Sonny Rollins Quartet – Tenor Madness (Analogue Productions, 200g, QPR, Mono)

Tenor Madness was the recording that, once and for all, established Rollins as one of the premier tenor saxophonists, an accolade that in retrospect, has continued through six full decades and gives an indication why as a young player, Rollins was so well liked, as his fluency, whimsical nature, and solid construct of melodies and solos gave him the title of the next Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young of mainstream jazz.

Tenor Madness, using Miles Davis’ group – pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, is the only recording of Rollins with John Coltrane, who was also in Davis’ group.

Rollins and John Coltrane met in 1956 and went on to largely define the state of jazz tenor saxophone in the mid-Fifties. Their playing set a standard that has been a benchmark of excellence for saxophonists—and others—ever since. By the time this LP was released, Rollins already had such albums to his name as Worktime and Sonny Rollins Plus 4 in addition to his sideman exploits with the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet.

As well as the celebrated title track, Tenor Madness includes an intriguing original, "Paul’s Pal," and the mining of unusual material such as "My Reverie," and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World."

Originally released in 1956