Saxophone Colossus

Many others have praised this 1956 recording and deservedly so. It's an essential recording for fans of straight-ahead jazz, great performances, historically important, and also quite accessible and enjoyable for people who aren't die-hard jazz fans. Downbeat Magazine's original review when it first came out said "Rollins displays humor, gentleness, a delicate feeling for beauty in line, and a puckish sense of humor." All Music argues this is probably the best of the many terrific records Sonny made in his productive mid-1950s period. Tommy Flanagan, Max Roach, and Doug Watkins are fantastic; you feel that they really know this music and love it, and love playing together.For those of you considering buying this in vinyl, or trying to decide between vinyl and CD, I have some comments that might be helpful.I have the CD and LP, and I also have access to the hi-res FLAC version through Tidal. I've compared all three. The vinyl wins, hands down. The digital versions are perfectly acceptable; those who don't have a turntable should get the CD or download for sure.But the LP sounds warmer, more alive. Doug Watkins' walking bass has a bit more bite. Tommy's piano is more present. Max's drums have more punch, not louder, but more...there. Hearing Max masterly exploiting his entire drum kit on St. Thomas and Strode Rode is such a joy. Sonny has a really lovely tone, and that comes through on the vinyl better than on the digital versions in my opinion. The vinyl version just sounds more spacious, more alive. After listening to the vinyl, I went back to the CD and FLAC tracks and they just sound a bit boxy and dead and dull. Listening not analytically but just for the joy of it, listening to the vinyl just makes me happier than listening to the digital versions.The pressing is good, the record is perfectly flat with far below average surface noise and pops.Buying vinyl is a bit of a gamble. Some LPs are made from the same compressed digital sources used to produce the CDs and therefore have no hope of sounding better than the CD. Some LPs are manufactured poorly, with defects like surface noise, frequent pops, warping, or the grooves are not centered around the spindle hole in the middle of the disc. Amazon is great about replacing defective records, but sometimes the problem is not a defect but mediocre sound quality. In which case why not just buy the CD.I'm not an analog purist, I have lots of CDs and also enjoy listening to MP3 files on my iPhone and laptop. But there are some recordings where the vinyl just sounds better, and this is one of them.

This review is for the VINYL, Original Jazz Classics (OJC) edition of this album! The album itself needs little review from me, it's a monumental jazz classic, Sonny at his brilliant and melodic best! There has been some speculation as to the quality of the OJC vinyl releases of classic jazz albums...let me tell you people, for this particular release, rest assured you are getting a lovely vinyl copy for a fraction of what the original Prestige pressings go for these days (you aren't touching one for under $500!). Yes it is likely digitally sourced, but that in itself isn't bad, since getting back into vinyl recently and hearing some new pressings (like this one) I've had to reconsider my position on digitally sourced vinyl! If it's a GOOD mix, a high-resolution lossless studio quality digital master, and the mastering is not overly compressed and is made to replicate as faithfully as possible the original pressing, it's really ok! You have to remember, if the original recording was still made with tape, those warm analog colors ARE there! A hi res master is simply going to retain that information far better than a cd... Plus, you ARE playing it back on analog equipment and your needle/cartridge/preamp will give it the wonderful warm vinyl sound you want...fear not! For under $20, It's a real bargain, and YES, the mix IS far superior to the standard cd release or what you'll get from any streaming service. I did a side by side comparison to my old cd and to a digital stream...this LP blew them BOTH away, the bass is crisp and every note is defined, Sonny's sax is so "alive" you can almost feel him breathing on you, the drums punchy and resonant, the piano rich, every note crisp and clearly defined...both digital versions sound dull and lifeless and flat in comparison. This is the finest version of this wonderful classic I've ever heard, if you own it already, get the OJC vinyl without hesitation and hear it like never before; if you're new to this album, trust me. Hear it on the OJC vinyl edition first! Most of us will never get our hands on a Prestige vinyl pressing from the 1950's, but this is a great replica, it includes original liner notes and the label is a repro of the classic prestige black and yellow label. I will not hesitate anymore to swipe up some more of the OJC editions of classic jazz albums, if they all even come close to this quality they are a steal at their low price, and it is great that they are making these great jazz albums available to EASILY own on a QUALITY, faithful vinyl reissue! Love it!

Probably the coolest album cover of all time!!!!! But seriously.... it is.Musically, it is perfection. When you can drop the needle on this, lay back, and be glad to be alive... when music reminds you of something great about living on this damn planet... when you can share some imagined intimacy across all the time and place that separates you from these great musicians... then THAT is a use of technology that we can be glad for.

Recorded the same year as his earllier Masterpiece, Tenor Madness, Rollins hits another one out of the park with this album.The line-up here is completely different from Tenor Madness, with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Max Roach on drums. Watkins is a bassist to whom I pay close attention, which makes this album all the more valuable to me. He was Charles Mingus choice to replace himself (so he could play piano) on Oh Yeah (US Release), and had Watkins not died at 27 he had the potential to be one of jazz's top bassists.Of course Saint Thomas is the reason most non-jazz aficionados love this album, but my personal favorites are Moritat (also known as Mack the Knife) and Blue 7. However, personal favorites aside, I hold every track on this album to be a masterpiece. Not a bad effort for a 26 year old who had previously that year made a landmark album that would be hard to top.This album (and Tenor Madness) should be in every jazz lovers library, and is so beautifully crafted that any music lover - jazz or otherwise - should enjoy it.

The tempos on these tracks are a lot slower than the original and the pitch has also gone with it! Almost a entire semitone lower than the original. Very disappointed with the purchase and I also realised after purchase that this record isn't even from prestige records, just some cheap knockoff!

This was released when I was still at school, was exploring every aspect of modern jazz, so to now have a classic which I was unable to purchase when released is both nostalgic and enjoyable. This was when the musical frontiers were being expanded in many musical directions BUT there was still a warmth and that inate swing which I regret to say, my ears do not sense in jazz music of this era; it always sounds clinical to me. Get the classics such as this, you will not be disappointed.

Great music from the 1950's which still sounds good today. One word of warning, when I uploaded the CD to my computer and iPod I noticed that the track listings were incorrect. The tracks are in the correct order as stated on the printed information but the track titles are mixed up when the information is displayed on the computer, so I had to amend the details manually to ensure they were correct on my iPod. Obviously, not a problem if you only intend to listen to the CD.

Absolute trash. A shoddily sped up version of a classic Jazz album placed in a lacklustre package. Go for the official copy for a few more £.

An acknowledged masterpiece yet what kind of idiot company fails to list the other musicians on the CD.They are the amazing Max Roach on drums; Tommy Flanagan, piano; Doug Watkins Bass. The Pickwick Group Ltd serves Jazz very poorly by adopting this crass way of re circulating important jazz albums.

Sonny Rollins in outstanding form, this album should be in any jazz fans' collection, one of the classics along with A Kind Of Blue, Blue Train etc.....

What can I say I would not of bought it if didn't like it great album

A sax player who was ahead of his time yet draws on traditional roots

Rollins is never better than on this album

Wonderful!

ok

An excellent testament to a legend.

this is a record everyone must have

FantasticCD really good recommended++++

One word - Brilliant