Boston, Sonny Rollins concert, mid-90s. My companion, a young classical instrumentalist with little acquaintance with jazz, had his breath taken away. “That was the greatest performance in any medium I’ve ever seen or heard.”
9
So much wisdom in Sonny´s words. But also so much humility. God bless him.
9
Sonny, I do enjoy beautiful music and beautiful art, but I also like ice cream and sex. Nothing is "inconsequential." Still, if I had to choose forevermore between sexy frozen desserts and A Night at the Village Vanguard, all I can say is... it would be difficult.
4
Sad to hear Sonny under-carding Coltrane. If he was underplaying that’s his fault for underestimating Coltrane, no one told you to do that..all modern players who say Coltrane wasnt ish and washed are themselves some
of the most predictable players.
When I was a college student at UC Berkeley in the 1970's, I had the opportunity to select Sonny for a jazz festival we had. My "job" was to pick up Sonny. He also let me come to a recording session he was having at Fantasy Records, with Orin Keepnews. I remember Sonny asking me what I thought of a saxophone he tried out and thinking my opinion wasn't as important as his, but he made me feel good by asking! The night of the concert, he told me to wait in the wings with my horn, because he was having a small issue with his. So, after, one song, he came over and got my horn and played it for the whole concert. It turned out that a small spring was bad on the octave mechanism of his horn, which was causing the problem. For many years after meeting him, when I returned to New York after college, I would go to his concerts, visit him backstage. He always was gracious and patient with my questions. I met his sister, his nephew , trombonist Clifton Anderson, Percy Heath, Branford Marsalis, drummer Al Foster, pianist Mark Soskin. Sonny even took the time to write letters to some of my music students, encouraging them, he is that kind of person! I think, despite what he says, you can hear this "humanity" and kind spirit, in his playing!
25
Thank you David, this is a very thought provoking interview with Sonny Rollins. I was introduced to Mr Rollins in Bombay, 1978 by his drummer Eddie Moore. I was speechless, what could I have said?
Eddie Moore and I had been friends from then till the time he passed away. I spent two months staying in his house in San Fransisco in 1979 and he opened the world of jazz and jazz musicians to me. I have been photographing Jazz Musicians since 1964, as and when I got an opportunity and several images have been acquired by the Smithsonian Museum, Washington, one of them of course is of Sonny Rollins.
4
Thank you, David, and...Thanks Sonny Rollins, for sharing your thoughts, and for...the sounds, (Mr.)man. I've only seen Rollins play live once, and it was over 30 years ago, but...Man, it was fine.
This was a very thoughtful interview. The honesty, and...Sonny Rollins was speaking! Shhh!
4
Thanks to David and Sonny for an insightful interview.
I wish to reassure Sonny that had you been entirely transcendent and -- in the Buddhist sense -- selfless, you could not have conveyed personality and humanity to your audience. Consider that you may have earned more good karma by helping us, your audience, briefly escape our selves than if you and your music had been entirely devoid of self.
Why no mention of the Williamsburg Bridge?
This is as good as one of Sonny's great solos.
3
It has to be cool to be that honest, I loved the realness of the interview with Sonny Rollins! Thank you for offering such a true portrait!
4
Wonderful photo of Rollins at 14. Does David Marchese have any information about the date, location and photographer?
3
The interview was really good !! This article helped me know about a person I had never known
2
Ok, yeah, "jazz's greatest living improviser" - maybe a tad over the top, but I think I know the context for that.
It was a very cool article and an enjoyable read! Sonny's honesty is refreshing.
"He is jazz’s greatest living improviser"
No disrespect to Sonny, but: says' who? He can't just be great, or one of the greatest? He as to be the greatest?
Next time, get an actual musician to write the article. So tired of this kind of nonsense. Evidently, David Marchese didn't hear one word Sonny said. It's all about David.
6
@lf
I appreciate the feedback. You're right. I let my enthusiasm for Sonny's music get the better of me there. I hope it didn't detract too much from the rest of the article.
Thanks again,
David
6
@lf No disrespect to Sonny, but: says' who? He can't just be great, or one of the greatest? He as to be the greatest?
So true ! However, journalists always feel the need to rank people (in whatever profession it is) and feed this to their readers.
No one is the greatest, but many can be great. I often wonder why the need to pit one against the other with irrelevant conclusions.
1
@DAVID MARCHESE
Wow, I really appreciate your ability to say ‘You’re right’ to this feedback, David. Thanks for your humility and honesty, qualities that are in very low supply these days.
12
The 1 and only Sonny Rollins! Nothing more to say. Those with ears know. Thank You Sonny for all the great sounds; thank you David for the interview. I'm kool now.
2
Thanks so much... great interview -- WISH it was longer.. Is that the fate of newspapers? -- short on space? But thank you none the less!
Thank you for that wonderfully sensitive interview. In these trying times, we are so lucky that the sage Sonny Rollins is still among us.
6
Enjoyed this interview immensely. Odd, now that Sonny R is approaching the end of his life, I feel I'm just getting introduced to him.
5
My brother and I saw Mr. Rollins in 2007, at the Concertgebauw. We'd been on a trip to see art in Rome and Amsterdam and he indulged my need to see this concert, in this superb venue. I think he enjoyed himself, and the music, but at heart he was a Stones and Zepplin kid.
It was our last trip together, as he killed himself a month later.
I tried to get one of the concert posters, and one of the ushers promised me one, but after the concert they were all gone.
I miss my brother, and I miss Mr. Rollins playing. Thank you for a wonderfully frank discussion.
11
@Portland Dan Sorry for your loss.
2
@Kurt Hi Dan. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's very meaningful for you to have shared it here. I appreciate it, and it heartens me to know that you enjoyed this interview. Thank you and all the best.
6
@Portland Dan Hi Dan. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's very meaningful for you to have shared it here. I appreciate it, and it heartens me to know that you enjoyed this interview. Thank you and all the best.
Not a musician, not a spiritual man and not very talented, just an old guy who has always taken your music in. I'm glad to have shared this life at this time and that you had so much to give.
Thank you Mr Rollins.
..... and thank you as well Mr Marchese
5
David - thank you for the excellent questions/interview. You opened up an enlightening conversation.
4
Saxophone Colossus, indeed. But also a wise and introspective man. Revealing interview of a fascinating man.
8
On the famous Tenor Madness track, which lives up to its billing, John Coltrane sounds untethered to the earth, on a more perilous trajectory, while Sonny Rollins sounds grounded as a mountain, in empathetic communion with his saxophone colleague if somewhat taken aback. The sublime support of Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones bears witness like the benign indifference of the universe embracing all.
6
On the famous Tenor Madness track, which lives up to its billing, John Coltrane sounds untethered to the earth, on a more perilous trajectory, while Sonny Rollins sounds grounded as a mountain, and in emphatic communion with his saxophone colleague if somewhat taken aback. The sublime support of Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones bears witness like the benign indifference of the universe embracing all.
Sonny Rollins at the Catamaran in San Diego 1980 and at Wolfgang's in San Francisco mid-80's--two of the very greatest musical experiences I have known. Also got to see him in large concert halls, at UC Berkeley and the opera house in San Francisco. He was wonderful in the big halls, and the shows in the night clubs--Mr. Rollins at the edge of the stage, playing his heart out beneath his tennis hat, were indescribably sublime.
3
Great interview, David. Good questions that are a continuation of what he has said, instead of he normal rehashing you get in these kinds of things. Have you interviewed Wayne Shorter? I've seen several interviews with him on youtube and each time am blown away by his profundity. So I was too with Sonny here.
10
I was going to send a wish that more NYT interviews could be this deep, revealing, and inspiring, but then realized there's only one Sonny Rollins. Kudos to David Marchese as well.
16
Sonny at the Clearwater Jazz Festival many moons ago is one of the highlights of my life. Just as improvisational as were Ravi Shankar and his tabla player at a four hour concert in New Delhi in 1957.
"Happy is not the word" is where I now am at too. Thanks for a great interview.
4
Wow.....just wow. This might very well be THE best interview ever done. Mr. Marchese’s questions were brilliant and he brought stuff out of Sonny Rollins that no other person could.
I’ve read a lot of interviews in my 68 years and I’ve done a lot of interviews. This one really grabbed me. Many thanks to David Marchese. This piece is life-changing; no joke.
13
@Bob Stannard
I heard the Dali Lama speak 12 yeas ago in lecture. He said the only sense to be made of the world was living the golden rule. Apparently as one gains wisdom, one reaches a point where all struggle and taking is seen as unwinnable and a time waste. I am not there. I hope I attain some more of the inner peace Mr. Rollins has. Great interview.
2
Thanks for this wonderful article. As a long -time musician who has overused his hands (3 surgeries -all successful), I was very sad to hear about Sonny's loss. I am now dealing with my issues once again, and not playing so much every day is quite the struggle when you are used to it for 50 some years.
I really liked what Sonny said about your question: "Something I’ve heard musicians talk about is losing their sense of self when they’re playing...". That is something I can certainly attest to, and vividly remember several instances over the years where I experienced this . It is wondrous thing.
Whether playing for people or by myself, it is all good & a reason to continuously strive to improve.
5
@Dheep' In regard to the concept of musicians' losing "their sense of self when they're playing," I agree that it's a phenomenon worthy of consideration. Other artists -- writers, painters, etc. -- find themselves in the situation. I remember once, while writing a fictional piece, suddenly realizing that the characters were going their own way without regard for what I was consciously thinking they should do. Those are amazing moments, and afterwards, I find myself whispering, "What just happened?"
2
An exceptional interview, we are lucky to read it. Thank you both.
8
Thanks for this interview. I doubt that many retired musicians get asked about their relationship to silence!
Reading this has revived memories of the times I saw Sonny perform, decades ago, and how those experiences opened me up and helped me to find my own creative courage.
7
Sonny's performance at the Clearwater Jazz Festival many moons ago was one of the highlights of my life. Almost as improvisational as Ravi Shankar and his tabla player in New Delhi in 1957 when they communed with the spheres nonstop for over four hours.
"Happy is not the word" also applies to this person on a solo trip.
Thanks for a great article.
2
A very solid interview Sonny Rollins was quite reflective and introspective about his career and his colleagues that are not here now. He is quite spiritual now and seems to be at peace with himself.
2
As a saxophonist who has known Sonny for 30 years, I must disagree with Kamasi Washington. On "Tenor Madness," Sonny was playing his heart out, for they weren't combative but conversing. It's a masterpiece unsurpassed to this day. Trane speaks in Lester Young upper register, Sonny in the Coleman Hawkins lower register; continuum of elders' styles in Be-Bop idiom. Sonny played one of his best solos on that record, so I must disagree with my young comrade on this point. Sonny, you were killing it! :-)
14
@Prof. Robert Stewart
I agree with you 100%. The interview is great.
1
@Prof. Robert Stewart’s
As a player myself in NY for many years all the cats I know agree with Kamasi. Sonny did not play on that track and Sonny even said he didn’t. His reason doesn’t seem genuine. I know cats who were around when Trane started the sheets of sound and Sonny would show up in glasses at the club and peek out behind the curtain while Trane was playing. That was such a new sound then and Trane was hungry and Sonny, whatever the reason admits he was not really playing on that track. Cannonball also said Miles made him play after Coltrane and it bugged Cannon to death. It was a great solo Sonny played it not as strong as the solos on the rest of the date. Trane ushered in a new style then and as Miles said that led to Sonnys sabbatical. (Btw I played in the Count Basie band for almost 20 years )
4
Thanks for this excellent interview . . . inspiring in every sense of the word: uplifting, in-breathing, joyful, life-giving. I wish this Sonny Rollins - David Marchese were a regular feature. But then, I respect Rollins' wish for silence too. But when this kind of generosity and tranquility interrupts the MSM noise, I feel I kinda need to drop down on my knees and offer thanks! This piece was a much-needed re-orientation.
11
Wife away for a week, place to myself. This wonderful article comes out on a true musical genius. Boom, on goes Saxophone Colossus. REALLY LOUD.
Oh man, I do in fact know what love is.
11
Would all interviews be this sweet, inspirational, thought provoking and informative! Makes me want to forward the article to everyone I know. Thank you Sonny Rollins and David Marchese.
9
...before I create a solo, I think of Sonny, listen to the music, and let it happen
1
Sonny is a bhikku. Many will benefit from his insight into life and what's important about our spirits.
3
David,
Thanks for a very special interview. I'm pretty certain this did not all happen in a nice sequence...but your editing (or someone else's editing) revealed a great deal about one of the greats of music and jazz.
I am so lucky that I got to hear him play live years ago and it is also really special to understand more about the man, and his seriousness. I sure wish more persons the more pop genres would learn from this interview.
7
I had the pleasure of being Mr Rollins neighbor at Willoughby Walk in Brooklyn. Then, it was rumored that he used to go to the Brooklyn bridge to “practice “. I always wished he would play while being home!
Such an artist...
8
I owe an entire career to Sonny Rollins, and I'm not a musician by any stretch.
In the mid Seventies I started working at a non-profit organization involved in what is now called prisoner reentry. Specifically, I ran a remedial education and employment acquisition program for young parolees. This was a group that, despite their good intentions, could not adapt to the routines of a conventional classroom. We tried a number of alternatives with little result.
Around that time I recall listening to a Sonny Rollins album and reading the liner note which referenced Gunther Shuller's famous essay on Sonny's method of thematic improvisation. I was motivated to investigate that essay and had the proverbial "light bulb" experience. I went back to work inspired to incorporate improvisation into our instructional methods leading to an abandonment of authoritarian teacher roles, an increase in engagement with our students and a more dynamic learning environment. Positive outcomes skyrocketed.
I spent the next thirty-five years refining and disseminating the idea. Thanks, Sonny!
I've seen Sonny in concert a number of times in the intervening years (including some wonderful ones at small, intimate venues), and had tickets to scheduled concerts in 2013 that were cancelled due to his health issues. I'm happy to read that he is "at peace" in his retirement and enjoyed this interview very much. Thank you.
45
@Ron, this is a wonderful story, thanks for sharing it.
4
@Ron What a story, and Sonny Rollins' music - what a gift to my generation.
2
To hear from America’s greatest living musician by word rather than horn is so thought provoking. Sonny might be gratified that His comments about Tenor Madness scrambled my ideas about that immortal recording. I always thought it was about convergence and communion. Each soloist begins identifiably in his own voice, but as the trading builds in intensity, it gets progressively harder to hear Coltrane’s voice and Sonny’s voice individually, until, ultimately, they are one.
So I was wrong! Go figure.
5
@Roger Cohen You might want to keep in mind they Charles Lloyd is still on the planet and going strong...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/arts/music/charles-lloyd-8-kindred-spirits-review.html
3
What an interesting interview. To be studied again, I'm thinking. "Sonny Side Up" was the first jazz album that spoke to me. The ability of such genius to be in the moment, reflecting the divine, in improvisation, enthralls me still. I got first-press vinyl not too long ago just to get a bit closer to that moment. This discussion with the master has given even more depth to my profound gratitude that people like Sonny Rollins have existence. What really matters here in life? Much to ponder. Thank you for the interview and for Mr. Rollins for being him.
10
One of the best interviews of a jazz musician I've ever read, and I subscribe to magazines like Downbeat.
Scratch that, take two. One of the best interviews, period.
Colossus!
24
I will never forget listening to the late, great Art Rust, Jr. on WABC (he basically invented sports talk radio) back in 1981 and some caller was going on about Coltrane and was wondering who Rust preferred as a sax play. "Sonny Rollins" was his answer. I have never forgotten an awful lot of what Art Rust Jr. said, after all these decades. And he was right about Rollins, as well as "The Set-Up" being the best boxing movie ever (and all his callers were going on about "Raging Bull" at the time).
3
Sonny said, "I don't like to go on the road because it interferes with my practicing."
In 1992 I was producing a sit-com with Billy Connolly and I took a long shot and asked Sonny to do the theme music - Lo, he interrupted a recording session and sent me a fresh 30-second version of "I've Told Every Little Star"!
One TV critic wrote, "You have a love a sitcom with theme music by Sonny Rollins."
You have to love Sonny.
It was a wonderful interview.
Michael Elias
19
For an improvisation course I took at Berklee in the '70s I had to learn one of Sonny Rollins' solos (I play guitar). If you've never done it, learning to play a solo note for note requires listening over and over to try pick up not just the notes, but the phrasing, the articulation, and all the subtleties and nuance of a moment in time captured by the recording. That turned out to be a profound and inspirational experience. Thank you, Mr. Rollins.
20
@Adam This reminds me of how Lennie Tristano used to teach: learn the great solos to integrate fundamentals beyond words! My brother studied with Lennie and told me about it; I decided to learn Lee Konitz's "Rebecca" - such a transcendentally beautiful solo. Seventy years later I can still sing it, note for note! What joy!
1
I got to meet Mr. Rollins briefly years ago. I attended his performance at NYC's Bottom Line (now long gone) and wormed my way backstage with an album I was hoping he'd sign. He was hanging several friends (my impression was that they were fellow musicians, but I wasn't sure I recognized any of them and I was too nervous to inquire). He was very gracious to me, signing the album and speaking to me kindly for a few moments. A gentleman and a genius.
25
I took a history of jazz class in college. I'd never heard jazz, really. Only took the course because my girlfriend was taking it and I needed the humanities credit.
Part of the course work was to go to the language and listen to audiotapes (!) of the music. Went the first time, put in an unlabeled tape, and...wow.
The tape was Rollins' Live at the Village Vanguard. I never knew music could sound like that. I was caught immediately and that record single-handedly opened me up to the world of jazz.
For that I will be eternally grateful to the genius who is Sonny Rollins. So sorry to hear he can't play any more, I had hoped to see him live one more time.
19
@Dan Good college!
Thank you Mr. Marchese
I was a freshman in high school when I heard Way Out West, and Clifford Brown All Stars. I continue to enjoy all your music.
Thank you Mr. Rollins for taking the interview.
8
Wonderful interview. Thank you so much.
10
Wow, Mr. Rollins is very much a philosopher as well as world-class musician.
Lots of wisdom here, some of it esoteric but some very practical. Especially his comment on the negativity of television: "Images and lies and bad for your eyes."
20
One fine interview...great questions and Sonny Rollins 'just opening up' about his music and life...And his sax solo on 'Waiting on a Friend' - a brilliant, warming, winding ray of light/happiness/great friendships, & he famously wasn't credited on album, right?...Nice photo, especially orange background..I took a nice B&W photo once, of Mr. Rollins playing at the now-defunct Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, circa 1979-1980..he was majestic, commanding that stage with his height, both literally and figuratively!
9
@Terry J Hagerty
He was credited on the copy I acquired. Wish I still had it to validate the statement. Time has moved on; maybe the memory is faulty, thought I doubt it as I still remember my pleasure on learning one of jazz's best musicians was on board.
Very interesting interview with one of the last living legend that marked American music in the twentieth century.
Thank you New York times.
19
Pretty good interview and follow up questions that forced him to expound on his thoughts. I felt like l was reading an old NYT edition from decades ago because of the depth displayed by vintage Sonny.
11
I am a Rollins fan.
However - My eyes glaze over when I read things like "jazz's GREATEST living improviser."
Really? Who decided? Did the committee have a meeting without me? (I teach jazz improv, BTW.)
12
@Brian
I understand your concern. I think that either Giddins or Ratliff began using that phrase some years ago. I've always objected to that sort of description - it comes from the same soup kettle as Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time" type of commentary.
Why continue to anoint Rollins with the title when Wayne Shorter is still able to perform? Why give it to anyone? It's jazz festival blurb speak. I hope the drum version of this isn't happening to Roy Haynes and Jimmy Cobb.
8
@Brian I have my favorites but to declare one the best? Sonny is one of the all time favorites and many critics fav too. Joe Lovano and Wayne Shorter ?
3
@Brian
My eyes also tend to glaze over at critical hyperbole, like 'greatest [whatever]'. But in this case, can you really name a better living improviser? The man is a MONSTER! And as fully shown in this excellent interview an amazing human being.
2
We are so lucky for him. Thank you for this NYT!
7
A great musician, a great man.
What a contrast to Miles Davis, whose documentary on PBS last night left the impression that Miles was a guy who made a lot of money, had a lot of women and took a lot of drugs and, oh, by the way, he also made music.
When you talk about Sonny, here is a man who has lived in the deepest sense of the word and discussion of his music will never start with oh-by-the-way.
Thank you, Sonny. You help us to keep our eyes on the things that matter.
17
Great interview, great photo, great man. A 360 wow.
10
Thanks for sharing this. A real breath of fresh air, like the notes coming out of Sonny’s horn in a solo improv. And thank you Sonny! Your spiritual musings are right on. God bless.
9
interestingly, much better than the interview with the tibetan buddhist monk also in today's paper. less theoretical and syatemy
4
In the late 1970s, I had the privilege of seeing both Sonny and Dexter Gordon live at the height of their careers, the former at a club that normally booked punk rock acts, the latter in the cafeteria of an IBEW union hall. That tells you everything you need to know about how genius is appreciated in the United States.
15
@Michael Conroy Funny, I remember seeing Dexter in a union hall also - in Indianapolis. Are you talking about the same performance?
@Michael Conroy
Thanks for sharing, and yes, your statement is sadly true. I met Herb Ellis once and he told of the astonishment he, Oscar Peterson, and Ray Brown had when they first went to Japan and experienced crowds with enthusiasm and respect beyond anything experienced in the states of Canada.
1
What a fantastic way to Measure Your Life!
4
Fantastic interview, thanks to Sonny Rollins and David Marchese for a stirring conversation.
8
As an amateur musician I look at Parker or Coltrane and I say, "Wow, what a musical genius!" I look at Rollins and say, "Wow, what a man!"
13
First rate--these were interview questions blending music, life, and the universe and they were worthy of Sonny. He appreciated them and opened up. Far better than most music writing out there.
13
Once I arrived at a public park and was asked by the guard, "Are you parking for the day or for tonight's concert too?"
Concert. What concert.
"The Sonny Rollins concert."
Oh, My Lord. After the beach, I went over for a chance ticket.
"We've just had a cancellation: front row; center."
During the 1.5 hour elevation that followed, Sonny traded 8's with his drummer. It got so funny that I started rumbling and laughing in my chair, which was at Mr. Rollins's feet. He looked down, gave me an "Oh Yeah?" face, dipped his bell, and blew an A flat at my head.
Sonny, if you are there, know that this was a peak experience in my life.
39
Blue 7 forever. Thank you, Mr. Rollins.
4
Saw this great man at the first Jazz Yatra in Bombay in 1978. He had us in thrall as he played chorus after chorus of Isn’t She Lovely. Deep thinker, modest man. Enjoy the fruits of a well lived life.
10
Good read, glad you got Mr Rollins to open up.
3
I never forget your playing in Stockholm back in the seventies with Wilbur Ware and Joe Harris! This was one of my most exciting concerts in my formative years!
4
I can't wait to hear the "new" releases!
Great interview! Thank you Sonny!
3
Living legend!
4
"Live your life now in a positive way. Help people if you can. Don't hurt people. That works perfectly for me, man." The gospel according to Sonny Rollins.
18
Thanks for the beauty, Sonny.
6
Wonderful piece, David Marchese. I humbly recommend interviewing Benny Golson, who's just come off a short tour with Emmet Cohen Trio, at 90+ years old. Besides Sonny Rollins he's the last living artist from the famous portrait of black jazz greats. Golson had lots of stories to tell about touring, the musicians he played with, and the history of his compositions -- and except for having to reach hard for some low notes he can still blow. Amazing man!
11
Such a great article especially with what's happening in the world, the election...great to read something else other than the current stuff.
5
Wow, what an inspiring interview. Thank you! And thank you, Sonny Rollins, for your decades of inspiring music.
6
This article was pure joy. A bright eye in the hurricane of dark news about pandemics, presidential candidates, and global pandemonium. Thank you to Mr. Marchese and Sonny Rollins for such a gift.
13
I remember reading an interview with Sonny in the '80s in which he was commenting about the recording he did with the Stones (it was the song "Waiting on a Friend". Sonny said that before they recorded, Mick Jagger was trying to explain what they were wanting from the sax on the song. Sonny said he couldn't quite figure out what Jagger was wanting, so he told Jagger to dance out what it was he looking for. He said he knew that Jagger was a physical performer so he figured he could express his desires better through dance than through talk.
9
What made Rollins's sound unique to me was the Caribbean flavor. You hear it first in the drums and then it gets communicated through the horn somehow. The sound of the Caribbean transformed by NYC. Thank you for a great interview.
2
Thanks, David Marchese and Sonny Rollins for this wonderful interview!
I hope Mr. Rollins does get a piano soon and with it finds his wonderful music there too.
3
So glad to have Mr. Rollins share his thoughts with us. Thank you for letting us in!
10
Wow - What a great conversation - thanks so much for this piece and thank you Mr. Rollins for your spirit. I felt it today.
10
Fantastic piece.
Happy tears and
Thank you Mr. Rollins.
14
Thank you for such an insightful portrait. I was fortunate to have seen Sonny Rollins at an outdoor park in Glenwood Springs, CO situated between the Roaring Fork and the Colorado Rivers. He started in the late afternoon and blew well into the evening.
Magic.
8
@EB
What an outstanding setting for a concert. Maybe a show at the same venue could be arranged for Rollins acolyte Kamasi Washington in the near future.
Absolutely the finest musician I have ever witnessed. He could play on a boat sailing around Manhattan, Carnegie Hall, or The Village Vanguard, and always seemed at home. Some musicians follow the Muse, Sonny is the Muse. Great article too.
10
Listened to a lot of jazz in the 80s, and Rollins was a big part of it.
Fun to read his thoughts now as a real Zen master. Him, not me!
6
Excellent article. I loved hearing about his playing days, his current life, and his mind. I am going back and listening to his recordings and hearing at some of it differently. Loved the mention of Kamasi Washington, interesting that Sonny is in touch with him.
All the best Sonny, and keep up the good work NYT.
10
The picture of Rollins is great. It makes him look like Frederick Douglas. Lots of great comments about life. I started to get into Rollins in the mid 70s, along with Coltrane, Dolphy, Davis, and Parker what a galaxy of talent. American Jazz produced an astounding wealth of musical riches. I so feel fortunate to have become aware of them so early in my life.
21
I'm not sure if it was his last gig, but I saw him in Newark in 2012 and he was wonderful, just like all the other times I had seen him. He closed by addressing the audience. Like a lion he declared, "I'm still here, I'm still standing, and I'm gonna keep on playing as long as I can." I first saw him in 1972. His long solos on tunes like, Where or When were a travelouge of nearly a century of American music. He remains, The Man.
12
@Victor Sanchez
I saw Rollins in 2012 also. I took a friend who had never heard of him to a performance in Berkeley. The first 3 numbers his band did most of the work and I was wondering what my friend would think, especially as I had told her how wonderful he was. Then, the next number and all of a sudden he became SONNY ROLLINS in all his glory, and my friend understood what it meant to be in his presence. I wish him the best in whatever he does for the rest of his life.
2
Jazz has been one of the most important parts of my life for the last 45 years or so, particularly hard bop.I own several thousand albums.Yet despite this, I've strangely never managed to dig Rollins, never like his tone...and comparing Rollins legacy to that of Coltrane is like comparing a Ford Mustang to a Formula 1 car. I'm probably committing heresy by saying I've always thought Saxophone Colossus vastly over rated.
4
Extraordinary. Thank you!!
7
I will always remember his playing the song from the Music Man
"Till there was you" and the "Freedom Suite" as a teen photographer I eventually worked at 210 Fifth Avenue where we illustrated many Jazz album covers at this time in the early 1960's.
Odd to think in this day (as I to have one foot in the grave ) meeting so many great musicians and working with them for a LP cover was not history as seen now but ,work!!!
One of the most disparaging typical events of that era was putting great sax players together and labeling their playing a battle of the saxes as if they were gladiators in a ring.
Once in the photo studio @ 210 Fifth avenue we photographed 2 great saxophonists Eddie Lockjaw Davis & Johnny Griffin for the Tough tenors album for Riverside Jazzland records, sure enough we used it's given commercial title "Tough Tenors."
Would the then almost exclusive white world put 2 Western Classical violinist 's in front of a microphone and perform and call it Violin battle?...nah!
13
It’d be cool if Rollins called me on the telephone, just for a brief chat now and then.
6
I just put on "If Ever I Would Leave You" and the sun finally came out.
8
Thank you Sonny for the music, and your magnificent Tone.
9
thank you. wonderful.
4
Master musician and human.
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This is the best thing I've read in days. Coronavirus, debates, Trump acting like a mob boss or just acting stupid - then this. This is real. This is beautiful. I'm going to listen to Sonny today while I work. Amazing interview. Thank you
49
Thank you
10
NYT thanks. Sonny Rollins thank you sir for everything. A shout out to Clifford Brown and Miles too. Yes what a full life. Congratulations.
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I saw header of this article ".....Rollins knows life is a solo trip" and knew this would be a treat for the soul. I saw him in Princeton about 20 years ago in a trio when his musical creativity, tone, and intellectual stamina were at full power. He played for over two hours as I remember, and I had never witnessed such an outpouring of emotion and beauty, much of which seemed to created in the moment. The quality and stamina of his performance was something to behold. A Shaman for sure, thanks for a window into the soul that has the capacity to do such a thing.
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Every musician and artist (and everyone else) should read this wonderful exchange.
So much wisdom from this unique human being. I applaud his courage and tenacity, his curiosity, never letting go and always trying to stay on the path. What a lesson!
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@Thierry Peremarti I'm sending this to my grandson, not as a musician to admire, but as a man to emulate.
5
Excellent piece with a lifetime of acquired wisdom from an elder who is still working it out. God bless.
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Thanks, Newk! You've been a hero at Chez Jazz since I was 10.
6
Having been privileged to engage Mister Rollins on a number of occasions over the years, I was very taken by the sensitivity and level of interaction.
Simply excellent.
Thank you, David. Thank you Brother Theodore. Some vibrations linger longer, and yours resonate eternally in my heart.
18
Sonny Rollins, you touch my soul. Thank you for this wonderful interview. The photographs, too, are some kind of perfect.
10
Fabulous read. Inspiration to us all.
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A wonderful interview with a musician whose works have touched me in many ways. I was lucky enough to ride in a car with him around Ann Arbor when I was at the University of Michigan, but that's another story.
8
Words to live by: "I wanted the band to be all together even when I was playing by myself because we were all still in the song."
Outstanding interview and wonderful choice of photos. Thank you, David Marchese and NYT.
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What an interesting and elevating interview. Mr. Rollins shows us how in our older age we need to be good thinkers. It was wonderful to hear his thoughts. But, I have to say, it’s not quiet in my home now. Mr. Rollins is playing.
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I came to Rollins by way of Coltrane. Now I will have to go back to Tenor Madness and listen to the notes that are played (as distinct from the sum of the music.)
Thanks for a great interview.
Thank you Mr Rollins for some really great music.
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"There’s something huge happening, and it’s a matter of feeling. It’s different than having book knowledge. The thing I’m talking about is more like intuition. Something is there."
Oh yeah. There are no coincidences but sometimes it takes a lifetime to learn that,
Thank you, Sonny Rollins for your musical legacy and your hard won humility.
"God Bless the Child" on "The Bridge" is one of my favorite recordings of all time. You and Jim Hall just took it to another place.
8
Thank you for such a great interview -- excellent questions, and authentic responses from the 'jazz icon.' He has obviously given more than serious thought to how he lives his life and deals with his music. We all should have this degree of reflection.
Rollins' view on 'reincarnation' is fascinating -- and apparently gives him the means to look and both life and death with calm forbearance. It must have also given his music greater depth, even in his youth.
A wonderful addition to the NYTimes, and a good counter to the kind of political despair that destroys the creative spirit these days.
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Beautiful interview, great topics and questions.
Mr. Rollins very thoughtful and mature answers should be something all of us elderly should read and consider.
A fine example of a fine man and mind, and thanks to Mr. Marchese and the NYT for getting it out here for all of us.
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I started this article in the afternoon but set it aside for when I could slow down and really let it flow slowly. I'm glad I did. It seems Sonny enjoyed the conversation, and one of the gifts we can give even the great artists is some attention, to let them be heard. He lived across so much of the time when jazz was really central and important in the world.
15
What a wonderful interview. Excellent questions! Way to start my day with some inspiration from the great Sonny Rollins.
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This was nice to red, especially for a Paul Desmond fan. I will set out to listen to Mr. Rollin's stuff with greater interest.
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What a beautiful interview with a wonderful musician and a fine human being. Very insightful. What a legacy to leave, to have made millions of people happier, more joyful, more content. And to leave a collection of music that will be loved by generations upon generations.
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Great interview with the immortal Newk, although Wayne Shorter might also make it up there for the title of "greatest living improviser in jazz. Why start out with such a tired superlative?
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Really good and interesting interview. Made even more so since I just finished viewing a great doc on Miles— one that shouldn’t be missed by any jazz fan.
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We have a wonderful portrait of Mr. Rollins playing at the Highland Theater in Albuquerque, that oversees the turntable that spins his great "Nucleus" lp with some regularity. This is such a great interview. Thank you, Sonny Rollins, thank you.
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Enjoyed reading this, hearing about Sonny Rollins now, even if I feel Lee Konitz is by far the greatest living jazz improviser, and the Rolling Stones created a number of original music masterpieces timeless as the greatest jazz in their own unique way.
"The Miracle of Improvising": Lee Konitz Interview
http://www.azuremilesrecords.com/leekonitzinterview.html
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@Michael Robinson.... sorry Michael, Rollins is miles beyond Konitz.
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@mtwa48 When Lee Konitz and Charlie Parker were featured soloists with the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the early fifties, the consensus among the musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, was that Konitz was outplaying Parker. I grant that the abstract, complex, and subtle nature of Lee's art is for some a developed taste.
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@mtwa48 Lee Konitz is the most esoteric, complex, and abstract jazz artist whose playing tends to defy easy comprehension. Konitz is part of a group of innovative Jewish American improvisers, including Stan Getz, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, whose playing is an essential part of jazz history.
this interview blew me away. Thank you.
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A long time ago he had a knick-name, Newk, as in the power of a nuclear explosion. He played a couple of shows at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in the early '90s. On "Don't Stop the Carnival" he hit a bass note and sustained & developed the under-tones until the wood fame building was shaking. He Newked the joint.
The thoughts he express in this article are the equivalent of the Big Bang. Thanks, Mr. Rollins.
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@Svirchev He was also known as Newk because he looked like Dodger pitcher Don "Newk" Newcombe.
Newcombe used to say "Don't call me Mr. Newcombe. Call me Uncle Don."
Sonny say s"Boys and girls this is Uncle Don" at the start of the afternoon session cut of "A Night in Tunisia" on "A Night at the Village Vanguard" because he was in on the joke of his resemblance to the baseball player.
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@Svirchev Sonny’s nickname comes from his resemblance to the great Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher of the 1950s, Don Newcombe.
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@Svirchev Newk........I remember reading he got that nickname because of his resemblance to Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe. Although I like your story better---
1
On the Stones album, Tattoo You, he did play on the songs Slave, and Waiting on a Friend, but he also played on the song Neighbors.
In each song his saxophone had such a unique signature.
Since 1971, Bobby Keyes had become the primary saxophonist for the Stones, his work is fantastic, but he had a brief falling out with Mick. So the music world got the benefit of having two giant talents combining forces, when Mick reached out to Sonny to guest on these tracks.
Of note the Stone's drummer Charlie Watts couldn't believe one of his jazz heroes would do the gig. Charlie learned to play drums from listening to the great jaz performers. Its Charlie's reference for jazz that creates his unique rock n roll drum signature of swing. Worth listening to is some of Charlie's solo works in Jazz, such as albums...
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-watts-mn0000773407/biography
Thanks David for a terrific piece. And thank you Mr. Rollins for pioneering and unmatched work in Jazz. All the best.!
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I've never really connected with his music. It sounds kitschy.
@Third.Coast
Kitschy? Huh?
1
Excellent in every way! A true giant among us, strong in purpose and intent as he faces his inevitable path.
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"Saxophone Colossus"
The Man and his music.
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The Rolling Stones have a number of original masterpieces as great as any jazz in their own uniquely powerful, poetic, and spellbinding way. Music is about diverse genres, and don't see why not understanding rock is a virtue. (Rollins gets a pass, of course, because many jazz artists of his generation never accepted rock.) While admiring Sonny, I believe Lee Konitz is our greatest living jazz improviser. It's incomprehensible to anyone who understands jazz and jazz history why Konitz, a Jewish American artist, has not received the Kennedy Center Honor.
Jazz superseded European classical music, followed by rock and pop doing the same to jazz (there has always been overlapping), and then hip hop did the same. The designation "classical" in Western music now has to do with individual quality, and is not owned by any particular culture, race, genre, or medium.
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@Michael Robinson
Free the drummer.
I want the music to speak to me, to tell a story that flows around our icons, a human story.
I'm totally familiar with my pulse, thankfully - I don't need another person to echo it.
When it comes to art, I want a full meal.
Commercial ubiquity just doesn't define art for me.
I don't think it defines art for anyone, really.
1
@atutu Beautiful. This thought from Emerson came to mind: "In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can inspire."
1
Lately, I've been reading a lot of discussion boards where musicians are tripping over themselves and each other trying to get things right on a technical level without any thought to the spiritual level of music and life. Discussions of who is a pro or who is an amateur, whether the left hand is harder to use, or the right hand, and on and on. Some get angry at each other, others feel they know it all. These online discussions usually end up nowhere, and nobody learns a thing. This interview with Sonny Rollins hits the spiritual reset button with grace and ease. Pull the music from the inside, from the air, and from those places none of us know much about in this lifetime. We don't own it. We can hope it's there tomorrow, but we can be grateful it's here today. Thanks, Sonny.
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Thank you Sonny Rollins for your words on end of life and thoughts about friends and family who have all passed before you. My friends and I mostly got our jazz in the West coast clubs in the '50s and, of course, through recordings. I never caught a concert where you were there but in this interview you've brought back to this day the feelings from jazz I experienced during those times.
And thank you David Marchese for bringing Sonny back to us in this manner. It's refreshing that you've given us a reprieve from all the awfulness of todays news and brought us into the goodness of one of the history's true greats of the jazz era.
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Superb interview, and a very Frederick Douglass shot; thank you!
I was fortunate to see Sonny Rollins once live (sharing the bill with McCoy Tyner and Muddy Waters) in London, October 1976; a most memorable event that I will always cherish. Long may he live.
10
Heavenly interview. This; Resonance Records will release a set of previously unissued performances this fall — but it does mean that Rollins’s colossal record as a musician is a thing of the past. I wanted to know how a musician whose playing was always attuned to the present has forged a new life in the shadow of that stark fact. “‘Happy’ is not the word,” said Rollins, seated on a couch under a large painting of Buddha at his rambling home in Woodstock, N.Y., “but I am the most content I’ve ever been. I have most things figured out.”
11
Thoroughly enjoyable read!
9
I have a vision of Mr. Rollins lying on his back, having fallen from the stage, playing his horn and not missing a beat. Such a wonderful dedication to his art. Sonny we treasure you.
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The Bridge with Jim Hall is a great work to explore his artistry. Ur there’s no bad place to start with Mr Rollins. I’m guessing he never did those drugs everyone else was doin. Great conversation. Thanks.
2
@Michael Katz fwiw, sonny did have a fairly serious heroin addiction that he managed to overcome. I know people who have played with him who say that his sense of self-criticism is very persistent he is not just putting it on for the interviewer like many celebrities do. He stopped playing in public for a few years and just shed because he was not satisfied with his sound, and this was at what most of us would consider to be the peak of his playing.
1
@Michael Katz ** Oh man, Michael, I know you're aware of "the wilderness period" beginning when Mr. Rollins wasn't 30 years old. In the late 1950's he was celebrated as one of the best, and actually had dabbled in the drug scene (as he alluded in the fine article). And the Mr. Rollins took to the Williamsburg Bridge. Alone, except for the sax, with an audience of heaven and the blessed passersby. There, he sorted it all out, chased away demons, and emerged with new dental work and blew everyone away with that masterpiece you mention entitled "The Bridge." The world not been the same since. How fortunate we are to breathe the same air he does.
9
God bless Sonny Rollins. He is a living connection to so many great Jazz musicians living and dead and one of history's best. I was lucky to see him play in Morristown New Jersey maybe 15 years ago and by the end of the show he had everyone dancing in the aisles. Thank you for this excellent interview. He really is a Saxophone Colossus.
20
"...There are divine moments in this world." As I had the chance one day of attending one of his live concerts, I found that Sonny Rollins had the extraordinary gift of generating such moments on a colossal scale. Thank you for a great interview.
11
Heard Mr. Rollins play back in the early 60's and still remember his sweet sound.
Interesting to read his take on his work and life.
Thanks for a fascinating glimpse.
10
We'll all listen to tenor madness with different ears now, Mr. Rollins! You might not be blowing anymore, but you're still the head of the pack! Sure hope you get that piano... maybe go ahead and make a couple of home tapes for us to enjoy! sure would be fun to hear you overdubbing spme block chords on Way out west. If anybody is the "our man" in America today, it's you!
7
Great interview!
12
I remember the commercial on the bridge, for Pioneer, though they said it was the Brooklyn Bridge, not the Williamsburg, about how "he blew his music to the stars." He is truly an original, a great musician, and this is a great interview, with good questions.
11
Wisdom and grace far beyond most of the interviews we read here.
Great interview.
Great man.
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Thank you for a great interview with intelligent questions, which were able to let Sonny open up. Very informative.
20
Reading this, and Sonny's thoughts on existence and the afterlife, I can't help but think of Art Kane's 1958 photograph "A Great Day in Harlem." Of the 57 jazz greats in that photo only two remain, Sonny Rollins and Benny Golson.
But the music, that'll live forever.
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@Jonathan Rodgers Yes, you are correct. I just saw Benny in DC and he is one of the world's truly most wonderful souls as is Sonny. The photo taken when Benny and Sonny finally arrive where they are going will be just as glorious if not more so.
3
Oberlin College, circa 1980. Year after year, we'd have these concerts by Sonny Rollins. I'd met him, too, along with Gil Scott-Heron. But Mr. Rollins forged a special recurring connection with us students. His artistic deepness buoyed in a light heart captivated us. This article captures the wisdom vibes we felt. Although I don't agree with Mr. Rollins' religious views, my depth of respect for him surpasses anything I have for the leaders of this world. Like Mr. Rollins, I "do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them." 1 John 2:15. And I applaud his incredible humility, "...you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 Mr. Marchese and the NYT, thank you for this article. This touches upon where we need to be focused, and good jazz, incredibly, is a talisman.
18
This interview is a ray of light in all the darkness of this world. Sonny Rollins is an inspiration.
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Great questions. Interesting answers. Well done. Thank you!
27
We love you Sonny, you are a giant inspiration. Most importantly you have been and remain true to your higher aspirations. A great example to all of us.
31
"colossal record"
Nice!
10
OY - I saw this Icon every Monday morning @ the Germantown Post Office when he used to live here.
He's much more handsome and iconic than the photograph you chose to illustrate this article.
9
@rob blake Are you kidding? That's a stunning photo of Sonny Rollins today.
1
No one other than Coltrane and Prez blows the tenor like Rollins.
I was very fortunate to have heard him in a Jazz club they called Slugs in the east village in Manhattan. He came down to the audience and walked around blowing his tenor.
What is very memorable for me about Rollins is when he took some time off and practiced on the Williamsburg bridge in Brooklyn. After that he signed a contract with RCA for six lps and was paid about $60,000. The name of one of his albums for RCA was "The Bridge"
I remember during my army days in France, I traveled from Paris to Frankfurt to pick up one of his album. The name of that album was Tour de Force. Amazing music. His memorable album for many jazz fans is "Saxophone Colossus. Sonny Rollins is one of the best tenor player ever.
21
Sonny's music expresses celebration.
7
What a great interview from first to last word!
28
Thank you for this.
11
Sonny can teach you about jazz and life also.
18
"Rollins’s colossal record as a musician is a thing of the past. "
Um, what?!
I think I know what you meant to stay, but this wording is terrible. His record/records/achievements are not a thing of the past. They are enshrined forever in whatever medium one cares to indulge in (vinyl, cd, digital, etc)
His performing days are a thing of the past, but the legacy endures.
21
Wow, that was something. I read another interview with Rollins in which he said we shouldn't worry about "so-called death." It stayed with me, and I was hoping to read another interview with him before long. Great job, Mr Marchese.
17
Very deep interview. Not something you “read in the papers” everyday. Thank you, NYT, for featuring this; one of my heroes in music and life.
52
One of my favorite recordings is Sonny Rollins's "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" live. Thank you Sonny! And great interview NYT!
9
Sublime. You're doing great work, David.
6
Such an inspiration. The combination of serenity and humility is so rare in a world of strutting braggarts. I never tire of his music and his spoken thoughts are always so candid and sincere. Thanks for this interview. And thanks — to something much bigger —for Sonny Rollins.
17
I will miss Sonny's somewhat annual concert in NYC. I don't think I missed many in 20 or so years. The one at Carnegie Hall where Roy Hargrove guested on Tenor Madness is one of my greatest musical memories, I had the pleasure of meeting Sonny in Pittsburgh when he showed up to see the drummer Joe Harris who played with Bird and Duzzy, at an after party for Joe where he was honored at the Mellon Jazz Festival. Sonny's solo have that thing of always being on the edge. It's remarkable what he did, such a risk taker in music. Thank you, David, for this thoughtful interview, and thank you, Sonny. Music is consequential, especially when it has the brilliance of Mr. Sonny Rollins.
12
This is a remarkable discussion. I really found the quiet candidness fascinating. I cannot think of an interview with which to compare it.
56
What a wonderful interview. I was lucky enough to see Rollins play a few times in the 70s. And, I have several of his recordings. When the history of jazz is written, he'll be right there in the top 10 in terms of creativity and innovation.
10
The Times has delivered another wonderful interview. I'm a huge jazz fan and Sonny is one of the greats. His philosophy of living is a testament to his survival skills when so many of his contemporaries did not survive to enjoy old age.
55
Beautiful interview with Sonny Rollins, one of our very greatest jazz musicians, and, as we can read, a very spiritual person. Sonny has lots to teach us here. Again, many thanks, David, for this fine article!
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