Holding The Stage: Road Shows Vol. 4 (Gate)

Limited 180 gram vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. Tenor sax titan Sonny Rollins is an unsurpassed master of time who can subdivide a beat into almost subatomic intervals while maintaining hurtling momentum. His 2016 foray into his vast archives, Holding the Stage: Road Shows, Vol. 4 captures a different facet of the saxophonist's temporal command and offers up a treasure chest that includes tunes Rollins has never before recorded and musical relationships previously undocumented. The album encompasses some 33 years (1979-2012) yet coheres with all of the compelling logic and narrative force of an extended Sonny solo. "This album consists of various periods of my career, with something for everybody," says Rollins. "It's who I am, and the music represents just about every aspect of what I do." Three Rollins originals pay tribute to departed friends and colleagues: the soulful blues "H.S." for Horace Silver, the funky "Professor Paul" for saxophonist/arranger Paul Jeffrey and "Disco Monk," is dedicated to Thelonious Monk, while embracing a disco feel.