Sixty years in show business teaches a bandleader how to build a performance arc, or, in the saxophonist Sonny Rollins's case, a series of them. On Wednesday, at Central Park SummerStage, his arcs were almost vertical: Eiffel Tower gradations rather than gentle bell curves. And the shape of the show had almost everything to do with his soloing.
He started with “Nice Lady," an easygoing calypso, effortfully pushing his way into a few big red-meat dissonant notes and phrases, then retreating. Later, working slowly through Nol Coward's waltz “Someday I'll Find You," the band dropped out, except for Mr. Rollins and his percussionist, Kimati Dinizulu, who played quiet phrases against each other on sax and congas; a few of Mr. Rollins's rejoinders were soft, mild and exactly one note long.
The band -- also including the guitarist Bobby Broom, the trombonist Clifton Anderson, the bassist Bob Cranshaw and the drummer Kobie Watkins -- didn't rush into the void. The players delivered their parts and solos smoothly and without sparks, Mr. Cranshaw seldom breaking the stride of his walking patterns. There were deflated stretches of playing time. The audience was waiting.
