Not owning any Sonny Rollins records is like not owning any Aretha Franklin records - his sheer physical presence is something no aural sensualist should live without. Not that the sound hasn't proved malleable and even protean, but its direct, expressive warmth and raspy power is unmistakable even to noninitiates like me. This is his most accessible and uncompromised album in more than a decade and is soaked in the swinging pan-Caribbean "calypso" that's been his special pleasure since the '50s.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Great Albums: "Sunny Days, Starry Nights" by Sonny Rollins
Robert Christgau: