Jazz composer and saxophonist sonny rollins was born on september 7, 1930 in new york city. Blue note 1957 sonny rollins plays split album with thad jones period 1958 freedom suite. Though he ranks alongside charlie parker and john coltrane as one of the greatest jazz saxophonists in history, some say that his style was irreparably damaged by years spent experimenting with funk, disco, and fusion in the seventies. Parker and john coltrane as one of the greatest jazz saxophonists in history. May have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover. The original lp record, blue note release blp1542, did not distinguish the volume number in the title. No one knows why exactly sonny rollins, the tenor saxophone colossus, hasnt recorded a good studio album since the 1960s. Rollins and coltrane had both been members of groups with miles davis and thelonious monk in the past. 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. Sonny rollins with the modern jazz quartet wikipedia. The saxophone colossus the 85yearold legend talks about his long history of civil rights activism and how jazz can be like a spiritual offering. The saxophonist was joined by the musicians with whom he recorded for the next segment of his career. Valse hot from the jazz pianists ultimate guide to the. One of the last in a generation of jazz greats, sonny rollins once thought music could change the world.
Here, richard palmer charts rollinss career in full. Concord music has remastered and reissued a set of jazz landmarks, and sonny rollinss 1957 way out. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. James rollins and grant blackwood are coauthors in two. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. He has managed to be consistently experimental and forwardlooking, and he has recorded at least a dozen essential albums. Sonny rollins, byname newk, original name theodore walter rollins, born september 7, 1930, new york, new york, u. With an active marketplace of over 175 million items, use the alibris advanced search page to find any item you are looking for through the advanced search, you can find items by searching specific terms such as title, artist, song title, genre, etc or you can narrow your focus using our amazing set of criteria parameters. He is among the very best tenor saxophonists in jazz history, and one of the best overall performers and composers in jazz history. It was rollins first release following a threeyear sabbatical and was his first album for rca victor. One of the worlds great tenor saxophonists, sonny rollins has always been committed to the fundamental truths of jazz, especially swing. Monk also plays on his composition reflections, while silver handles the piano duties on all the other tracks. Moving out is an album by jazz saxophonist sonny rollins. 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.
According to who is sonny rollins, a short bbc documentary from 1968. 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. Subterranean, excavation, deep fathom, amazonia, ice hunt, altar of eden and indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Sonny rollins describes how 50 years of practicing yoga. Sonny rollins biography, albums, streaming links allmusic. The rollins book provides many transcriptions, plus discography, biographical data, style traits, genealogy, and bibliography. 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. Sonny died on monday may 11, 2020 and his death was possibly because of a household accident. At the end of the year rollins appeared as a sideman on thelonious monks album brilliant corners and also recorded his own first album for blue note records, entitled sonny rollins, volume one, with donald byrd on trumpet, wynton kelly on piano, gene ramey on bass, and roach on drums. As a young person learning to improvise, i often wondered what it would be like taking music lessons with sonny rollins or chick corea, two of my favorite musicians. The bridge is a studio album by jazz saxophonist sonny rollins, recorded in 1962. Sonny rollins sonny rollins and the contemporary leaders. 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.
Richard palmers biography of sonny rollins is a wellwritten, indepth look at one of the jazz greats. The jazz giants section gives a little more history of key figures, and features some great pictures as miles and bird together, or lester young sitting back with pork pie hat. Sonny rollins, the journey of a jazzman internet archive. Sonny rollins is one of jazzs great innovators, arguably the most influential tenor saxophonist, along with john coltrane, in the history of modern jazz. There was this one time, in 1953 or 1954, when a few guys and i had just finished our last set at club carousel, and we were about to pack it in when in walked bud powell and charlie parker. Never having read a biography of rollins, i was glad to get a sense of that late 1940s political and racial milieu and how easy it was for a jazz. Please write the details of sonny rollinss obit here and tell us as much as you can about the biography below. Two of the songs included from the 1956 album sonny rollins plus four valse hot and pentup house are masterpiecesthey are two of the best jazz songs ever recorded. 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 the mid1950s, those teachings came down through the centuries to another sage, sonny rollins, who, like his good friend john coltrane, incorporated his experiments with eastern spirituality into his jazz improvisations. Today, a fifteenstory apartment building named the rollins stands on the. On may 24th, 1956, tenor saxophonist sonny rollins had pulled off a daring art theft, right under the nose of the already legendary miles davis. The images are lavish and plentiful, with numerous rare pix of rare discs and concert posters. Valse hot is a jazz waltz by tenor saxophonist sonny rollins, who is perhaps best known as a composer for his calypso st. Sonny rollins spent a mythical night at the village. Sonny rollins has 21 books on goodreads with 206 ratings. The book, published in 1993, includes history through 1989, and includes such people as wynton marsalis, keith jarrett, and brit courtney pine. He began his musical career at the age of eleven, and within five short years he was playing with the legendary thelonious monk. No one knows why exactly sonny rollins, the tenor saxophone.
Sonny rollins spent a mythical night at the village vanguard 60 years ago today on the 60th anniversary of the touchstone jazz album, sonny rollins, fred hersch, and others recall the rooms. Best of sonny rollins by sonny rollins, paperback barnes. Rollins first recorded valse hot, which means hot waltz, in 1956 with members of the clifford brownmax roach quintet, of which rollins was a part. A quest to rename the williamsburg bridge for sonny rollins.
Miles davis, the complete illustrated history, will now take pride of place on my bookshelves. A portrait of sonny rollins blumenthal, bob, abbott, john on. I started shooting professionally about five years ago and of course a book combining two of my favorite. The best jazz books of all time biographies of the jazz greats. Sonny rollins 1 1930 musician started professional life early 2 emerged as a tenor saxophonist 3 went on selfimposed sabbatical 4 established as jazz icon 5 selected discography 6 sources 7 in 1997 down beat critics named sonny rollins 8 as both jazz artist and tenor saxophonist. Books by sonny rollins author of miles davis goodreads. By february of 1958, when sonny rollins recorded freedom suite, his political consciousness had risen to match the poetic scope of his music. Cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket if applicable is included for hard covers. After 7 decades, sonny rollins cant get music off his. Provided to youtube by sony music entertainment the bridge remastered sonny rollins the bridge. This was his second for prestige records, featuring kenny dorham, elmo hope, percy heath, and art blakey, and one track with thelonious monk, tommy potter, and art taylor the first 4 tracks had originally appeared on as the 10inch lp sonny rollins quintet featuring kenny dorham prlp 186, and the final track had appeared on the 10. In addressing his place as a creative artist and an africanamerican, rollins recognized that both aspects of. Sonny rollins, american jazz musician, a tenor saxophonist who was among the finest improvisers on the instrument to appear since the mid1950s.
Sonny rollins, volume 1 is a jazz album by sonny rollins, his first effort for the blue note label. Sonny rollins, the journey of a jazzman by blancq, charles, 1940publication date 1983. Rollins grew up in a neighbourhood where thelonious monk, coleman hawkins his early idol, and bud powell were playing. In a sevendecade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a leader. This is not your typical biography and i dont believe the author intended. Like many of the best jazz history books, this was written by the musician himself. He has so many abundant gifts, and hes used them all. 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. This fine book gives the reader a fascinating and accurate. 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. Rollins had had some recent success, and both were emerging as prominent solo tenor saxophone players two months before the session for tenor madness rollins was working at rudy van gelders studio in new jersey on the album sonny rollins plus 4 with max. Walter theodore sonny rollins born september 7, 1930 is an american jazz tenor. 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. Indian mystic and philosopher patanjali supposedly created modern yoga by transmitting his doctrine and disciplines to seven sages.
Sonny rollins, herbie hancock and ron carter among. Theodore walter sonny rollins born september 7th, 1930 is an american jazz tenor saxophonist. Among other things, it is noted for the appearance of pianists thelonious monk and horace silver, both playing on the monk composition misterioso. Sonny rollins born on september 7, 1930 1 was a musician who was best known for being a celebrity. Grammy awardwinning performer, composer of many wellknown jazz standards like st. His optimism about humanity has since vanished but, at 85, he still has much he wants to say. James rollins is the author of 7 thrillers in the bestselling individual adventure series. Here is the introduction to the books to further explain how they came about and what the musician can hopefully learn from them. Jim hall on guitar, bob cranshaw on double bass and ben riley on drums. Virgin islands, raised him in manhattans central harlem and sugar hill neighborhoods.
1462 1301 1211 349 967 272 39 932 1474 1524 1190 855 1286 816 371 819 1456 594 702 933 231 195 971 1604 87 17 869 816 460 1307 1208 946