So there’s a wealth of material to choose from for this latest Milestone Profile, in fact no fewer than 25 albums worth. In the mid-fifties, Rollins was setting the standard with everyone, Gillespie, Parker, Monk, Powell, Max Roach and Miles. So as the sleeve notes point out, it’s unlikely the critical acclaim (what do critics know anyway?) with continue throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.

It includes perhaps his best-known composition the calypso ‘St. Thomas’, apparently based on a tune sung to him by his mother in his childhood. On this album, there’s a couple more that keep with the calypso tradition. From 1998, ‘Global Warming’ is a very Fly tune with a great backing band featuring Stephen Scott (piano/kalimba), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Perry Wilson (drums), Victor See Yuen (percussion) and Clifton Anderson on Trombone.

On 15th September 2001, the same band (save for Kimati Dinizulu taking over the percussion) thundered through the Kern-Hammerstein ‘Why Was I Born?’ The track won a 2006 Grammy for ‘Best Jazz Instrumental Solo’ and you get five minutes of Anderson on Trombone beforehand. Noting that Rollins himself was only a few blocks away from the collapsing twin towers in Manhattan on 9/11, this no doubt added to the intensity of his performance and that of the band (who don’t stop!)

So the album ends on a live high just as it starts. ‘Autumn Nocturne’ is all but a solo with the accompaniment of the occasional woops of the crowd. If this is showing off, when you can play like this, why not?

‘Duke of Iron’ is another calypso (with Clifton Anderson on great form again and the underrated Mark Soskin on piano) that dates back to 1987. Perhaps it sounds too happy in this day and age. ‘Biji’ is one of Rollins’ compositions and at just over 10 years old, sounds fresher with some bouncy bass from Bob Cranshaw (who is on all but two of the tracks).

I’m less enthusiastic about the downtempo ‘The Moon of Manakoora’, ‘Tennessee Waltz’ or ‘standard’ bearers Rodgers and Hart (‘Where Or When’) or Carmichael-Mercer (‘Skylark’).

Perhaps another (sunnier) day for the mellow tweeting of ‘Skylark’ but it’s clear that Sonny Rollins is a truly great saxophonist. Added to that, the ‘find’ of Clifton Anderson’s trombone playing here and the brilliant ‘Why Was I Born?’ you’ve got yet another CD in this series that needs to be purchased.

Reviewed: Sonny Rollins — Milestone Profiles (Milestone) Cat. No. 0888072301016 Release date: November 2006
Tracks
1. Autumn Nocturne [Live] (6:35)
2. Duke of Iron (4:17)
3. Tennessee Waltz (6:18)
4. Where or When (8:10)
5. Skylark (10:21)
6. Global Warming (6:30)
7. The Moon of Manakoora (5:45)
8. Biji (8:16)
9. Why Was I Born? (15:45)

Links:
www.sonnyrollins.com
Grammy for ‘Best Jazz Instrumental Solo’ at wikipedia
Kalimba