Sonny Rollins: The Cutting Edge

[MartyJazz]

As a longtime newkophile, I recently picked up this book which, I had not been aware, was originally published in 1998. The revised edition, which I have, has a 2004 copyright. At the beginning before the Preface, Mr. Palmer acknowledges Peter Keepnews for correcting "a number of factual errors which nobody had picked up" in the '98 edition. I'm only on page 54 and already I've seen a couple of factual discographical errors that simply amaze me to see in any serious study of Rollins' work.

1) On page 35, Mr. Palmer states: "The fall of 1954 saw his first collaboration with that quirky and influential enigmatic genius, Thelonious Monk,...." For years I've enjoyed the session that took place the previous year, that of November 13, 1953 wherein Rollins is featured in a Monk group performing all Monk compositions, i.e., two takes of "Think of One", "Let's Call This" and "Friday the 13th". In October 1954, Rollins joined Monk for the second time performing standards, e.g., "The Way You Look Tonight", etc.

2) On page 49, Mr. Palmer states: "The fall of 1957 saw five sessions that together document the full range of Mr. Rollins's mature art. NEWK'S TIME, a quartet date cut in September for Blue Note is........" 1957 was indeed a fertile year for Rollins but NEWK'S TIME was cut in September 1958, one year thereafter. This is not a picayune point because Rollins was very shortly to go into one of his extended sabbaticals so any music recorded just before that period has to be analyzed within that context.

3) On a number of occasions Mr. Palmer states that Rollins only recorded in a big band context (13 members) on one occasion, in July 1958, (TRIO & BRASS, Verve). To my mind, his recording a decade later of the soundtrack to ALFIE constitutues a big band setting (10 members), one that employed the arranging talents of Oliver Nelson.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still enjoying the book. I'm just slightly appalled that's all.

edited for spelling, NOT discographical, mistakes

Edited December 25, 2004 by MartyJazz

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Still, it's got to be better than the Eric Nisenson abomination.

Mike