So, perhaps, the representative listener was born in the mid-1970s. Sonny Rollins first recorded in 1949. The recordings reviewed here were made in the late 1950s, well before many contemporary ...

Sonny Rollins is, as the title of his 1957 album says, a “Saxophone Colossus.” Indefatigable in improvisation, uncorrupted in artistry, and always swinging and melodious, Mr. Rollins (b.