Arguably the greatest living jazz artist, Sonny Rollins has had many downs, but mostly ups in his long, illustrious and peerless career. One of the peaks was his Way Out West album from 1957, originally released on Stereo Records from Contemporary. It is now available as part of a three-LP vinyl bespoke box set from Craft Recordings, that also includes Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders and a bonus disc, Contemporary Alternate Takes, that was originally released in 1986. This release is part of the Contemporary Records 70th anniversary celebration.
Way Out West was a breakthrough album for Rollins. He had spent years woodshedding and making a name for himself in his hometown of New York City with the heavyweights of the era, including Monk, Miles, Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, and Max Roach, among many others, and also further honed his skills playing in Chicago. 1955 was the year Rollins kicked drugs and took some time off to get healthy and change his personal lifestyle.
After a long and successful stint on Prestige Records, he struck out for the West Coast, where the cool, new, hip West Coast sound was exploding. He signed to Contemporary and his first album with the label, with its iconic cowboy-on-the-range cover shot (conceived by Rollins and photographed by the legendary William Claxton), became a huge hit and allowed Rollins to reach his largest audience yet.
The album has three songs that follow the western theme. In 1957 he was in LA as a member of the Max Roach Quintet and recorded the historic album at a session that began at 3 AM. The middle songs of each side are the most lush and romantic and other than the kind of hokey western thematic approach on the other songs, these tracks are the most adventurous.
Musical support is supplied by Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. This was the first time Rollins had been a part of a trio and with a group that did not include a piano. While the theme may be stretched a little, the music here is varied, confident, and struck a chord with jazz listeners. The music has resonated through the years and on countless reissues in a myriad of formats.
Although the second album in this box is a Sonny Rollins album, the title Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders illustrates how much of a collaborative effort this 1959 album is compared to Way Out West. Rollins’s name and photo are out front, but the rest of the musicians—Hampton Hawes on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Shelly Manne returning on drums to play with Rollins after the success of Way Out West—are given billing on the cover, with Victor Feldman on “You.”
The album came about after Rollins had left the Max Roach Quintet. This is a very loose, relaxed set and it’s clear that Rollins is having a good time, just enjoying playing with these all-stars and not having to deal with the weight of making some kind of grand musical statement. Everyone seems less interested in stepping up with big solos and instead just follows the groove, although bassist Leroy Vinnegar brings his distinctive bass to the fore in the occasional solo spotlight. All the songs are covers, although Rollins had been writing for some time and included two of his compositions on the previous Way Out West.
There’s a bonus disc of alternate takes, that was issued on CD in 1986. The record includes three outtakes from Way Out West and three from The Leaders album. “I’m An Old Cowhand” and “Come, Gone” from Way Out West both clock in a ten-plus minutes and take up all of side one.
Bernie Grundman, a former Contemporary Records studio employee, remastered the albums from the original analog tapes and the vinyl albums were pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. There is a 45-RPM, 7-inch-size, 32-page booklet with liner notes by Ashley Kahn that includes a new interview with Rollins, written in an as-told-to style that lets Rollins speak directly, conducted by Kahn in August 2021.
The package is housed in a leather, hinged flip-open album box portfolio, with an obi strip. The vinyl is housed in archival vinyl sleeves and the labels are period facsimiles. The album art does appear to be taken from scans and not the original film negatives, as they have a somewhat washed-out look.
This is one of the best jazz reissues of the year. While there is not previously unreleased material here, the sound, presentation, liner notes and photos, as well as the gathering of all of this material in one place make for a jazz reissue treasure.
