Sonny Rollins - The Complete Blue Note, Riverside & Contemporary Collection (2017)

A titan of jazz saxophone with a career spanning more than seven decades, Sonny Rollins approach to the tenor sax brought a new sound spectrum to the instrument that went on to influence just about every horn player who has come along since. After spending his early career recording for Prestige Records, during which time he produced such magnificent albums as Tenor Madness and Saxophone Colossus (both 1956), as well as making guest appearances alongside such names as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Max Roach, Rollins left the label in 1957 and worked on a freelance basis for Blue Note, Riverside and Contemporary, for whom he created a series of extraordinary records that equalled his earlier output. This collection, containing eight complete original albums over four discs, includes all of Sonny Rollins records released on Blue Note, Riverside and Contemporary Records between 1957 and 1959. A masterclass in jazz saxophone and improvisation; the five hours of music contained here includes many of the defining moments of the bebop era and, in completion, serves as both a welcome reminder and a superb starting point for exploration into this majestic musician s catalogue.