Customer Reviews

Road Shows: Vol. 1

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'll confess that my own jazz prejudices run pretty deep. I have always suspected that everything important in this music was pretty much said by about 1964, with the music then splitting between a mainstream that added electric basses and keyboards (yikes) and largely turned the music into instrumental pop or funk, and an avant garde that, from Albert Ayler and Sunny Murray in the late 60s through players like Jemeel Moondoc and William Parker in the new improvisatory scene, is largely keeping the true flame of creative jazz alive. What's interesting about Sonny Rollins' Road Shows is that, like the later career of Ornette Coleman, it represents both trends. Sonny's backing band since the late 70s is faceless, amplified dreck of the sort that pretty much ruined jazz, and that's what you'll hear on these tracks. But Sonny himself, well, he's really reaching out there on these performances, really tapping into the spiritual vein of the avant garde. I found myself really digging it. Take his treatment of the great old standard "Easy Living," for instance, performed in Warsaw in 1980. He really tears it up, and even the sour electric piano and cheesy electric bass can't ruin it. All in all, I approached Road Shows with trepidation. I mean, how could you make a decent album out of a bunch of highlights from disparate concerts over the past 25 years? It was a recipe for disaster. But the result is astonishingly coherent, a testament to how consistent Sonny Rollins mature vision has been, at least in live performance. Great stuff.

Without question, this is one of the best Sonny Rollins recordings in the last 40 years.
Sonny starts on fire with "Best Wishes" and smokes his way through this wonderful cd. What's really intersting is the mix of revolving personnel over the years. It reveals Sonny's taste as a bandleader who likes consistency but spontaneity as well.

Well done Newk !

Skip Norris
Jazz Artistic Director
The Music Hall for the Performing Arts Center
Detroit,Michigan

Track Listing

*Best Wishes*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Clifton Anderson, trombone; Mark Soskin, piano; Bobby Broom, guitar; Jerome Harris, electric bass; Al Foster, drums. Recorded at Kosei Nenkin Hall, Tokyo, Japan; May 25, 1986 (9:26)

*More Than You Know*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone, Clifton Anderson, trombone; Bobby Broom, guitar; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Victor Lewis, drums; Kimati Dinizulu, percussion. Recorded at La Halle aux Grains, Toulouse, France; May 15, 2006 (8:44)

*Blossom*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Mark Soskin, piano; Jerome Harris, electric bass; Al Foster, drums. Recorded at Umea (Sweden) Jazz Festival; October 25, 1980 (12:28)

*Easy Living*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Mark Soskin, piano; Jerome Harris, electric bass; Al Foster, drums. Recorded at Congress Hall, Warsaw (Poland) Jazz Jamboree; October 23, 1980 (11:03)

*Tenor Madness*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Clifton Anderson, trombone; Stephen Scott, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Perry Wilson, drums; Victor See-Yuen, percussion. Recorded at Pantheon Tama, Tama City, Japan; June 8, 2000 (7:50)

*Nice Lady*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Clifton Anderson, trombone; Bobby Broom, guitar; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Steve Jordan, drums; Kimati Dinizulu, percussion.Recorded at Royal Theatre, Victoria, B.C. Canada; June 24, 2007 (12:12)

*Some Enchanted Evening*
Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Christian McBride, bass; Roy Haynes, drums.Recorded at Carnegie Hall, New York City, September 18, 2007 (9:55)

Cuts 1,3,5,6 are Rollins compositions. (71:37 total time)

It's just magical what this man has done, can do and continues to do even into his 80's. I've listened to Sonny since my youth and have seen him on a number of occasions. He is on fire on these live recordings and lifts the roof on the Tenor Madness cut. This the one he did with Coltrane in the 56. His group is superior and anyone who likes jazz must own this. Sonny plans to release a number of live recordings that span the last 30 years. I am already anticipating the releases. I bow to the genius. Thanks Sonny, I love you man.

Almost 72 minutes of very diverse live jazz featuring the immortal S. Rollins. The great Roy Haynes (drums) appears on one track. The dynamic sideman Bob Cranshaw (string bass & bass guitar) appears on three tracks. Excellent liner notes with a soft shell jacket. Also on a good label Decca.

Sonny Rollins' reluctance to release live discs is as well-known as it is unfortunate. Some of his best material was recorded live, including 2001's "Without A Song". "Road Shows" is a compilation of songs taken from different concerts. The backing band is different for each song, but Clifton Anderson plays a lot of trombone, and long-time bassist Bob Cranshaw is the most common bassist. Sonny's playing, as you'd expect, is excellent. Any Rollins fan should buy this CD. There a few weaknesses, though with the music which keep it at 4-stars. "Some Enchanted Evening" doesn't enchant me. "Blossom", which very good on the whole, overdoes the main riff. Rollins' use of electric bass and sidemen usually get criticized by critics. I don't mind the electric bass -- it's nice to hear the bass loud and clear. The backing band is capable, but there are places where the music behind Rollins' sax is a little too neat and tidy. Small reservations aside, this disc is truly a tour de force of saxophone, and it's still a high-ranked 4-star disc.

This is a very enjoyable collection of live recordings by Sonny Rollins spanning 27 years from 1980 to 2007. As executive producer, Rollins obviously was able to pick performances that he was completely satisfied with. Since he's famous for being highly self-critical, you can be assured that these performances are all excellent. But if you don't believe Sonny, believe me. (Actually, just believe Sonny.)

There is a typical Rollins mixture here: 3 up-tempo tunes that let Sonny really blow, 3 standards, and 1 calypso. All are outstanding. I had the pleasure to actually be at his 50th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall in 2007 when he played "Some Enchanted Evening". I wish he would have released the rest of the set with McBride and Haynes but am glad to have the one performance.

What I also like on this album is that Rollins gives his long-term band mate Clifton Anderson some space to solo on "More than You Know" and "Nice Lady". Anderson is a good trombonist, but Rollins often limits him to just playing some harmony on the opening and closing themes of songs.

Sonny Rollins is at his best playing to a live audience. He really takes off on these performances recorded between 1986 & 2007.

I have been to 12 Sonny concerts in Europe and the States over the years, and was always puzzled why his albums never really captured the magic of the man. This release goes a long way in recreating the live sound of Sonny. It has releases from 1980 to 2007 and they are all great. Not sure why some of these reviewers believe these are 2008 recordings, as they are not. The above said, eagerly awaiting Road Shows, Vol. 2 -- and please, release it on vinyl also. I love my CD's and my iPod, but vinyl is best if one really wants to listen to jazz, and especially the sax. PTB

This CD will take time to appreciate. Some selections immediately hit you with power and finesse. After listening to it again and again you realize how talented Sonny Rollins is and how intense he is for the music despite his age. He has fire and is one of the last sax giants still with us. True jazz listeners need to hear this one.