Sonny Rollins - East Broadway Run Down

Man, this is a bitch of a record! I haven't listened to this one in a while...just pulled out the LP tonight and remembered what a mammoth recording this is. Look, there aren't enough superlatives for this one, but just listen...it's pure communication from the very first note. Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones...does it get much better?

There's a nice thing Nat Hentoff says at the beginning of his liner notes which is right on: "Sonny Rollins combines immense authority and almost as immense unpredictability." From the beginning of his solo on the title track, he is ON. And yet you never know where he's going next. While Garrison and Jones are laying down that foundation that's a mile deep, Sonny is all over the map. He's completely free in his rhythmic and harmonic conception, while always aware and constantly communicating with what's going on underneath him. What's striking too is how different his concept is from Hubbard's...when Freddie's solo starts it's clear that he puts much greater restrictions on himself in terms of rhythm and melody. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing-- just a totally different bag. Garrison's solo is simply beautiful and full of soul. I love his concept of time...you can really hear the layers of rhythm he has going on in his head. Elvin? Pure genius.

"Blessing in Disguise" kicks off the second side with a heavy groove. Again we should consider ourselves incredibly lucky to be able to eavesdrop on such a deep conversation. But you know what the highlight of this record has always been for me? "We Kiss in a Shadow." Quite simply one of the most beautiful things I think I've ever heard. You need to slow down for this one...in fact, whatever you're doing while listening, the song will draw your attention away and take you to another place. But this one is best listened to late at night with all the lights out.