Outside of Paul Chambers, who was employed as Miles Davis’s bassist at this time, all of the other players on these April 1957 RVG Hackensack dates were leaders of their own renowned groups; a reflection of the respect they all shared for the date leader, Sonny Rollins. Besides Chambers, with Jay Jay Johnson on trombone, Art Blakey behind the drums and alternating pianists Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver, who both play on the now famous version of “Misterioso”, the words All-Star seem almost demeaning to this conclave.

The resulting recordings burst forth with confidence and enthusiasm, capturing a fire and passion usually found only with uninhibited live dates and not the constraints of a recording studio. Exceptional versions of “Poor Butterfly” and “You Stepped Out Of a Dream” elevate this record to monumental status.

Mastered and cut on an all tube pure mono cutting system by Bernie Grundman. Pressed on Classic's proprietary 200g super vinyl profile for the best and most authentic sound possible.