Billboard : 11/10/1956
Score of 76

Rollins, a prime influence among modern tenors, is rapidly gaining stature in the market, and this set should have a long life. The style, compounded from equal parts of Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins, is the antithesis of the Pres Young “cool” idiom. On title number, there’s a guest star, John Coltrane, who blows in similar fashion, and the two tenors make sparks fly. The jazz savants should take to this readily. Good cover.

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Oakland Tribune
Russ Wilson : 12/23/1956

Tenor Madness in four of its five tracks displays tenorist Sonny Rollins with the Miles Davis rhythm section. Rollins plays a bit warmer than has been his wont. The fifth track, termed a “battle” between Rollins and tenorist John Coltrane, is long and, to these ears, unpleasant.

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Pittsburgh Courier : 11/03/1956
Harold L. Keith : 4 stars

Sonny Rollins is the star of this disc and he has as his guest John (‘Trane’) Coltrane. The tenor saxmen are backed up by Red Garland on piano; Paul (Bowing) Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on the drums.

As long as guys like Sonny and “Trane” are around the tenor sax will never fall under the pall of lost art. Sonny’s deliberate technique shows up throughout the disc.

Mr. Rollins knows what he is going to play before he plays it… and that’s good. Please note the tricky double-timing by Garland and Jones on When Your Lover Has Gone.

The big sound of Rollins is as full as ever on Paul’s Pal. The group also plays Tenor Madness where in Rollins and the “Trane” chase each other around for a good 10 or 12 minutes.

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San Francisco Chronicle
Ralph J. Gleason : 12/02/1956

Sonny Rollins plays with the rhythm section from the Miles Davis band, R. Garland, J. Jones, P. Chambers, with J. Coltrane, tenor, assisting on one track. This is hard, ugly-sounding jazz and a couple of the ballads are really frightful.

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Saturday Review
Wilder Hobson : 11/24/1956

One of the most inventive of the “hard bop” group – with a rare gift for loosely eccentric rhythm – is Sonny Rollins, tenor sax. The title of his newest LP, Tenor Madness, should not be taken too literally, for he can soothe as well as steam. He has such first rate assistance as Philly Joe Jones and Red Garland, piano.

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Virginian-Pilot
Robert C. Smith : 02/03/1957

Among the perennially underrated is Sonny Rollins, a tenorman with individuality, conception, and tone. This rare combination of ability is displayed on Prestige’s Tenor Madness in which Rollins works with a quartet composed of bassman Paul Chambers, pianist Red Garland, and drummer “Philly” Joe Jones, and a quintet beefed out by tenorman John Coltrane. On the quintet sides Rollins and Coltrane duel excitingly and throughout the set Sonny’s warm, bluesy stylings mark him as an ever-improving leader on his instrument.

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Down Beat : 12/12/1956
Nat Hentoff : 3.5 stars

On Tenor Madness, Sonny is backed by Miles Davis’ muscular rhythm section – Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, and Red Garland. On the title track only, he’s joined by Miles’ tenor, John Coltrane. It’s this long number that is the least effective in the album because of Coltrane, who appears to be pressing and lacks Sonny’s compactness of impact. But on this, as on all the tracks, Sonny blows well, and there’s a forceful, cohesive solo by Chambers. Red solos pleasantly in his spare manner throughout the session, and Philly Joe is expertly exciting. To Sonny’s credit, incidentally, is his continuing use of relatively unfamiliar material for a modern jazz date – e.g. Lover, Reverie, and Girl.

Evident here, too, is the increasing ability of Rollins to meld some mellowness with his habitual angularity. And in the slow tracks, he also shows growing indications of lyricism, a quality not conspicuous in his work before. The Madness track mars what should have been an interestingly balanced all-Rollins LP.

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Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

One of the greatest contributors to the advancement of the career of Sonny Rollins has been Miles Davis. Before Sonny was known beyond the circle of musicians in New York, Miles gave him his biggest opportunities by employing him on many of his recording dates.

In January of 1951 Sonny made his first recorded appearance with Miles on Morpheus, Blue Room, Whispering, and Down, and at Miles’ urging of Bob Weinstock recorded a solo number with Miles accompanying him at the piano I Know.) After the memorable Dig session with Miles in October of the same year, Sonny recorded a December date under his own name. It was through Miles’ initial recognition of his talent and insistence in using him on his dates that Sonny received the chance to record on his own.

Miles’ admiration has not subsided but rather increased as Sonny’s prowess has. Their 1954 date which produced Airegin, Oleo, Doxy, and But Not For Me made many of us feel that these two should be together permanently. Evidently Miles felt the same way for late in 1955 when he formed his current traveling group, he made it clear that he would like Sonny as his running mate. He even went so far as to announce in a Down Beat interview that Sonny would be with the group. At the time Sonny was “woodshedding” in Chicago and didn’t feel he was ready to leave.

In early 1956 Max Roach and Clifford Brown came to town and Sonny filled in for Harold Land, who had been called back to California. When the time came for the group to leave Chicago, Max asked Sonny to come with them. This time Sonny felt he was ready and has been an active member of the quintet since then.

This LP finds Sonny at last with the Miles Davis Group but ironically without Miles. The group happened to be laying off in New York at the time Sonny’s recording dates came up and he decided to take advantage of their wonderful rhythmic support. Tenorman John Coltrane, also a Davis regular, was visiting at the session and it was suggested that a “battle” between “Trane” and Sonny would prove stimulating. Hence, Tenor Madness. Red Garland, Paul Chambers (plucked and bowed) and Philly Joe Jones all contribute fine solos too but there are no scene stealers. Sonny is the head man. Joe tells me that Sonny was in his usual pessimistic form. After each number he would shake his head and say “Nothing’s happening.” I have known Sonny since 1951 and he has always been this way. It is this constant searching and trying to improve on what he has done which has brought about so many of the advances he has made and kept him a dynamic musician.

A fact not known to some is that Sonny has another nickname. Because of his facial resemblance to Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe, someone hung the tag of “Newk” on him. At this writing, Newcombe is head for another 20-game season. Our “Newk” has already won his twenty. And dig his earned run average… he’s earned every one of them.

Note: On Tenor Madness, Coltrane takes the first solo and also leads off on the chases.