Craft Recordings declares the discharge of Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums, a brand new 3-LP, 3-CD and digital assortment that explores Sonny Rollins’ output for Lester Koenig’s revered Los Angeles jazz label.

Newly lower from the unique analog tapes by Grammy-winning engineer (and former Contemporary Records studio worker) Bernie Grundman, the 20-track set presents two basic albums from the legendary saxophonist’s catalog: Way Out West (recorded in March 1957) and Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders (October 1958). Adding further context are six alternate takes, culled from each albums. Originally launched in 1986 on the long-out-of-print compilation album Contemporary Alternate Takes, these tracks permit listeners to listen to Rollins and his fellow musicians develop such iconic recordings as “Way Out West” and “Come, Gone.”

Set for launch on June 23 (March 17 digital), the Go West! 3-LP version (pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI) and the 3-CD set each embody an expanded booklet with new liner notes by the Grammy Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn. Also included is a brand new interview with Rollins, performed by Kahn in August 2021.

Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums is a part of an ongoing assortment of particular releases celebrating the seventieth anniversary of Contemporary Records, together with 2021’s Ornette Coleman – Genesis of Genius, which is offered and the Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds sequence, that includes a wide range of basic, 180-gram vinyl reissues from the likes of Art Pepper, Benny Carter and Shelly Manne, accessible.

In the spring of 1957, 26-year-old Sonny Rollins was primed for a brand new journey. For almost a decade, the tenor saxophonist had labored his manner up by means of the ranks of the New York City jazz scene. By the mid-50s, Rollins was enjoying alongside such stars as Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Max Roach, and Thelonious Monk, and had launched his first albums as a pacesetter on Prestige Records. The saxophonist had additionally established himself as a gifted composer, by means of such now-iconic jazz requirements as “Oleo,” “Airegin,” “Doxy” and “St. Thomas.”

But whereas the Harlem-born artist was firmly entrenched within the East Coast onerous bop scene, the chance to discover the sights and sounds of the West Coast (the place the cool jazz motion was in full swing) had a powerful enchantment. Moreover, having lately concluded his contractual obligations with Prestige, Rollins was a free agent. In his new liner notes, Ashley Kahn writes, “The idea of freedom comes up often in chronicles of Rollins during this period. It’s noted in the music he was creating—particularly in his decision to perform and record with piano-less rhythm accompaniment, allowing for a harmonic freedom, but also in his extended improvisations that developed into lengthy stories of their own. Rollins was developing his sound and approach on a daily basis.”

At the middle of the West Coast jazz scene was Contemporary Records. Founded in 1951 by former screenwriter and movie producer Lester Koenig, the younger label was house to a few of Los Angeles’ most enjoyable artists, together with Shelly Manne, Barney Kessel, Hampton Hawes, Art Pepper and André Previn. From its state-of-the-art recording amenities to its high-impact jacket artwork, Contemporary Records had rapidly established itself as an trade tastemaker—and Rollins needed to participate within the motion. Koenig, who had lately begun pairing East and West Coast musicians collectively, was simply as wanting to work with the rising star.

“I think everybody on the scene knew about Contemporary Records. Contemporary had a very positive reputation, a good name,” recollects Rollins, chatting with Kahn in 2021. “[Koenig] seemed to be a very resolute fellow, a no-nonsense type of guy, and a very charming person. . . . He was very respectful and a supporter of the music. He knew the history.”

Rollins commemorated his inaugural journey to California with Way Out West. Recorded within the early hours of March 7 with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, the album marked the saxophonist’s first in a trio setting. A unfastened idea report, Way Out West was comprised of originals (“Come Gone” and the title monitor), requirements (Duke Ellington’s “Solitude,” Isham Jones’ “There Is No Greater Love”) and a pair of Western classics: Johnny Mercer’s “I’m an Old Cowhand” and Peter DeRose’s “Wagon Wheels.” Engineer Roy DuNann (whom Rollins refers to as “the Rudy Van Gelder of the West Coast”) recorded the periods.

The memorable jacket artwork, photographed by Bill Claxton, was additionally conceived of by Rollins. The desert scene options the musician as a lone cowboy, drawing a saxophone from his gun holster. “I used to go to the movies every week in Harlem and I happened to be a big cowboy fan,” reveals Rollins. “They were my heroes and they were always the good guys. They stood for justice. In the end, good would always win over bad.”

In 1958, Rollins returned to Los Angeles—however this time he was a star. In the 2 years following his first go to, the saxophonist had launched a number of albums (together with the groundbreaking Freedom Suite), made his debut at Carnegie Hall and was hailed by critics as the last decade’s most influential tenor sax participant. Rollins had additionally married his first spouse, actress and mannequin Dawn Finney, whom he met throughout his first journey to California. His follow-up for Contemporary, Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders, would bookend this eventful period—marking the musician’s last album of the ’50s, earlier than he launched into his first European tour and took a three-year hiatus, forward of his subsequent creative section.

Recorded over three days that October, Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders discovered the horn participant primarily in a quintet setting, backed by Manne, Barney Kessell (guitar), Hampton Hawes (piano) and Leroy Vinnegar (bass), with a visitor look by vibraphonist Victor Feldman—all of whom additionally recorded as leaders on the label, because the title implies. Bridging the sounds of each coasts, the album showcased the abilities of every musician, as they performed eight requirements, together with “Alone Together” (Schwartz/Dietz), “You” (Donaldson/Adamson) and “How High the Moon” (Lewis/Hamilton).

“I really like the mix of tunes we did on the Leaders album, and I also like that the record shows there is a difference between the West Coast and East Coast musicians back then,” notes Rollins. “The musicians out there were just like the West Coast itself—beautiful landscape, beautiful weather, everything like that… East Coast jazz was more hard-edged. The bebop music we were playing at that time represented that divide—I could hear the difference.”

Rollins’ love affair with California wasn’t simply concerning the surroundings, nonetheless. To him, these journeys and their ensuing albums represented a novel second in his life—one stuffed with artistic exploration, an exhilarating sense of alternative and romance. “Being out West felt like new beginnings to me,” he explains. “That whole experience in L.A. was a moment of growth. I’m so grateful that I’ve lived to the age that I am and that I could learn. I’m still learning, you know, growing and learning.”

Pre-order Go West! The Contemporary Records Albums.