Wednesday, May 27, 2026

5/26/2026

Sonny Rollins- Sonny Meets Hawk! (1963)- ****1/2
(I know most people reach for the obvious Sonny classics- "Saxophone Colossus," "Way Out West," "Volume 2," "Freedom Suite"- but I love his RCA years best, especially this, "The Bridge" and "Our Man In Jazz.")


Sonny Rollins- Our Man In Jazz (1963)- ****

Taj Mahal- Phantom Blues (1996)- ****

(A great, great record. The one below features Eric Clapton.)

 


Tom Newman-Fine Old Tom (1975)- ***

(Wacky, yet strangely appealing record from the leader of 60's psych band July, featuring Mike Oldfield, Fred Frith, Hughie Flint and Neil Innes. I wouldn't know where or how to begin describing what I just listened to, but I dug it.)

David Bowie- Space Oddity: Visconti 2019 Mix (1969/2019)- ***1/2
(Basically any "Visconti Mix" really just means more Visconti.)

The Beach Boys- Party! (1965)- ***
The Rolling Stones- Flowers: MONO (1967)- ****

Cheap Trick- Busted (1990)- ****

(An underrated classic, a few power ballads notwithstanding. But "Back N Blue" makes it all okay.)


Dead Boys- From the Sleaziest Catacombs: Live At CBGBs, 1977 (2026)- ***1/2
(Wish I could have been there. Great performance, but a mediocre capture.)

Sonny Rollins- Sonny Meets Hawk! (1963)- ****1/2



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I’m a big fan of a couple of Sonny’s live albums: In Japan (1973) and Don't Stop The Carnival (1978). Both are the sound of joy.

- Paul in DK

Michael Giltz said...

I'll have to give Way Out West another listen when I'm ready. I certainly liked it, but didn't love it. The same with Freedom Suite. I probably first listened to Vol. 2 because of Joe Jackson mimicking the cover on his Body & Soul album. But yeah, Tenor Madness and Saxophone Colossus are awesome. I loved The Bridge, but especially the title track. Thanks for the live album tips Paul in DK. (Denmark?) now on to Sonny & Hawk!

Michael Giltz said...

Well, hell. I'll have to go to YouTube for Sonny Rollins in Japan. Paul, do you love the expanded Don't Stop The Carnival? Or should I focus on the three tracks from the original album before hearing the stuff recorded a year later?

7/12/2026

Grant Green- Sunday Mornin' (1962) **** Junior Parker- The Outside Man (1970) **** Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band- Clear Spot (1...