Newk's Time is a 1959 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded on September 22, 1957, and released on Blue Note—his third album for the label.
Recording The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, on September 22, 1957. Five of the six tracks are played by the quartet of Rollins, Wynton Kelly (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). Only Rollins and Jones play on "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top".
Release history The release marked the beginning of the Blue Note 4000 series: from this album on, releases were catalogued as "BLP 4..." (mono) and "BST 84..." (stereo).
Title The title of the album is a reference to Rollins' nickname "Newk", which is based on his resemblance to Don Newcombe, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. "Namely You" was taken from the Broadway show Li'l Abner.
Track listing Side one "Tune Up" (Miles Davis) – 5:44 "Asiatic Raes" [also known as " Lotus Blossom"] (Kenny Dorham) – 5:57 "Wonderful! Wonderful!" (Sherman Edwards, Ben Raleigh) – 5:59
Side two "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 6:32 "Blues for Philly Joe" (Sonny Rollins) – 6:44 "Namely You" (Gene de Paul, Johnny Mercer) – 3:18
Personnel Musicians Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone Wynton Kelly – piano (except "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top") Doug Watkins – bass (except "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top") Philly Joe Jones – drums
Technical Alfred Lion – producer Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer, mastering Francis Wolff – photography Joe Goldberg – liner notes
References