The longest piece at just over nine minutes, “I’ll Remember April” finds the men really stretching out, especially a fantastic display by Roach in arguably his best solo of the entire set. When the band returns, Brown and Rollins trade off back and forth. Powell’s “Time” is a somber piece and audibly reflects his intention of “the time a man spends just sitting in jail, wondering when he’s going to get out.”
“The Scene Is Clean” finds the order slightly altered from the previous tracks as Rollins takes the first lead before Brown. The mood created from the quick tempo on their rendition of Cole Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love?” suggests only the positive aspects of the emotion. Morrow finally gets a bit of the spotlight, albeit brief.
The last five numbers are from Plus Four and not surprisingly the five men and the compositions sound very similar to their work in the Brown-Roach quintet. “I Feel A Song Coming” is a quick, uptempo song. The two Rollins compositions are “Pent-Up House” and “Valse Hot.” The first is almost nine minutes and features a longer passage with Rollins in the lead. After Brown takes the reins, Rollins and Brown return to alternate exchanges with Roach before giving way to his solo. The band returns, closing out the song repeating the chorus. “Valse Hot” is a waltz with Rollins getting the first lead. “Count Your Blessings” is listed as a bonus track for CSR because Brown doesn’t appear on it, which creates some separation in my ear from the Brown-Roach quintet.
The brilliance of Complete Studio Recordings is that even after more than 50 years the music sounds fresh and modern with every listen.
Article comments