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Sonny Rollins: Road Shows, Vol. 3
by Maurizio Zerbo
Come Re Mida, Rollins trasforma tutto quello che tocca in oro, dall'alto della venerabile età di ottantatre anni. A prescindere dai compagni di viaggio, le sei tracce incise dal vivo nel corso dell'ultimo decennio ce lo documentano più gagliardo e inventivo che mai. Una in particolare ("Solo Rollins") può essere elevata a simbolo di una carriera leggendaria nell'approccio tematico all'improvvisazione, dall'alto di una fantasia creatrice inesauribile. Sono otto minuti di pura goduria, dove il Nostro si diverte ...
Continue ReadingSonny Rollins: Road Shows, Vol. 3
by Hrayr Attarian
The third installment of tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' live performances, Road Shows, Volume 3 is the most uniformly outstanding of the series. A task that is hard to achieve since the first two albums were superb musical gems in their own right. Despite covering a span of 11 years the current disc demonstrates extreme thematic cohesiveness, mostly thanks to Rollins' timeless and unique innovative style.His eight-minute unaccompanied improvisation “Solo Sonny" recorded in St Louis in 2009, for example, ...
Continue ReadingSonny Rollins: Road Shows, Vol. 3 (2014)
by Victor L. Schermer
Legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins has proven himself to be one of the most durable, consistently strong musicians of any era and genre. He started playing tenor saxophone in the 1940s, came into his own as a recognized player in the 1950s, and, except for short interruptions has been working and recording ever since. The reason he has been so steadily successful and productive is that he has unswervingly pursued his own exciting and highly inventive style that incorporates the ...
Continue ReadingSonny Rollins: Road Shows, Vol. 3
by Dan Bilawsky
Look beyond harmony, go past technique, and pay no mind to personality. When you do all of that, Sonny Rollins still remains one of the greatest improvisers to ever wield an instrument. And why is that? The answer is simple: Rollins is forever in a state of becoming. He's the rare player who doesn't play towards a destination; he plays for the journey, and his journeys are epic and legendary. While that's hardly news to any longtime ...
Continue ReadingSonny Rollins: Barcelona Voll-Damm Jazz Festival, Spain, November 20, 2012
by Josep Pedro
Sonny RollinsPalau de la Música44 Barcelona Voll-Damm International Jazz FestivalNovember 20, 2012Traditionally marked in the calendar for being fascist dictator Franco's death anniversary, November 20--or 20-N, as referred to in Spain--has frequently been accompanied by some infamous demonstrations where the restrictive and attacking attitudes that would, by now, hopefully be a thing of the past still take the chance to make a shout in a public space. For an eager audience, this day in 2012 ...
Continue Reading44 Voll-Damm Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona: Sonny Rollins
by Joan Fargas
Sonny Rollins44 Voll-Damm Festival Internacional de Jazz de BarcelonaPalau de la Música Catalana 20 de noviembre 2012En ocasiones los conciertos se transforman en veladas muy especiales por una suma de circunstancias que van más allá de la música que se interpreta en el escenario, tal como sucedió la noche del martes 20 de noviembre en el Palau de la Música Catalana. Era la noche en la que el Festival de Jazz de Barcelona acogió de ...
Continue ReadingSonny Rollins: San Francisco, CA, September 30, 2012
by Harry S. Pariser
Sonny Rollins Symphony Hall San Francisco, CASeptember 30, 2012Excitement was palpable among people milling around the entrance of Symphony Hall in downtown San Francisco during the evening of September 30, 2012, where legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins was to appear.Just past 8:00pm, he was introduced by Randall Kline of SFJAZZ, the sponsor of the city's jazz festival. A New York City, native, Theodore Walter “Sonny" Rollins has long been a fixture on the jazz scene. ...
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