Sonny Rollins was easily one of the most important postwar jazz saxophonists, and if he wasn't as experimental and explorative as
John Coltrane, say, he was every bit as influential, and in the mid-'50s, there wasn't a steadier player. This set features tracks
Rollins recorded for the Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary labels during this period, arguably the key years and tracks in
Rollins' catalog, including "St. Thomas" (his signature version of the old West Indies folk tune "Fire Down There") and the curious but intriguing "I'm an Old Cowhand" (from the 1957
Way Out West album). ~ Steve Leggett