Jazzman Sonny Rollins is a hit at the Touhill

Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins has a reputation for performances of transcendent artistry, and he lived up to it Saturday evening at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Leading a sextet through a program that included jazz standards and original tunes, Rollins kept an audience of more than 1,500 spellbound. The concert was presented by Jazz St. Louis.

The 90-minute set had a headlong energy that barely allowed the crowd to catch its breath. Accompanied by trombonist Clifton Anderson, guitarist Bobby Broom, bassist Bob Cranshaw, percussionist Sammy Figueroa and drummer Kobie Watkins, the saxophonist memorably evoked the spirit of jazz.

Throughout the evening, Rollins and his band kept things tight and focused. That was certainly true of their upbeat, bouncy rendition of Irving Berlin's “They Say It's Wonderful." Adventurous soloing from trombonist Anderson and guitarist Broom set the stage for a fiery sax-percussion interchange, with Rollins and Figueroa completing each other's musical sentences.