Jazz Biography

It seems amazing, really, given the casualty rate among the first wave of bop musicians, but Sonny Rollins has actually had a jazz career that stretches over a half-century and he is still active and recording in the early part of the 21st century. This 16-track set features Rollins' earliest sides from 1949, 1950, and 1951 on the Prestige label and while everything here has been issued time and time again over the years, it's always nice to hear afresh where things started with this quietly steady and influential saxophonist. Doesn't actually make for much of a biography, though, since Rollins' best years were still to come. ~ Steve Leggett