Backgrounder: Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird, 1957

Sonny Rollins idolized Charlie Parker, as did all saxophonists in the late 1940s. But for Sonny, Parker was more of a mentor, someone to impress and seek his approval. Sonny achieved that in 1953, when he recorded with Parker and Miles Davis for Prestige. At the time, Parker was under contract to Norman Granz's Norgran label, so he recorded on tenor saxophone instead of alto and was listed as Charlie Chan on the session and recording. Parker would die two years later, in March 1955.

In October 1956, Sonny recorded Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird for Prestige, backed by Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Wage Legge on piano, George Morrow on bass and Max Roach on drums. All four musicians had played and recorded with Parker, and the album is among Sonny's finest.

It opens with a 27-minute medley of standards that Parker recorded exquisitely. Sonny and Dorham take turns soloing: I Remember You (Sonny), My Melancholy Baby (Dorham), Old Folks (rhythm section only), They Can't Take That Away From Me (Sonny), Just Friends (Dorham), My Little Suede Shoes (rhythm section only) and Star Eyes (Dorham, Sonny).

Then comes Kids Know, a Sonny original, followed by the standards I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face and The House I Live In. 

Here's the complete Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird without ad interruptions...