Our Man in Jazz
Occupation
- Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone
- Don Cherry - cornet
- Bob Cranshaw - Bass
- Billy Higgins - drums
Our Man in Jazz is a live jazz album of the US- American saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded in July 1962 and was published in the same year at the RCA Victor label as part of a ... Our Man series. With only three pieces, including the classic Rollins Oleo with a duration of 25 minutes, it is considered one of the " most entertaining " Highlights of free jazz.
Background
Rollins retreated to the first peak of his popularity in 1959 with a spectacular two-year hiatus from the public. He practiced in this period leading to Brooklyn Williamsburg Bridge in New York. Rollins wrote about this time:
"I was getting very famous at the time and I felt I needed to brush up on various aspects of my craft. I felt I was getting too much, too soon, as I said, wait a minute, I'm going to do it my way. I was not going to let people push me out there, so i could fall down. I wanted to get myself together, on my own. I used to practice on the Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge Because I was living on the Lower East Side at the time. "
"I was very famous at that time and I felt that I had to brush up on various aspects of my craft. I felt I got too much, too early, so I said, wait a minute, I'll do it my way. I was not going to let me out of the people out there pushing out so that I may crash. I wanted to find myself, alone. In the past I 've been practicing on the bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge because I was living at that time on the Lower East Side. ".
Furthermore understood Rollins his time-out as a sign against the artistic exploitation of jazz musicians who had it sometimes difficult to get to their royalties. The first recording after his comeback he called in allusion to his sabbatical The Bridge. In the five months between The Bridge and Our Man in Jazz Rollins dissolved the Quartet with Jim Hall, played a Latin album What's New? and retaining only the bassist Bob Cranshaw. In response to the work of Ornette Coleman and his groundbreaking album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation he hired Coleman trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Billy Higgins whose. Together with Cranshaw played Rollins Quartet with these during a more active guest performance at New York's Village Gate; Parts were recorded and have been published immediately One with RCA as Our in jazz.
The album
The album begins with a 25-minute version of " Oleo ", which consists mainly of extended solos based on harmonic changes. Cherry begins with tremolos, before he developed free, melodic riffs and long, intricate phrases, which only hint at the underlying chords. Rollins and Cherry play freely, rhythmically supported by Cranshaw and Higgins.
The third piece, " Doxy ", is characterized by a solo full of ideas of Rollins, who, however, according to Giddins little to do with the presented topic. Climax of the play is a chorus of call and response between Rollins and Cherry before an elongated end follows.
The highlight of the album is Dearly Beloved, an impressive idea of free improvisation, though it sticks to the melody by Jerome Kern. After a bass solo from Cranshaw Rollins plays the melody first as a march on, before he returns to core ideas again in the cadence. Garry Giddins noted: " It's a number did makes people laugh with pleasure ."
Rollins went with Cherry and Higgins and bassist Henry Grimes at the turn of 1962/63 on a European tour. He also experimented in the 1960s continues with Free Jazz, Sonny Meets Hawk on about.
Reception
The album, by Francis Davis later as " still controversial masterpiece" ( "still disputed masterpiece ") titled, at that time did not sell first and the connection between Rollins and the label was seen there as disappointing. Amiri Baraka raised in his review of 1964, the emotional and artistic balance of the Quartet forth; it was so moving that at each renewed listening to the album this was increasing in musical depth and charm rather than flatten.
For Peter Niklas Wilson is the music of the album " significantly Coleman - inspired " Scott Yanow wrote of the album at Allmusic:
" A very interesting CD of material from Sonny Rollins ... These are among Rollins 's most avant -garde improvisations for He seems inspired by trumpeter Don Cherry's presence ( Although Cherry CLEARLY Could not keep up with the great tenor ) "
" A very interesting CD with material from Sonny Rollins ... This is to Rollins avant-garde improvisation, in which he seems to derive from the presence of the trumpeter Don Cherry ( Cherry although clearly could not keep up with the great tenor. "
At another judgment comes Rollins biographer Richard Palmer. The album contains stunningly beautiful music. Cherry's work is impressive by the " fertility of his imagination "; only a few musicians had such a quick learner. " Rollins responds with enormous clout and konkurrenzbetontem Elan, and though the music often seems frenetic, it swings from beginning to end. "
David Dicaire honors the album in retrospect as a success; it shows that Rollins out was worth it. Even when he could no longer take the position as the best saxophonist ( but this role now Coltrane and Coleman accrue to ), " Rollins was still a dominant force in jazz ."
Editorial comments
The CD reissue contains the titles of the original LP, three additional tracks that were recorded in February of the following year; Henry Grimes replaced here Cranshaw on bass. These recordings originally appeared on 3 in Jazz ( an LP also featuring performances by Gary Burton and Clark Terry ). In 1996, the album under the title On the Outside was re-released on RCA.
1997 RCA Victor released the first time, all recordings produced by them between 1962 and 1964 by Sonny Rollins together in a 6- CDs full set. 2007 Sony introduced in Germany five albums as a 5- CD set in the series RCA Victor Original Album Classics out again.