Tenor Madness

Rollins, who had recorded with Miles Davis in 1954 and briefly joined Davis's working group in the summer of 1955, recruited the members of Davis's "First Great Quintet" to back him for the Tenor Madness session. This included, on the title cut only, fellow saxophonist Coltrane. Both were emerging as prominent tenor saxophone players, though Rollins had been recording under his own name for several years, while Coltrane's debut album under his own name would not be released until 1957. At the time of the Tenor Madness session, Rollins was a member of the Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet, and two months before the session, he had recorded as a leader the LP Sonny Rollins Plus 4 with the fellow members of that group. Two weeks before the Tenor Madness session, Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, recorded material with Davis for Prestige Records that would be later released on the albums Workin', Relaxin', and Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet. Critic Chris Kelsey wrote that although the rhythm section's playing on Tenor Madness was "somewhat less vital" than on the Miles Davis Quintet session of May 1956, the historical importance of Tenor Madness lies in the title track. It is the only existing recording with Rollins and Coltrane playing together. The title track is a 12-minute showcase for Rollins and Coltrane.