Sonny Rollins – Way Out West (AP UHQR 200g Clarity Vinyl 2LP)

Sonny Rollins’ groundbreaking album _ Now on UHQR!

200-gram 45 RPM 2LP release

Numbered edition limited to 2,750 copies!

Mastered AAA by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes

Set includes deluxe 16-page booklet telling the history of Contemporary Records together with new album liner notes by John Koenig, son of the label founder

Pressed on Clarity Vinyl at Quality Record Pressings

Stoughton Printing Old Style tip-on gatefold heavyweight jacket with scuff-resistant matte finish

Purest possible pressing and most visually stunning presentation and packaging!

A classic of the genre, Rollins’ first album for the Contemporary Records label!

“Sonny’s sound on the UHQR is richer, fatter and wetter than on the 2002 double 45 and more ‘in the room.’ Over on the other side, from the first kick drum, cymbal and snare hit, it’s clear Manne’s drums have greater vibrancy and Brown’s bass greater power. Crank up Manne’s solo half way into ‘I’m An Old Cowhand’ and feel the air move! Interesting when Rollins re-enters Manne’s cymbal crashes pan to the right center position. I never noticed that! I went back to the 2002 double 45 and cranked up the drum solo. It got hard and a bit brittle. When Rollins re-entered the ‘rich fat and wet’ was absent and when Manne crashed the cymbals, because they were comparatively indistinctly positioned they didn’t appear to move center/right. That was odd but repeatable. I think it’s on the tape and clarified on the UHQR. And while that in and of itself is hardly important I think it points to the UHQR’s overall improved transient precision both on macro and micro dynamic information. It’s just better.” — Music = 11/11; Sound = 10/11 – Michael Fremer, TrackingAngle.com. Read the entire review here. 

“The thing about this is it’s cut onto Clarity Vinyl, which is significantly quieter vinyl. And that really does have an effect on the listening experience of this because it is such sparse and clean and just wonderfully clear music. … this (the UHQR) is like your McLaren F1, five times the price … it took a vast amount of extra care and attention to detail to produce. If you want to beat what is already the best, then you really have to pull out all the stops. And you have to pay for it. You get what you pay for and this is staggering. Absolutely, utterly staggering.” — Dave Denyer, YouTube video

“It is a more of a robust experience in terms of the warmth, it is more of an immersive experience in terms of the ambiance, echo, and delay. … The cymbal hit by Shelly Manne (“I’m An Old Cowhand”) has more shine, sheen and shimmer (to it). … The instruments have this ambiance to them that the 33 1/3 has, but not as much as the UHQR. The UHQR takes it to a higher level and it really enhances the listening experience.” — Kenny’s Audiophile Record Reviews, YouTube video

Dive into the timeless brilliance of Sonny Rollins’ legendary album Way Out West like never before with the Analogue Productions UHQR edition! Meticulously pressed at Quality Record Pressings, this definitive audiophile version stands as a testament to one of jazz’s most formidable talents. Way Out West, his classic 1957 album, received 5 Stars from Rolling Stone‘s prestigious Jazz Record Guide and has prompted Pitchfork to deem it, “an album that looks like a novelty and sounds like transcendence.”

How Way Out West shaped jazz

• Masterful Trio: The album’s infamous 3 a.m. recording sessions featured Rollins’ sax strolling over the contributions of onetime Ella Fitzgerald bassist Ray Brown and iconic West Coast Jazz drummer Shelly Manne, neither of whom Rollins had ever played with. An open setting gives Rollins space to be harmonically inventive. Rollins’ saxophone mastery shines brightly on every track!

• Musical innovation: From the swinging “I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande),” written by Johnny Mercer and made famous by Bing Crosby — skillfully mixing country and jazz, to the haunting Rollins’ original composition and title track “Way Out West,” the album redefines jazz improvisation.

• Frequently included in “Best Saxophone Albums” and “Best Jazz Trios” lists. AllMusic rates it 5/5 Stars! Sonny Rollins’ groundbreaking album is a cornerstone of jazz history.