Sonny Rollins: Way Out West 2025

Way Out West has been reissued more times than I can count, and for good reason. Sonny Rollins’ 1957 debut for Contemporary Records is one of the greatest saxophone trio albums ever recorded. The question with any new pressing is whether it actually improves on what came before. In the case of this UHQR, the answer is yes.

The backstory is jazz legend. Rollins walked into the studio at 3 a.m. with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, neither of whom he had ever played with prior to the engagement. Engineer Roy DuNann captured the session with the kind of clarity that Contemporary was known for achieving. The result was an album Pitchfork called “an album that looks like a novelty and sounds like transcendence.” The cowboy hat cover might suggest kitsch. The music is anything but. Lesson: Do not judge a book by its cover.

Bernie Grundman mastered this UHQR directly from the original analog tapes. The all analog chain runs through QRP on 200g Clarity Vinyl at 45 RPM across four sides. This is the full audiophile treatment, and it shows.

If you own the 2002 Analogue Productions double 45 cut by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, you know how good this recording can sound. The UHQR takes it a step further. Rollins’ saxophone is richer, fatter, and more present. There’s a “in the room” quality that the earlier pressing hinted at but didn’t fully deliver. Shelly Manne’s drums have more vibrancy, particularly on that legendary solo in “I’m An Old Cowhand.” Ray Brown’s bass carries weight without overwhelming the mix. The micro dynamics and transient detail are improved across the board.

Believe us when we tell you that we are Kevin Gray fans. His work is excellent. However, Bernie Grundman's work rises to a slightly higher level on this release. Grundman has been kicking some hut on these UHQR releases. His work on the Steely Dan series with Analogue Productions is exceptional. The same is true for his work on the Art Pepper UHQR "Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section". Exceptional experience and exactly what an audiophile collector and musical experience connoisseur desires from an album.

Now, does it help to have such a high quality production chain at your disposal? Of course it does! The Clarity Vinyl compound lives up to its reputation. Backgrounds are dead quiet, letting every breath and stick hit emerge from silence. My copy is flat, centered, and free of any surface anomalies. Like Bernie, QRP continues to set the standard.

Packaging includes a 16 page booklet with new liner notes by John Koenig, son of Contemporary Records founder Lester Koenig. The Stoughton tip on gatefold with scuff resistant matte finish is the quality you expect at this price point.

At price being demanded for this record, this isn’t an impulse buy. For context, original stereo pressings on Discogs command hundred of dollars. The 2023 Craft reissue cut by Grundman at 33 1/3 sounds excellent for one-fifth the price. For the record, that record is no slouch and is a perfectly valid option if your budget is tight. But if you want the definitive version of one of the definitive jazz trio recordings, this UHQR is it.💰

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