Sonny Rollins – A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters

The Tone Poet series never lets me down and this is no exception. An incredible recording from the 1950s. (Maybe the best?) The pressing is clean, quiet, and dynamic. It's Sonny with two different trio lineups consisting of only sax, drums, and bass. It's amazing how engaging this record is considering there is no chordal support at all! Sonny has to stretch to keep it interesting, and he does in a big way. Both rhythm sections (Donald Bailey/Pete La Roca and Wilbur Ware/Elvin Jones) are rock-solid, which I suspect is required to make a trio like this work so well. A stunning accomplishment. And the packaging is uber-premium. The vinyl comes in a solid, thick, glossy sleeve that opens like a book, with full-size photos from the Vanguard gigs, and a full-size booklet with fantastic liner notes and an interview with Sonny (at age 93!) by Don Was. This one is worthy for the libraries of even the most selective collectors.

I bought this on launch day and I must say this might be my favorite Tone Poet to date. A live performance from the 1950's SHOULD NOT be this clean! It is quiet, dynamic, flat and the instrument clarity is incredible. I love this recording. It helps Sonny is one of my favs all up, tlbut this is just a must own.

When I started listening to the album this morning I was completely blown away, what a fantastic sound, and that for recordings over 65 years old.
Actually, I always prefer stereo sound, but this is mono and you really don't miss the fact that it's not stereo here.
Everything is excellent, the music, the cover and the booklet.
If you don't already have the album and you love Sonny Rollins, I would say buy it straight away, you won't regret it.

This is no regular home run....This is a back-to back-to back homerun. This is seriously incredible. Up there with the best sounding records in my collection, with arguably the best packaging as well. Blue note, take all my god damn money.

This has got to be one of, if not THE best sounding live recordings from the 50s I’ve heard. Absolutely amazing. And, of course the music is timeless. A true masterpiece of a release!

Amazing pressing, package and recording. Home run yet again for Blue Note... although Elvin Jones grunting in the background throughout the entire set definitely gets really old lol

I noticed the order of the tunes is slightly different on this version than on the Rudy Van Gelder release of 1999. Does anyone know what the actual order of songs was? Regardless, I am happy to have purchased this digital, and soon to be cd version!

I was so excited when Blue Note announced this release. One of those must have Blue Note sessions where I will never be able to touch the originals. I have never heard the original RVGs but the sound on this version is incredible. No noise, instruments are loud and in your face and the packaging is what you expect out of a Tone Poet Release. Don't hesitate to buy.

Packaged like a book rather than a record that opens into three panels. The original artwork for each of the three volumes is featured on the "cover" inside, along with terrific Wolff photos. I loved the booklet: Several essays really contextualize the importance of this recording and the effort taken to produce this definitive version from original tapes that weren't actually used for prior releases.

Sonically, this album is phenomenal. I love it. You feel like you're in the room. I'm literally going to buy some excellent headphones so I can really appreciate this release, it's that good.

Amazing. Sonny Rollins in his 1957 Prime before the Bridge hiatus. Few tenor men could pull off this piano-less marathon and keep the listener engaged. Mr Rollins does it with seemingly effortless talent, relaxed and explorative, his thematic and tonal surprises never cease to raise delight and the performance feels vibrant and personable. This pressing is clean and resonant and fills the sound stage with superb separation and detail. Rollins is front and center commanding the midrange, and his accompaniment is tireless in their support. For fans of Valse Hot, Way Out West, Tenor Madness, this historic recording will complete your collection of the works from the Saxophone Colossus. My kit: Rega P6, DynaVectro 10x5 MkII, EAR Phono Classic, Parasound HINT 6, ATC SCM11s.