Jazz Articles about Sonny Rollins

About Sonny Rollins

Radio & Podcasts

Flea, Dave Douglas and Sonny Rollins (RIP)

by Jerome Wilson
June 17, 2026

This program pays belated tribute to the late Sonny Rollins. It also includes music from Dave Douglas, Olivia Murphy, and Flea.Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Roxy Coss “Ely, MN" from Disparate Parts (Outside In) 1:15 Dave Douglas “Agnus Dei" from Secular Psalms (Greenleaf Music) 8:38 Host Speaks 13:21 Sonny Rollins “Moritat" from Saxophone Colossus (Prestige) 15:08 Adam Larson ...

Radio & Podcasts

Tribute to Sonny Rollins (RIP); Recognizing Birthdays For Oliver Nelson, Paquito D'Rivera, and Others

by David W. Daniels
June 9, 2026

In addition to our musical tribute to Sonny Rollins and the birthdays named, this week's Exploration show features new music from New Jazz Underground, Eliane Elias, and Brian Jackson with Rahsaan Patterson. Other musicians whose birthdays were recognized include Louis Hayes, Dakota Staton, and bassist Tony Levin.Playlist Sonny Rollins “Trav'lin Light" from The Standard Sonny Rollins (RCA Victor) 00:00 The Manhattan Transfer “Airegin" from Vocalese (Atlantic) 9:51 Miles Davis “Oleo" from Relaxin With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige) ...

Big Band in the Sky

Sonny Rollins Blows His Last At 95

by Ian Patterson
May 29, 2026

Sonny Rollins, the world-renowned tenor saxophonist who lit up the jazz world for nearly seven decades, has died at the age of 95. Hailed in many quarters as the greatest improvising musician in jazz, his passing feels like the end of an era. In a career that began in the 1940s, Rollins played with Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Clifford Brown and Max Roach. Several of his compositions, among them “St. Thomas," “Doxy," and “Airegin," became jazz ...

Interview

Sonny Rollins: Still a Student

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 27, 2026

This article first appeared on All About Jazz sometime in Spring 1999. Considering his five decades as a fixture among the tenor greats, it's pretty safe to say that in 1999 most jazz fans under the age of sixty have never known a time when saxophonist Theodore “Sonny" Rollins was NOT on the scene. From the time he emerged on tenor late in the 1940s to his release of Global Warming in early 1999, Rollins has ...

Album Review

Abbey Lincoln: That's Him

Read "That's Him" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan

by C. Andrew Hovan
May 24, 2026

An intriguing byproduct of the current vinyl renaissance, Record Store Day has become a proving ground for labels looking to balance archival reverence with commercial opportunity. Craft Recordings has carved out a particularly compelling niche, frequently issuing mono editions of classic titles from its catalog. Following previous releases featuring Gerry Mulligan, Bill Evans, Max Roach, and Chet Baker, the label now turns its attention to Abbey Lincoln's second Riverside outing, That's Him. Cut all-analog by Kevin Gray and pressed at ...

Album Review

Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins: Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins 1953 to 1957 Revisited

Read "Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins 1953 to 1957 Revisited" reviewed by Stefano Merighi

by Stefano Merighi
April 28, 2026

Negli anni Cinquanta il jazz era assai potente e si rafforzava anche in virtù di un'attrazione magnetica che ne avvicinava i protagonisti, individualisti sì ma anche sedotti dalle possibilità di avventure comuni. Tale magnetismo si è spesso concretizzato tra le figure torreggianti di Thelonious Monk e di Sonny Rollins. Questo CD della ezz-thetics ricostruisce la loro frequentazione nel periodo di un lustro, da quando Monk era ancora una sorta di reietto per il music business, e Rollins un ...

Radio & Podcasts

Tribute To Living Legend Sonny Rollins; Other Birthdays This Week--Roy Ayers, Harry Connick Jr, and More

by David W. Daniels
September 16, 2025

Tribute to Sonny Rollins--his compositions as interpreted by other jazz musicians, including Jim Hall and Ron Carter, Lambert/Hendricks/Ross, Ted Curson and more. Two compositions from Sonny Rollins' best known albums. Other jazz musicians' birthdays, including David Sanchez, Maria Muldaur, Baby Face Willette and more. Playlist John Coltrane “Like Sonny" from The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (Compilation) (Atlantic) 00:00 Jim Hall and Ron Carter “St. Thomas" from Alone Together (Milestone) 8:33 Don Patterson with Booker Ervin “Oleo" ...