Don't Stop the Carnival
One of the greatest improvisers of the hard bop era, tenor  saxophonist Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins has gone on to be one of the most  influential players of his generation. His early-1970s move to playing in an  electric context was no less controversial than a similar change  in career direction by Miles Davis; in fact, Rollins had fewer  apologists for his move than Davis had. This live 1978 recording shows that Rollins could  still play well in this context, even when sidemen like trumpeter Donald Byrd, on  this session, sounded forced. Rollins is particularly brilliant on  the ballad "Autumn Nocturne."-- John Swenson