Sonny Rollins With Coleman Hawkins, Herbie Hancock – All The Things You Are (1963-1964)

Sonny Rollins – All The Things You Are (1963–1964)

A compelling snapshot of modern jazz in transition, All The Things You Are brings together saxophone giants Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins, alongside pianist Herbie Hancock, in a series of performances that bridge swing tradition and the emerging language of post-bop.

At its core, this collection is a meeting of generations. Coleman Hawkins, one of the founding voices of the tenor saxophone in jazz, brings a rich, robust tone shaped by the swing era. Sonny Rollins, by contrast, represents a more modern, rhythmically exploratory approach - spacious phrasing, motivic development, and fearless improvisation. Together, their interplay creates a dynamic conversation between jazz’s past and its future.

The repertoire draws heavily from the Great American Songbook and bebop canon. Standards like All The Things You Are, Yesterdays, Just Friends, and My One And Only Love are treated as open frameworks for extended improvisation, while pieces like Now’s The Time and Afternoon In Paris anchor the set in the language of bebop and modern jazz composition.

Herbie Hancock’s presence adds harmonic sophistication and forward-thinking comping, subtly pushing the ensemble into more fluid and interactive territory. On Rollins originals like McGhee, the group stretches rhythm and structure further, embracing spontaneity and dialogue over strict arrangement.

The result is a recording that feels both historic and exploratory - less a formal collaboration and more a rare intersection of three distinct jazz philosophies in real time.

Tracklist:

1 Yesterdays
2 All The Things You Are
3 Summertime
4 Just Friends
5 Lover Man
6 McGhee
7 ’Round Midnight
8 Now’s The Time
9 Afternoon In Paris
10 My One And Only Love
11 It Could Happen To You
12 Trav’lin’ Light