Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
The mono version of Sonny Rollins’ Way Out West was issued in 1957, with the stereo version of the album coming out the following year. A reissued set marks the latter’s 60th anniversary.
(Photo: Courtesy Craft Recordings)Sixty years ago, the stereo version of saxophonist Sonny Rollins’ Way Out West was released.
On the album, which features bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, the bandleader takes his trio through six cuts. On the expanded deluxe LP edition of the album, available today on the Craft Recordings imprint, a few unreleased takes are are added, including a version of the group working through “There Is No Greater Love.” A version of the standard is streaming below.
Sourced from the session’s original analog tapes, the reissue package includes thoroughly researched liner notes from Neil Tesser and photos by William Claxton.
For more information about the release and other albums on Craft, visit the label’s website. DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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