"Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" from the 1956 album Sonny Rollins Plus 4 presents Irving Berlin's gentle standard in a relaxed swing arrangement. Performed in F major with a 32-bar AABA form at approximately 108 BPM, this is the most leisurely track on an album otherwise dominated by fast tempos. Pianist Richie Powell opens the solo section with a half-chorus that emphasizes melodic simplicity and harmonic clarity. Sonny Rollins follows with his own half-chorus on tenor saxophone, his warm tone and understated phrasing revealing a tender side often overshadowed by his more aggressive performances. The song, written by Berlin for the 1954 film White Christmas, was an unusual choice for a hard bop session, but Rollins and his colleagues transform it into a convincing jazz vehicle. The session featured members of the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, though Brown does not solo on this particular track. The more intimate scale of this performance provides a welcome contrast to the album's extended blowing sessions, demonstrating the group's sensitivity and dynamic range. Recorded for Prestige Records at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, this track serves as a reminder that the hard bop generation was equally capable of quiet beauty and fiery intensity.
