Sonny Rollins Way Out West 180g 2LP Box Set

Way Out West, originally recorded for the Contemporary label in 1957, qualifies as an all-time Sonny Rollins classic culled from a 3 A.M. session with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne.

Join us in celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first stereo issue of the album with this meticulously compiled package that pays appropriate tribute to the importance of the landmark recording. This deluxe edition features an audiophile-quality pressing of the original album and a second LP of bonus material featuring rare and previously unreleased tracks from the legendary 3 A.M. session with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne. Both records are pressed at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) on 180-gram vinyl from lacquers cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. GRAMMY® Award-winning writer Neil Tesser contributes liner notes, which include excerpts from a recent interview he conducted with Rollins especially for this release. Rare photos by famed jazz photographer William Claxton round out the collection, which comes housed in a handsome hinged box.

Sourced from the original analog tapes, the record sounds spectacular. The clear and precise work by reissue producers Nick Phillips and Mason Williams puts you as close to the music as possible; it's as if you're in the control room of the Contemporary Studio alongside original producer Lester Koenig. The music deserves such treatment. Rollins is in peak form cutting a line between romanticism and a jester-like spirit, and Manne and Brown cooly work against and with him.