Sonny Rollins' Finest Hour (2002)

About this title: It seems amazing, really, given the casualty rate among the first wave of bop musicians, but Sonny Rollins has actually had a jazz career that stretches over a half-century and he is still active and recording in the early part of the 21st century. It hasn't been a haphazard career, either. While Rollins hasn't been as openly innovative and exploratory as players like John Coltrane, he was a definite influence on Trane as well as every other bop and post-bop sax player to come on the scene. This varied little set makes a nice introductory primer to Rollins' peak years, drawing on sides he cut ... read more

Tracks:

1. Hold 'Em Joe [Thomas]
2. Who Cares? [Gershwin/Gershwin]
3. On the Sunny Side of the Street [McHugh/Fields]
4. Manhattan [Rodgers/Hart]
5. We Kiss in a Shadow [Rodgers/Hammerstein]
6. Doxy [Rollins]
7. Alfie's Theme Differently [Rollins]
8. Three Little Words [Ruby/Kalmar]
9. The Scene Is Clean [Dameron]
10. You Are Too Beautiful [Rodgers/Hart]
11. Body and Soul [Eyton/Green/Heyman/]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.