Sunday, November 19, 2023

Newk's Fadeaway - Sonny Rollins Quartet

Newk's Fadeaway - Sonny Rollins Quartet
3:11
Sonny Rollins Quartet, 1952
Written by Sonny Rollins

Okay, first, who is Newk?  Newk is Rollins' nickname (newkname?) due to his supposed resemblance to the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball pitcher Don Newcombe.  Second: credit.  This is often credited to Sonny Rollins with the New Jazz Quartet, but that's wrong.  Only the first four tracks on the 1956 compilation album were with the NJQ.  Anyhoo, this is a great saxophone track.  His tenor tone is bright but unhurried, riding atop the sparse comping like it's no big thing. The quartet leaves space open, giving Rollins room to explore ideas without much clutter.  It’s cool, loose, and self-assured.  I was surprised to find that it doesn't, at least on Spotify, fade away so much as stop abruptly. 

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