An absorbing compilation, assembled and annotated by Simon Spillett, it's a useful reminder of the period when Rollins carried all before him with his idiosyncratic but utterly compelling music. Not yet the one-man-band he became in later years, the tenorist nevertheless was heading towards world domination (at least until his friend Coltrane, referred to in the tune-title ‘John S.’, achieved apotheosis). Partly dictated by public-domain considerations and the existence of a previous Properbox covering Sonny's early years, this covers 1958 and early ’59, after which he retired and recorded nothing until 1962's The Bridge, which closes Disc Four. Other complete albums included are Freedom Suite, The Big Brass and The Contemporary Leaders – which gives this box its name – while the selection of European trio recordings with Henry Grimes covers the Swedish studio broadcast and the Aix-en-Provence set also featuring Kenny Clarke (previously on Solar's 3-CD set reviewed in Jazzwise 162. The temptation to talk about the manifold virtues of Rollins's playing at this stage can be easily resisted, given the voluminous descriptions in the accompanying booklet, and it only remains to say that, with Freedom Suite and The Bridge as its bookends, this comes highly recommended.