Year: Reissued in 2008 - Originally Released in 1958
Record Label: Riverside Records
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone [except "There Will Never Be Another You"]), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Max Roach (drums)
Review: Sonny Rollins' Freedom Suite was one of the first uses of the LP format to allow a small group to record a long-form composition. The lineup could not be better: Rollins, at the time probably (Coltrane fans, note "probably") the best tenor man around; Oscar Pettiford, one of the all-time great bassists; and Max Roach, the greatest drummer of the time. Orrin Keepnews, in an effort to keep up with the Joneses (read "the Van Gelders"), has reissued Freedom Suite almost exactly fifty years to the day after it was recorded.
The "Suite" itself wears extremely well over time. The themes are simple and not especially contemporaneous. The musicians, especially Rollins and Roach, did not belong to any one single style, and used thir skills to the absolute fullest. Had Pettiford lived to see free jazz flower, one can easily imagine him setting up shop there once in a while. The remastering suits him particularily well, bassists usually getting the short end of the remaster stick, all thumps and booms. It does even better by Rollins and Roach. If you close your eyes, you can imagine this whole trio in your listening room. And oh, what a treat is the "Suite"! Nineteen-and-a-half minutes of great musicians stretching to their limits. And these guys were pretty near unlimited.
As to the other tunes, it would be fun to see how the ultra-refined Noel Coward would respond to the trio's wildly raucous ride through his "Someday I'll Find You." The subtitle for this version could be "...and When I Do, I'm Gonna Kick the Stuffing Out of You." We get three versions of perhaps the most overdone (even the Beatles covered it) showtunes of musical history, The Music Man's "Till There Was You." Sonny sounds as if he doesn't think much of it either. One can imagine him gazing out the window at whatever was passing by during the originally released take, and actually sleeping through the "bonus" takes.
"Will You Still Be Mine?" and "Shadow Waltz" get readings they deserve, crisp and fascinating. The oddest of odd men out is the version of "There Will Never Be Another You", played without a late-for-the-session Rollins. All we get is six minutes of bass and drums? Keepnews even admits in the liner notes that he had previously issued the take as a bonus track on a Max Roach reissue! Now, the economy's tough and all, but...
Well, the music set before us is all that matters, and it is truly wonderful, taking the bonus tracks as read. Sonny Rollins' Freedom Suite was great then, and is a true treasure trove (sorry for the alliteration attack) for jazz lovers everywhere.
Tracks: The Freedom Suite, Someday I'll Find You, Will You Still Be Mine?, Till There Was You (take 4), Shadow Waltz, Till There Was You (take 1),Till There Was You (take 3), There Will Never Be Another You
Record Label Website: http://www.concordmusicgroup.com
Artist's Website: http://www.sonnyrollins.com
Reviewed by:
Rob Johnson
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