| Tour de Force | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1958 [1] | |||
| Recorded | December 7, 1956 Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 41:40 | |||
| Label | Prestige PR 7126 | |||
| Producer | Bob Weinstock | |||
| Sonny Rollins chronology | ||||
| ||||
Tour de Force is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins containing his final recordings for the Prestige label. Rollins performed with Kenny Drew, George Morrow, and Max Roach, with vocals by Earl Coleman on two tracks. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "Rollins was in consistently creative form during this prime period but the overall set is not as classic as most of the tenor's other recordings from the 1950s." [3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz describes it as being "almost as good as Colossus , with the ferocious abstractions of 'B Swift' and 'B Quick' contrasting with the methodical, almost surgical destruction of 'Sonny Boy'." [4]
Saxophone Colossus is the sixth studio album by American jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Perhaps Rollins's best-known album, it is often considered his breakthrough record. It was recorded monophonically on June 22, 1956, with producer Bob Weinstock and engineer Rudy Van Gelder at the latter's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. Rollins led a quartet on the album that included pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Max Roach. Saxophone Colossus was released by Prestige Records to critical success and helped establish Rollins as a prominent jazz artist.
Max Roach + 4 is an LP recorded by jazz drummer Max Roach, which featured Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Ray Bryant on piano, and George Morrow on bass. It was the first album Roach recorded after his collaborators, trumpeter Clifford Brown and pianist Richie Powell, died in a car crash in June 1956.
Tenor Madness is an album by jazz musician Sonny Rollins released in October 1956 by Prestige Records. It is most notable for its title track, the only known recording featuring both Rollins and John Coltrane.
Work Time is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded for the Prestige label, featuring performances by Rollins with Ray Bryant, George Morrow, and Max Roach.
Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street is a 1956 album by the Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet, the last album the quintet officially recorded. Apart from Sonny Rollins Plus 4, it was the last studio album Brown and pianist Richie Powell recorded before their deaths in June that year. The title is a reference to the Basin Street East jazz club, where the quintet had performed several times.
Sonny Rollins Plus 4 is a jazz album by Sonny Rollins, released in 1956 on Prestige Records. On this album Rollins plays with the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet. The album was the last recording including pianist Richie Powell and Brown, as both died in a car accident three months later.
Easy Living is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1977, featuring performances by Rollins with George Duke, Paul Jackson and Tony Williams with Byron Miller and Bill Summers added on one track and Charles Icarus Johnson on two.
Freedom Suite is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, his last recorded for the Riverside label, featuring performances by Rollins with Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach.
Rollins Plays for Bird is a 1957 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded for the Prestige label, featuring performances by Rollins with Kenny Dorham, Wade Legge, George Morrow and Max Roach on material associated with Charlie Parker.
Jazz Contrasts is an album by American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham, recorded in 1957 and released on the Riverside label.
Straight Ahead is an album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln featuring performances recorded in 1961 for the Candid label.
This Is New is an album by pianist Kenny Drew recorded in 1957 and released on the Riverside label.
Deeds, Not Words is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in 1958 and released on the Riverside label.
The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks associated with Charlie Parker recorded in late 1957 and 1958 and released on the EmArcy label. It is also the first album to feature Roach playing without a piano.
Jazz in ¾ Time is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in late 1956 and early 1957 and released on the EmArcy label.
Sonny Boy is a 1961 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins comprising four tracks from his final recordings for the Prestige label, three of which were originally released on Tour de Force, along with an unissued performance from the session that produced Rollins Plays for Bird.
Swiss Nights Vol. 1 is a live album led by saxophonist Dexter Gordon recorded in Zurich in 1975 and released on the Danish SteepleChase label.
Swiss Nights Vol. 3 is a live album led by saxophonist Dexter Gordon recorded in Zurich in 1975 and released on the Danish SteepleChase label in 1979.
Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years is a compilation album featuring recordings by trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach in groups together and separately which were originally released on Mercury and subsidiary labels.
Rainbow Mist is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins compiling recordings from 1944 originally released by Apollo Records that was released by the Delmark label in 1992.
