One of the greatest saxophonists of all time, Sonny Rollins stands apart from his contemporaries in ways that are very much in evidence throughout this outstanding album. Rollins' main musical role model was the huge sound of Coleman Hawkins rather than the cool tone of Lester Young.

Sonny preferred playing unique and sometimes unusual material and his own originals rather than the more typical bebop standards of the day. Rollins could improvise endlessly on a song's melody rather than just play riffs over chord changes. On Newk's Time, the masterful tenor turns such unlikely material as "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" and "Wonderful! Wonderful!" into powerfully swinging jazz.

With the backing of a superb trio including pianist Wynton Kelly, Rollins brings out the hidden beauty of these songs, often by sticking close to the melody and using repetition inventively, and at other times through the sheer humanity of his sound. A volcanic force on the tenor sax for for nearly 60 years, Sonny Rollins effortlessly uses his creative powers to create musical magic throughout Newk's Time.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.

See more Sonny Rollins records here.