Search - Sonny Rollins :: Moving Out

A Thrilling Bop Workout

Paul A. Tatara | New York, NY USA | 01/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know its heresy in light of much more acclaimed records like "Saxophone Collossus and "Tenor Madness," but I'd argue that this is Rollins' best work. The band consists of Rollins on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, the vastly under-appreciated Elmo Hope on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums. Throughout the session, they play with a reckless abandon that threatens to spin things out of control, but never quite gets there. It's thrilling to hear, from beginning to end. That said, the gorgoeus ballad, "Silk 'n' Satin," may be my favorite track. The sudden appearance of Dorham's trumpet in the final verse is genuinely haunting. Then, as a very special bonus, the closing track, "More Than You Know," features (a somewhat subdued) Thelonious Monk on piano. If you love bop, you WILL NOT be disappointed with this one. Belive me."

Sonny's "Movin' Out," You Should Move In

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 08/25/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sonny Rollins' "Movin' Out" is a classic set of hard bop from the mid-50s. Four of the albums songs feature the personnel of Kenny Dorham, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath and Art Blakey joining Sonny, while on one track, the lenghty ballad "More Than You Know," the band consists of Sonny, Monk, Tommy Potter and Art Taylor. The standout tune on this recording is "Solid," one of Sonny's most covered compositions, and this is the definitive version. But the other songs are no slouches -- the title track and "Swinging for Bumsy" are hard driving, straight ahead boppers, while the high point on the mid-tempo "Silk N' Satin" is a glorious, distant echo-like trumpet line from Dorham. "Movin' Out" doesn't net a fifth star in my opinion because this is very short CD, only around 30 minutes. But the music is excellent, so "Movin' Out" may be short, but it is definitely sweet."

Filling in the spaces

Matthew Watters | Vietnam | 05/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No matter how early one digs into the discography of Sonny Rollins, one finds examples of how assured and masterful his playing was, in whatever idiom he chose to master. In Moving Out, he is mining the "hard bop" vein he helped to invent, and, as an example of that style, it's as great a record as Sonny Rollins Plus 4. Possibly better because of the unique sound of the band he's assembled here. Joining him in the front line is Kenny Dorham, playing those pure, well-thought-out lines he was known for. Perhaps by happy accident, drummer Art Blakey recorded without his high-hat, which makes him sound rather like Elvin Jones and gives the music a darker, more spacious quality than on a typical Blakey-fueled session. But the real hidden weapon on this album is Elmo Hope, filling the piano chair. Hope's left hand searches out those darker chords rather in the manner of Mal Waldron, while his right plays long, beboppish lines that hint at atonality. He really gives the session, beautifully recorded for the time (1954) by Rudy Van Gelder, a uniquely darker texture than the typical hard bop outing, and the whole album makes me wish that this band had existed beyond this one session and played and recorded together more. A final track features Thelonious Monk in a rare example of subsuming his own personality in favour of creating a singularly moody atmosphere. His comping behind Sonny's ballad performance is just this spooky vamp, while his solo is a beautiful example of how "straight" Monk could be, if he wanted to. A great album."