Tenor Madness

Tenor Madness
Studio album by Sonny Rollins
Released 1956
Recorded May 24, 1956
Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack
Genre Jazz, hard bop
Length 35:24
Label Prestige
PRLP 7047
Producer Bob Weinstock
Sonny Rollins chronology
Sonny Rollins Plus 4
(1956)		 Tenor Madness
(1956)		 Saxophone Colossus
(1956)

Tenor Madness is a jazz album by Sonny Rollins. It is most notable for its title track, the only known recording featuring both Rollins and John Coltrane.

History

Rollins and Coltrane had both been members of groups with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in the past. Rollins had had some recent success, and both were emerging as prominent solo tenor saxophone players.[1] Two months prior to the session for Tenor Madness Rollins was working at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey on the album Sonny Rollins Plus 4 with Max Roach and Clifford Brown. And two weeks before, on May 11, Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, had been recording with Davis at the same studio to fulfill his duties for Prestige, sessions that would later go on to provide material for the albums Workin', Relaxin', and Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.

Although the rhythm section's “playing here is somewhat less vital than on that session” (with Davis),[2] the historical importance of Tenor Madness lies in the title track. It is the only existing recording with Rollins and Coltrane playing together.[3]

The title track is a twelve-minute duet between Rollins and Coltrane, and the B-flat blues melody has become very well known for Rollins. It is easy to distinguish between the two saxophonists, as Coltrane has a much brighter and more boisterous sound as compared to Rollins' smoother, "wet-reed" tone. However, as jazz critic Dan Krow said, the two complement each other, and the track does not sound like a competition between the two rising saxophonists.[3]

"Paul's Pal", a jumpy swing track, is a Rollins composition, named for bassist Paul Chambers. "When Your Lover Has Gone" is a 1931 composition by Einar Aaron Swan, re-interpreted here as a drum-driven blues track. The Clinton & Debussy ballad "My Reverie" is one of Rollins' most prominent examples of his lyrical skills from his 1950s' recordings. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", a tune from the 1935 musical Jumbo, is a Rodgers & Hart composition which goes here from a jazz waltz to a fast-paced 4/4 tune.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[6]

The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos calls the album "A recording that should stand proudly alongside Saxophone Colossus as some of the best work of Sonny Rollins in his early years, it's also a testament to the validity, vibrancy, and depth of modern jazz in the post-World War era. It belongs on everybody's shelf".[5] Author and musician Peter Niklas Wilson called it "one of the most famous combo recordings of the 1950s"[7]

Track listing

All tracks by Sonny Rollins except where noted.[4]

  1. "Tenor Madness" - 12:16
  2. "When Your Lover Has Gone" (Einar Aaron Swan) - 6:11
  3. "Paul's Pal" - 5:12
  4. "My Reverie" (Larry Clinton, Debussy) - 6:08
  5. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (Rodgers, Hart) - 5:37

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ C. Michael Bailey, "Tenor Madness," http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11272
  2. ↑ Review of Tenor Madness by Chris Kelsey on Jazz.com
  3. 1 2 Review of “Van Gelder's CD Remastering of a Rollins' Classic” by Dan Krow on November 14, 2006 on Audaud.com. Retrieved on September 19, 2014
  4. 1 2 Michael G. Nastos, "Review," http://www.allmusic.com/album/r146583
  5. 1 2 Nastos, M. G. Allmusic Review accessed 7 October 2009
  6. ↑ Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 171. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  7. ↑ Wilson, Peter Niklas (2001). "Discography". Sonny Rollins: The Definitive Musical Guide. Berkeley Hills Books. p. 121. ISBN 1-893163-06-7.
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