He was one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the postbebop era, his melodic sensibilities, playing style, and solos have delighted audiences and influenced generations of musicians for over 50 years. Theodore walter sonny rollins born september 7th, 1930 is an american jazz tenor saxophonist. A true jazz icon, a major tenor sax, theodore walter rollins career spans more than sixty years. Your top 3 sonny rollins albums steve hoffman music forums. Buy sonny rollins s album titled saxophone colossus to enjoy in your home or car, or gift it. The official sonny rollins page sonny rollins alfies. I enjoy the twodisc silver city compilation of milestone work from the 1970s through the 1990s, along with the sonny rollins plus 3 album of 1996, and i recommend those titles to any sonny fans that havent heard them. Sonny rollins and his world of improvisation nisenson, eric on. Apr 05, 2017 rollins was practicing yoga and reading spiritual texts books about buddhism, sufism, and especially rosicrucianism, a complicated belief system based on esoteric manifestos devised by a secret. Keyboardist herbie hancock joined miles davis second great quintet in 1963 and played a starring role in redefining the jazz rhythm section and launching the postbop. In his book the jazz style of sonny rollins, david n. Rollins grew up in a neighbourhood where thelonious monk, coleman hawkins his early idol, and bud powell were playing. Virgin islands, raised him in manhattans central harlem and sugar hill neighborhoods. He began his musical career at the age of eleven, and within five short years he was playing with the legendary thelonious monk.
Parker and john coltrane as one of the greatest jazz saxophonists in history. One of the worlds great tenor saxophonists, sonny rollins has always been committed to the fundamental truths of jazz. Jazz legend sonny rollins will celebrate his 80th birthday this fall, and saxophone colossus will be published to mark this occasion and honor his incredibly prolific career. Sonny rollins and artie shaw are both standout figures in the jazz pantheon, and these two entries in continuums bayou jazz lives series attempt to appraise their recorded output. An alumnus of bud powell 1949, miles davis 1951 and max roach 195557, having contributed the compositions airegin, doxy and oleo to davis bags groove june 1954, theodore sonny rollins 1930 started out as a leader with the confusingly titled sonny rollins with the modern jazz quartet october 1953, that contained his mambo bounce recorded in december 1951 by a quartet with. Saxophone colossus by sonny rollins 8436569194669 cd. Sonny rollins, american jazz musician, a tenor saxophonist who was among the finest improvisers on the instrument to appear since the mid1950s. Like, i cannot imagine jazz history without sonny rollins. He was awarded the 2010 national medal of arts for his contributions to american jazz music. Sonny rollins born september 7, 1930, new york city, new york, usa is an american jazz tenor saxophonist, widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. Get a low price and free shipping on thousands of items.
In a sevendecade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a leader. Work time is an album by jazz saxophonist sonny rollins, recorded for the prestige label, featuring performances by rollins with ray bryant, george morrow, and max roach. Jun 12, 2017 after 7 decades, sonny rollins cant get music off his mind the legendary saxophonist, who recently donated his personal archives, speaks with christian mcbride and audie cornish about. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read sonny rollins songbook. Sonny liston, american boxer who was world heavyweight boxing champion from september 25, 1962, when he knocked out floyd patterson, until february 25, 1964, when he stopped a fight with cassius clay afterward muhammad ali. A portrait of sonny rollins bob blumenthal, john abbott on. His papers, dating from the 1910s to 2015 the bulk dates from the 1950s onward, document the musical, personal, and career development of one of the most important musicians and artists of the 20th and early 21st centuries. The rest of the disc is performed by rollins and a quartet that also includes the talents of kenny drew piano, the mjqs percy heath bass, and the main jazz messenger, art blakey drums. Apr 01, 2000 i became aware of the devil and sonny liston when i saw it on a list of the ten greatest books on sports. A voiceover announcer tells viewers of rollins 195961 hiatus from the jazz scene, when he took his sound to the streets to rediscover himself musically. Walter theodore sonny rollins born september 7, 1930 is an american jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In 2010, the greatest living saxophone player put on an exhilarating production to mark his 80th birthday at the beacon theater with some of the worlds most extraordinary musicians, including ornette coleman, roy haynes and jim hall.
The saxophone colossus the 85yearold legend talks about his long history of civil rights activism and how jazz can be like a spiritual offering. What makes this book stand out from other music books is the revelation of how spirituality. This article presents the discography of the jazz saxophonist and band leader sonny rollins. On four selections he is backed by a big band arranged by. Sonny rollins a musical and historical perspective, books and methods, solo transcriptions and more at marina music. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. Amanda petrusich on the efforts of a new york man to have the williamsburg bridge renamed after the jazz saxophonist sonny rollins. The album collects tracks from rollins work on prestige during the early to mid50s, some of the most exciting work he has. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet.
Sonny rollins volume two tends to get short shrift in the rollins discography. But this collection of archival live recordings is almost a bust for me. The days of wine and roses chord progression jazz backing track play along duration. The five cuts on this lp were originally recorded in new york, with rollins mixing standards and originals and providing his take on what was then an exploding trend, the bossa nova. Jazz composer and saxophonist sonny rollins was born on september 7, 1930 in new york city. This is the type of book to read, savor, purchase for a friend, and place in your local public library. Still, wyatt has written an interesting history of rollins spiritual life, albeit. I cant imagine the tenor saxophone or improvisation without sonny rollins.
Sonny rollins is one of the greatest living saxophonists, famous for honing his chops practicing on the brooklyn bridge. The best of sonny rollins prestige sonny rollins songs. Meditating on a riff, former new york daily news columnist hugh wyatt sheds new light on the personal and spiritual life of sonny rollins. Sonny rollins, tenor sax, profiled, with paul jeffrey. Lifetime achievement award, jazz foundation of america, apollo theatre, october 22, 2015, john abbott photo. Sonny rollins with the modern jazz quartet wikipedia. The pictures included in the timelines are remarkable, such as louis armstrong first cornet, or a program cover from the 1949 paris jazz festival. People loved sonny rollins up in harlem and everywhere else. The cutting edge is a live album by jazz saxophonist sonny rollins, recorded at the montreux jazz festival and released on the milestone label in 1974, featuring performances by rollins with stanley cowell, yoshiaki masuo, bob cranshaw, david lee and mtume with rufus harley joining on one track. Search the history of over 411 billion web pages on the internet. Not only does author hugh wyatt deliver his first hand accounts of his time with sonny rollins, he creates a most convincing focus of rollins life and music. Today, a fifteenstory apartment building named the rollins stands on the. Sonny rollins with the modern jazz quartet by sonny rollins. Harlem was my conservatory, rollins told me one day not long ago as we sat in his music studio, miles and lightyears from all that, in the farm.
Sonny rollins the best of sonny rollins 1989, cd discogs. In this 1977 television ad for pioneer electronics, jazz saxophone great sonny rollins wails into the new york city night air while standing on the brooklyn bridge. Sonny rollins and the contemporary leaders by sonny rollins. Since then it has become a jazz standard, and has been played by numerous jazz artists, including miles davis, john coltrane, and. Sonny rollins and the contemporary leaders discogs. Sonny rollins has 21 books on goodreads with 202 ratings. Inside sonny rollinss jazz archive, headed home to harlem. Sonny rollins sonny rollins and contemporary leaders. Buy sonny rollins s album titled sonny rollins and the contemporary leaders bonus tracks to. Rollins is one of the most prolific sax players in the history of jazz, but, in 1959, at the height of his career, he vanished from the jazz scene. Sonny rollins is one of jazzs great innovators, arguably the most influential tenor saxophonist, along with john coltrane, in the history of modern jazz. Author hugh wyatt doesnt hide his friendship with sonny rollins. His fluid and harmonically innovative ideas and easily accessible sound have influenced generations of players. Learn more about listons life and career in this article.
Walter theodore sonny rollins born september 7, 1930 is an american jazz tenor. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Sonny rollins on having to stop playing his saxophone, his legacy, and the state of jazz today. The concert was filmed for a documentary about rollins, directed by robert mugge, before being released on record in november 1987 by milestone records. This groovy, bebopping picture book biography chronicles the legendary jazz saxophonist sonny rollins s search for inspiration on the williamsburg bridge after quitting the jazz scene in 1959. A quest to rename the williamsburg bridge for sonny rollins. Regarded as one of the greatest jazz saxophonists of all time, retired saxophone colossus sonny rollins gives a rare interview to udiscover music. Sonny rollins is the most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop eras, but also one of the greatest jazz saxophonists of all time.
Best of sonny rollins by sonny rollins, paperback barnes. Sonny s archives will be housed at harlems schomburg center for research in black culture. Comedian bill cosby has been a jazz fan since way back when. Mar 03, 2015 i have been a sonny rollins fan for over twenty years and only bought the bridge within the last year. Personnel on camera jazz on the screen is a reference work of filmographic information and does not point to digitized versions of the items described.
In 1958 sonny rollins split an lp between two very different settings. Sonny rollins, herbie hancock and ron carter im a miles nut and i think ive read pretty much every book about him, including his infamous autobiography which unfortunately demonstrated that, while he was a brilliant, once in a lifetime musician, he wasnt much of a man. Jazz icon sonny rollins on giving up playing and his legacy. Boy, if you read that book, youll want to go out and get a gun and shoot all the critics. I can not believe i went so long wothout having heard this masterpiece. Sonny rollins discography sonny rollins performing solo at the san francisco opera house feb. Discover book depositorys huge selection of sonny rollins books online. During the only 50s period, he recorded an incredible amount of sessions mainly for prestige, blue note and contemporary, most of which are considered historical. Tenor saxophonist sonny rollins returned from a selfimposed twoyear sabbatical in 1962 with a fury, recording prolifically and exploring various directions from outside to inside. May 29, 2017 inside sonny rollinss jazz archive, headed home to harlem sonny rollinss archive has been acquired by the schomburg center for research in black culture, which stands two blocks from where. The giants of jazz series is designed to provide a method for studying, analyzing, imitating and assimilating the idiosyncratic and general facets of the styles of various jazz giants. Rollins had so many classic records in the 1950s, with so many bands and labels, that its easy to lose track of one record, especially with a pedestrian title like volume two. Gman is a live album by american jazz saxophonist sonny rollins.
It was recorded at an outdoor concert on august 16, 1986, held at opus 40 in saugerties, new york. Jsngry while logic makes its demands, emotion lends its voice. Sonny rollins preface states this is a comprehensive and substantial book, and who can disagree with the saxophone colossus. If just for these tunes, sonny rollins with the modern jazz quartet is a vital component in any jazz enthusiasts collection. Sonny rollins meditating on a riff,is a treat for lovers of jazz and its musical legends. This intimate appreciation combines the images of john abbott. Sonny rollins plays jazz on the brooklyn bridge in 1977. A story about an adults sabbatical from his professional life is an unusual concept for a childrens book, but barry wittensteins jazzyrhythmed sonnys bridge. Sonny rollins beyond the notes 2014 plot summary imdb. According to the all music guide, sonny rollins will go down in history as not only the single most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop era, but also the greatest contemporary jazz saxophonist of them all.
Top ten little know facts about sonny rollins artists. The rollins book provides many transcriptions, plus discography, biographical data, style traits, genealogy, and bibliography. Find sonny rollins discography, albums and singles on allmusic. Aug 30, 2004 top ten little know facts about sonny rollins started by jsngry, 30 aug 2004. Listen to your favorite songs from sonny rollins and the contemporary leaders by sonny rollins now. Eric nisenson is the author of several jazz books, including the making of kind. This is probably my favorite track on the album next to blue 7, which will also be up soon, and i hope you enjoy it as well. No one knows why exactly sonny rollins, the tenor saxophone. The complete prestige recordings by robert spencer, published on august 1, 1999. Jazz playalong, volume 33 ebook written by sonny rollins. Books by sonny rollins author of miles davis goodreads.
Oleo is a hard bop composition by sonny rollins, written in 1954. The jazz style of sonny rollins provides many transcriptions, plus discography, biographical data, style traits, genealogy, and bibliography. Concord music has remastered and reissued a set of jazz landmarks, and sonny rollins s 1957 way out west is one of the most influential, writes john. Sonny rollins is one of jazzs great innovators, arguably the most influential tenor. Sonny rollins beyond the notes uses his 80th birthday concert to look into the man and his music. It is a biography of sonny liston, who was the heavy weight boxing champion of the world in the early 1960s. After 7 decades, sonny rollins cant get music off his mind.
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