Notes
2014 special vinyl LP pressing reissue series title commemorating the 65th anniversary of Prestige Records and the 90th birthday of legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder. The Sound of Sonny marked a new phase in Sonny Rollins' career. At the time of the album's recording in 1957, the tenor saxophone legend was reaching the height of his powers, having been proclaimed Down-Beat Magazine Critics' Poll "New Star" of the tenor saxophone that very same year. Joined by a variety of accompaniment (Sonny liked to shake it up!), including pianist Sonny Clark, drummer Roy Haynes and bassists Percy Heath and Paul Chambers, Rollins attains a level of freedom in his soloing and rhythmic interplay that only serves to underscore his melodic brilliance. A landmark recording in the development of one of Jazz's true giants of the tenor saxophone, the Sound of Sonny is a canonical smooth bop LP and an underrated gem in Sonny Rollins' brilliant catalog.
