Sonny Rollins - Sunny Days, Starry Nights (1984) FLAC

By 1984 it was a common complaint that Sonny Rollins's live appearances were much more exciting than his studio recordings. Although none of the latter were throwaways (and virtually all of the Milestone sessions have their moments of interest), few were real gems. Sunny Days, Starry Nights as usual finds the great tenor at his best on the two ballads ("I'm Old Fashioned" and Noel Coward's "I'll See You Again") while the other four originals have been largely forgotten. His backup crew features trombonist Clifton Anderson and keyboardist Mark Soskin. -- Scott Yanow