Why have Sonny Rollins records of the last 2 decades disappointed so many of us?

As a tenor player and recording engineer, I have a simple theory based on the microphone technology he uses. Sonny has long had a penchant for roaming around when plays. This made him difficult to record in the 50's and 60's, when frustrated engineers would put up multiple microphones, and try not to have phasing problems. You can hear him go off microphone on a lot of records, like "Blessing In Disguise" on East Broadway Rundown, and to me it added to the performance.

The advent of the miniature condenser (clip-on) microphone freed engineers from worrying about keeping Sonny on microphone, by clipping one to the bell of his horn. Of course when he played "bell tones", notes in the middle and lower end of the horn that have most of the keys closed, the sound was significantly louder and seemingly closer to the microphone. Some genius did the logical by putting a compressor on the signal to keep all notes at the same amplitude. This of course reduces the effect of any dynamics the player might have.

I question the tonal quality of a tiny microphone on such a big sound, when we know how good a large diaphragm condenser works. Worst of all is the proximity. Nobody's horn sounds good with your head in the bell. It's too close and sounds way too dry. Around the same time, Sonny introduced more of a growl in his sound, which the intimate micing exaggerates. To top off all the dryness and generally unpleasant sound, Bob Cranshaw, Sonny's longtime bassist, decided to play electric bass only. To my knowledge, Sonny continues to use this microphone set-up on records and in concerts. Somebody, please hip Sonny or his producers to how bad it really is. Could you imagine hearing this giant totally acoustically in a nice room?

David, informed commentary like this is always appreciated by us. We hope that you will get a bur under your talented saddle and chime in again.

22-June-1999 -- Darryl Reeves writes:

Thank You So VERY Much !!!!!

Thanks for the Kenny Garrett interview. I've been waiting a good while for it. I'm REALLY looking forward to the other part next month. I am a huge fan and I am glad to see that Kenny is being recognized and respected for his diligence and achievements. God Bless All About Jazz.

Darryl, we appreciate feedback like this 24-7. Thanx and keep on reading. .