Sonny Rollins has one of the greatest jazz nicknames of all time. When you hear ‘Saxophone Colossus,’ you picture a towering, imposing figure that will own any room he walks into or any stage he graces with his presence. In that, it’s spot-on. On this officially sanctioned (Rollins himself signed off on it) collects three unreleased sessions from Holland in 1967 and the wide array of offerings here will light up any room. While the studio recordings are tight and cool, the live recordings are where the serious grooves live. Solid as the backup band is, they are simply laying the groundwork for Rollins to wail and he absolutely lets it rip. I might not call this essential, but it’s a damn cool document and worth it for anyone who digs Rollins flames.
