Sonny Rollins

Today we’re listening to and remembering Sonny Rollins, an American saxophonist from New York City. He passed away on May 25 at age 95. Rollins was born in Harlem in 1930, started playing young, and in his 20s collaborated with the likes of Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.¹ In 1959, he retreated from the stage to the bridge; living on the Lower East Side, he walked the Williamsburg Bridge daily, playing his tenor sax as much as 15 hours a day.² “When he emerged,” wrote Richard Brody, “his sound was starker, its textures even rougher, with far more weight on the isolated, monumental power of individual notes. Yet his method was also more freely associative, his phrases both rhythmically looser and more abrupt.” This style was captured on 1962’s The Bridge, on which Rollins shreds, as does guitarist Jim Hall. We’re also playing The Cutting Edge from 1974, a live recording from the Montreux Jazz Festival. The last track is a bluesy rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” featuring bagpipes.

The Bridge - Sonny Rollins (41m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

The Cutting Edge - Sonny Rollins (43m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a great Thursday.

1. New York Times

2. The Guardian