The saxophone titan that is Sonny Rollins had a formative period, captured on this release that includes all the recorded sessions with Rollins' mentor at the time, the inimitable pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. The three sessions date from 1953, 1956 and 1957, all in New York City.

The compositions by Monk serve as inspiring vehicles for the rising saxophone star to strut his stuff and we are witness to Rollins' budding talent, already quite mature for a musician in his early 20s. The talent was not only as a soloist, but also as an ensemble player, here sharing the spotlight with a number of prominent stylists of the time, including J.J. Johnson and Clark Terry, and rhythm sections that feature the likes of Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Max Roach and Art Blakey. The coterie of musicians on the three sessions in question also include the French horn of Julius Watkins, a bonus treat, as the hornist plays some supple and nimble lines on an instrument rarely heard in jazz ensembles and here performed with impressive dexterity.

The excellent notes by Art Lange help to place the sessions in the larger context of the period, but also help understand Rollins' professional trajectory, from a young upstart to a pillar of the jazz community of the era.

The vehicles on the menu include Monk standards like "Think of One," "Brilliant Corners," "Bemsha Swing" and "Misterioso," but also the more reflective "Pannonica" and what appears to be a spontaneous composition called "Friday the 13th" (recorded on the first session, November 13, 1953).

Fans and newcomers alike will be drawn in by the sounds of this music, through which the warm, passionate and inventive playing of Rollins shines through brilliantly amid a stellar cast of equally wonderful musicians.