Sonny & Horace: Zurich 1959 | December CD of the Month

We close out the year with previously unreleased concert recordings of two former KUVO artists of the year, from 2014 legendary pianist-composer-bandleader Horace Silver and from 2016, “the world’s greatest living saxophonist” Sonny Rollins. In 1959, both the Sonny Rollins Trio and the Horace Silver Quintet played in the Radio Studio Zurich on March 5^th, 1959 for a live broadcast and recording. Finally, over 55 years later TCB the Montreux Jazz Label which issue concerts from Swiss Radio broadcasts and Montreux Jazz Festival performances has remastered and released their shows.

Sonny Rollins was touring in a piano-less trio featuring Henry Grimes on bass and Pete “La Roca” Sims at the drums. Horace Silver traveled to Zurich with Gene Taylor playing bass, Louis Hayes-drums, Junior Cook blowing the tenor saxophone and Blue Mitchell on trumpet. Both ensembles had played earlier in the day at the Volkshaus Jazz club so they went into the studio as well-oiled machines which is quite evident when hearing this disc.

Recordings offer listeners an opportunity to time travel and or enjoy concerts they have not been to; with Zurich 1959 we have the pleasure of hearing two NEA Jazz Masters with excellent accompaniment that we would otherwise not experience.