Road Shows, Vol. 1 (Live)

One of many things that the tenor sax giant Sonny Rollins is known for is the gap in quality between his studio albums and his legendary live performances. His releases can be lackluster, but his highly anticipated live shows often display his improvisatory genius. (Of course, Rollins has put out his share of genuine classics, including Saxophone Colossus, Way Out West, and Freedom Suite.) Road Shows, Vol. 1 is comprised of concert recordings dating from 1980 to 2007. The backup bands on these dates are not always amazing, but Rollins rivets. He famously includes calypso-flavored material — Rollins was born in New York City but his parents hailed form the Virgin Islands — in his live shows, which the album represents with “Nice Lady,” a jaunty calypso that features nice trombone work from Clifton Anderson in addition to Rollins’ inventive solo. “Some Enchanted Evening,” which was recorded in New York in 2007 brings to mind Albert Ayler, reminding listeners of Rollins’ avant-garde leanings. It’s the only trio performance here and drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Christian McBride are superb yet low-key, letting the spotlight stay on Rollins’ exploratory horn. And any Rollins fan must check out the stunning cadenza on “More Than You Know.”