In jazz history, Sonny Rollins ranks among tenor-saxophone giants with Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster and John Coltrane. In his dazzling 60-year career at the top, Rollins has balanced melodic development with unpredictable phrases, infusing his innovative ideas with his memorable wit.

Who else could take the show tune "How Are Things In Glocca Morra?" and turn it into a fertile device for a heated solo? On Vol. 1, Rollins plays that song and several of his originals in a quintet with Donald Byrd and Max Roach. While Rollins has composed quite a few jazz standards, his four songs on Vol. 1 (particularly "Decision" and "Sonnysphere") are long overdue to be revived. But who else could play those songs with the passion, intensity and humor of the immortal and always-original Sonny Rollins.

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.