arrangements: a rhythm instrument will lay out or, as in the case of "Surrey," piano and bass stay out all the way.

Give much of the credit for this exceptional session to an exceptional rhythm section. Philly Joe was in his prime, Miles' favorite drummer and the hippest percussionist of the 1950s; Wyn Kelly was beginning to emerge as one of the top 3 "grooving" pianists (along with Red Garland and Gene Harris), and would soon be hired by Miles. Finally, Doug Watkins was the "clincher," the reason I decided to add this CD to my collection. He not only "plays" the bass: he "is" the instrument, incapable of not swinging. It's a pleasure to listen to him simply take a walking bass solo (as is the case on "Blues for Philly Joe").

Purchasers in the digital age may be disappointed that there are no "out-takes" or unused tracks to fill up the extra space of a CD. The album, moreover, may lack some of the fire of "Eternal Triangle" ("Sunny Side Up"), "Tenor Madness" or "Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2," and it may not enjoy the "classic" status of "Saxophone Colossus" or "At the Vanguard," but it makes a strong claim as Rollins' strongest recording session. it's no less a tour de force for Philly Joe who, on this session, is both head cook and a second voice trading melodic ideas with the featured soloist. In short, he calls a good game, motivating the featured performer to serve up an indisputable winner.

Newk's Time is a tour de force of tenor saxophone improvisation and group cohesion. Boldly executed with a musical eloquence brimming with confidence and invention, the pieces recorded on this date are all great showcases for the talents of the musicians who made them.

The tightest, most intricately developed relationship is between Sonny and Philly Joe Jones. From the very opening "Tune Up", the Miles Davis tune, Philly Joe is creating this shimmering rhythmic power that Sonny draws upon to nurture his feverish imagination. And nowhere is the uniqueness of this relationship more persuasive than on the drums-and-sax duo of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top". The two of them play so closely and densely that one is led to think that the piano and bass haven't abandoned them. But such thoughts are quickly dispelled on the next piece, "Blues for Philly Joe", where the warmth of Doug Watkins' bass kicks in with a great swinging pulse, and Wyn Kelly delivers a blues solo worthy of his finest moments.

The album is thoughtfully brought to a close with a ballad, "Namely You".

A prime example of hard bop that feeds the soul when little else can. There is a free Sonny Rollins iphone app! I have it right beside "Safari."

This Blue Note session from September 22, 1957 features tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, along with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Philly Joe Jones.

Rollins has a thick, muscular tenor tone on this recording. He communicates in staccato bursts of sound, drawn out notes, or sails smoothly through the changes, depending on the mood of the piece. Philly Joe is the perfect percussion companion for the strident Rollins, his urgent fills demanding their share of the focus. I'll admit a personal bias for the ivory work of Wyn Kelly, who enlivens any recording he's part of and Newk's Time is no exception. As far as bass players go, it's almost a surprise to see Doug Watkins's name here instead of Paul Chambers, who seemed to appear on every critical session from 1957 to 1961 or so. That's not to say that he's missed, as Watkins is more than up to the job, a superb bassist in his own right.

Highlights are Rollins' stuttering phrases on the Miles Davis penned "Tune Up", the interplay between Rollins and Jones on the piano/bass-less "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top", and an absolutely knock out version of Kenny Dorham's "Asiatic Raes" (aka "Lotus Blossom). The album clocks in at thirty-five minutes even, but you'll wish it were longer. If you're a fan of Sonny Rollins or any of the other musicians here, it's definitely time for Newk's Time.

This is a beautiful CD, and a great remastered sound too. This is rarely listed among Sonny's best recordings and its a shame, because it belongs there at the top. This is among my top three Sonny Rollings recordings of all time. The 6:30 duet with Philly Joe Jones on "Surrey with the fringe on top' will just blow your mind and its one of the best examples of Sonny's ability to swing a tune.