Sonny Rollins Plus Four

Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (October 8, 1991)
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YDQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,849,051 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Valse Hot

2. Kiss and Run

3. I Feel a Song Coming On

4. Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)

5. Pent-Up House

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only problem is it's too short, March 13, 2000

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sonny Rollins Plus Four (Audio CD)

You might be disappointed in the length of this CD, as it checks in at a mere 32 minutes. Sure, in the days of vinyl that was acceptable, but we spoiled CD buyers have come to expect 45-75 minutes per disc. Rest assured that although you'll want more music at the conclusion of "Plus 4," every minute that you spend with Sonny and company will be time well spent.

Besides, after you listen to his cover of the chestnut "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," you might decide that length is overrated. The tune consumes a mere 2 minutes, 29 seconds. But during that brief time, Rollins not only has enough time to beautifully sketch the melody, but also to construct an airtight solo that sounds like a definitive statement on the theme. Like a great meal, it doesn't leave you wanting more; instead, you're perfectly satisfied. It also shows that Rollins, a mere 26 when "Plus 4" was recorded, was well on his way to becoming a saxophone giant.

"Plus 4" also finds Rollins in fine company. The great Clifford Brown's trumpet playing makes us regret again his all-too-early departure. He and Rollins sound like they could have made a dozen good records together had Brown lived. Max Roach delivers his usual impeccable time keeping and solo voice, and Richie Powell contributes a sprightly presence on piano, particularly on "Kiss and Run."

If you find yourself wanting a heavier Rollins meal after this one, check out his "Complete Prestige Recordings" (7 discs), which includes the tunes from "Plus 4."

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only buy one Sonny Rollins CD, make it "Plus 4.", February 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sonny Rollins Plus Four (Audio CD)

I'll never understand the pattern of Amazon.com jazz listeners. "Saxophone Colossus" is heralded and revered by you, but "Plus 4" is buried way down with the also-rans. There's no explanation for the difference in reception between the two. This is one of the best cd's you'll ever own. "Varse Hot," "Kiss and Run," and "Pent-Up House" are just masterful. The interactions between sax and trumpet complement each other so well, and the tunes really swing. You'll just love it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jazz Masterwork, January 4, 2003

By 

George H. Soule (Edwardsville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sonny Rollins Plus Four (Audio CD)

Although under Sonny Rollins' name, the quintet on this masterpiece is the Brown-Roach Quintet, featuring (as Pee Wee at Birdland would have it) "the trumpet sensation, Clifford Brown." Thankfully, Prestige recorded the group in March 1956 so that Rollins and Brown were captured ensemble. The record is brief, but important. The disc begins with Rollins' "Valse Hot" a jazz waltz that features fine solos by Rollins and Brown followed by Richie Powell on piano and a Max Roach drum solo. "Kiss and Run" features a fine Rollins solo and a driving virtuoso performance by Brown spurred by Roach's masterful drumming. The Powell solo is commanding and lyrical and the traded breaks by Rollins, Roach, and Brown are almost the equal of the dialogue between Rollins and Brown that conclude this track. These interchanges are cause enough to own the disc. But the great stuff doesn't end there. "I Feel a Song Coming On" begins with a breakneck Rollins solo followed by Brownie at peak tempo and inventiveness. Max' solo is tasteful and explosive and there is another Rollins/Brown dialog that's quick and clean. "Count Your Blessings" features Rollins as a balladeer and it's apt testimony to the lessons that he had learned from Lester Young as well as Charlie Parker. Lyrical and inventive, it simply swings. The disc concludes with "Pent-Up House," a Rollins original that fairly explodes with improvisation and vitality. This was one of the great jazz groups, unfortunately ended with the untimely deaths of Powell and Brown. This disc is a fit companion to the "Brown-Roach Quintet at Basin Street" (January-February 1956) and any serious collection should contain both.