Sonny Rollins just turned 79. We celebrate the occasion by bringing you Rollins playing an extended version of a tune his mother remembered from her girlhood in the Virgin Islands. “St. Thomas" has been an essential and beloved part of his repertoire for more than 50 years. The rhythm section Is Kenny Drew, piano; Niels-Henning rsted Pedersen, bass; Albert “Tootie" Heath, drums. The video from 1968 seems to have been made in Denmark. Happy birhday, sir, and best wishes.
