RIP Sonny Rollins

Obviously not the usual TP fare, but I know there’s some jazzbo’s lurking about. Just learned about this from visiting All Music Guide on a whim (!).

I had really nice original vinyl copies of ‘way out west’, ‘tenor madness’ and ‘saxophone colossus’.before sadly selling them. Any one of them is a nice starting point if he’s a blind spot for you.

Superb player and you could certainly do worse if looking for an alternative to Coltrane for a change. I always find jazz to be a nice change of pace when you need a break from the norm. So many good players (with fascinating stories).

TP connection via Joe Jackson...the cover of his Body and Soul album is an homage to Rollins' Vol. 2 album from 1957.

Rollins hadn't been able to play in a good decade or so due to breathing problems, but he was still sharp up until the end, giving excellent interviews and expounding on the philosophy of jazz. He was generally considered one of the greatest improvisers of all time - old standards got new life out of his horn. I feel like he was probably the most peer-respected musician in all of jazz.

Bip, those albums are all excellent starting points, especially the groundbreaking Way Out West. I don't know if it was truly the first "chordless jazz" record (i.e. one without a harmonic instrument like piano, guitar, vibraphone), but it certainly made that method cool. Anyway, if anyone digs those and wants more, both A Night at the Village Vanguard (vol. 2 of which Chucky notes above) are great, and The Bridge, Freedome Suite, and East Broadway Run Down (probably my favorite) are good graduate level Rollins records.

Rollins played the sax on the Stones' single "Waiting on a Friend." Probably not the jazzman's transcendent performance, but it certainly means that classic rock fans should appreciate his work. Rest in peace, sir.

I'm going to guess that if anyone owns just one Rollins album, it's Tenor Madness or Saxophone Colossus (it's the latter for me). It would definitely make the "long time, no listen" list, but I'll rectify that today.

I've only heard a few Rollins albums, but his soundtrack for ALFIE is a personal fave.

Saxophone Colossus was my introduction for two reasons: the original Smithsonian box set was basically the text book for my school's introductory jazz class, and "Blue 7" was one of the tracks we focused on. I started looking into buying actual albums, and the Penguin Guide gave its album a coveted "crown" recommendation and since it was widely available for a very affordable price, I bought it.

It's still my favorite of his albums, but I've bought many more since then: most of the albums now owned and distributed by Concord (as part of the Original Jazz Classics launched by Fantasy) are excellent and are likely his best known. Blue Note's Vanguard set is amazing, one of the greatest live releases ever, and it was actually just remastered and reissued in what's the best sounding edition ever (more importantly, it's complete like the RVG reissue). His final string of albums are consistently good too - my favorites would be This Is What I Do and the Road Shows compilations. The quintet albums led by Clifford Brown and Max Roach are great - one of them was issued under Rollins's name, and it's another one I learned from the Smithsonian set due to the inclusion of "Pent-Up House," which was the first time I heard Brown.

And his solos on Tattoo You are indeed excellent - he doesn't phone it in nor does he ever look down on other music like that, and listening to "Waiting on a Friend" now, his playing really makes it a great track. (I want to to say most of the song's disarming warmth really comes from him.) When called upon to play with Leonard Cohen on "Who by Fire" (in 1989 on Night Music) he delivered yet again.

Two of my biggest regrets: missing Rollins's birthday show at the Beacon, which ended with a surprise duet with Ornette Coleman. (I was probably too poor at the time to go.) Years later, I was looking forward to seeing the big Ornette Coleman tribute at Prospect Park, but I knew work might get in the way and sadly that's what happened. Even worse, Sonny made a surprise appearance to pay tribute to his friend. (He was no longer playing by then, but it was still quite a moment.) And doubly worse, Ornette surprised everyone and performed - it turned out to be his final public performance. So I never saw Coleman or Rollins in concert, ever.

Then one day, it was suggested to me that I should write to Rollins, which I was reluctant to do, but apparently he appreciated that kind of thing and even did it himself as a way of paying respect to his heroes. So I wrote a very sincere letter, telling him why he was an inspiration and how much his work meant to me, and within a week, I got a very kind thanks in the mail, which I soon framed and put in my home office - it's right above the light switch next to the door, so I inevitably take a good look at it every single day.

I gotta say, the world feels emptier without him, but truthfully, that's a measure of how much he gave through his music and that will always be here.

That's lovely, Belfast. Thanks for this.