1983 was a good year for Sonny Rollins. He was playing at his best, had an all-star rhythm section and to top it all the National Endowment for the Arts finally honoured him as a “Jazz Master”. Guitarist Pat Metheny, a Rollins devotee, was already well established as one of the most original players of his generation and his solos are worth the admission fee alone. Alphonso Johnson is given plenty of space on his fretless bass, making it clear why Weather Report were reluctant to let him go and Jack DeJohnette’s polyrhythms give the soloists plenty to work with. The originals are taken from Rollins’ No Problem (1981) and Reel Life (1982) LPs and the set finishes with a Sonny staple, Mack The Knife. As always, the shark bites and the crowd go wild. Performed live at Yomiuriland Open Theatre East, Tokyo, Japan on July 31st 1983, and broadcast on NHK radio.