Sonny Rollins issued only three albums on the Impulse! label, all of them recorded between 1965 and 1966. This volume in
The Impulse Story series features three tracks each from
Sonny Rollins on Impulse!,
Alfie (the music included consists of re-recorded titles he wrote for the score), and
East Broadway Run Down. These three albums feature
Rollins in a number of settings. The numbers from
Alfie were recorded with a ten-piece band arranged and conducted by
Oliver Nelson. The
On Impulse! tunes were recorded with ace drummer
Mickey Roker, pianist
Ray Bryant, and bassist
Walter Booker.
East Broadway Run Down features the great saxophonist in the company of
Elvin Jones,
Jimmy Garrison, and
Freddie Hubbard on the title track. What they all reveal is an artist at the absolute top of his game as an improviser and as a composer.
Rollins' star may have shone differently from
Coltrane's during these years, but just as brightly. The standout cuts on this set are the the standard "On Green Dolphin Street," "Alfie's Theme," and the stunning 20-plus-minute "East Broadway Run Down," with
Rollins blowing further out than he ever had on one of his own records. ~ Thom Jurek