Home » Jazz Articles » Sonny Rollins

Jazz Articles about Sonny Rollins

21
Album Review

Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners

Read "Brilliant Corners" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


Writing about being “lost for words" is not the ideal way of starting a review, but it may be the plain truth. Perhaps Thelonious Monk is an acquired taste. Perhaps not. Whatever the case, this particular release of Brilliant Corners is just that--brilliant.The whole package is superb and really defines Craft Recordings “Small Batch" vinyl series. The technical literature accompanying the recording says “Each edition is cut from its original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed on ...

18
Album Review

Sonny Rollins: Go West! The Contemporary Records Albums

Read "Go West! The Contemporary Records Albums" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


Apparently, the median age of a jazz listener is in his or her mid to late 40s. So, perhaps, the representative listener was born in the mid-1970s. Sonny Rollins first recorded in 1949. The recordings reviewed here were made in the late 1950s, well before many contemporary listeners were born. While there have been ample reissues of Rollins' work, most coincided with the still-active phase of his career. Much of his work has appeared since “Skylark" on The Next Album ...

3
Book Review

Decades of Worldwide Promotion By the Man in the Room

Read "Decades of Worldwide Promotion By the Man in the Room" reviewed by Arthur R George


A Life In Music Wulf Müller 384 Pages ISBN: # 9798353190752 Amazon Direct Publishing2022 Working in Europe and facilitating jazz internationally, Wulf Müller reveals himself in his autobiography A Life in Music (Amazon Direct Publishing, 2022) as a man who for 40 years was in the rooms where it happened. That was true even by long distance phone call, as with Sonny Rollins who held Müller on the line while the saxophonist ...

9
Book Excerpts

Saxophone Colossus: The Life And Music Of Sonny Rollins

Read "Saxophone Colossus: The Life And Music Of Sonny Rollins" reviewed by Aidan Levy


The following is an excerpt from Chapter 23 “The Bridge" from Aidan Levy's Saxophone Colossus: The Life And Music Of Sonny Rollins (Hachette Books, 2023). On September 7, 1960, Sonny turned thirty. The next day, he recorded his thoughts on the milestone in his journal. “Birthday now past but tendencies toward disruption still exist," he wrote. It seems he violated his strict diet and succumbed to the urge for a cigarette. “By the very documenting of these ...

14
Book Review

Saxophone Colossus: The Life And Music Of Sonny Rollins

Read "Saxophone Colossus: The Life And Music Of Sonny Rollins" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Saxophone Colossus: The Life And Music Of Sonny Rollins Aidan Levy 784 Pages ISBN: 978-0306902796 Hachette Books 2023 A colossal book for a colossal musician. Aidan Levy's biography of Sonny Rollins runs to over 700 pages, not including the no less remarkable notes, available as a separate 416-page download. That the original manuscript was trimmed down from twice the length indicates just how ambitious and comprehensive this portrait is, and how astutely the ...

4
Radio & Podcasts

Feel Good Music Show

Read "Feel Good Music Show" reviewed by David Brown


It's New Year's Eve here on the Jazz Continuum. Weather you're getting gussied up to go out, or laying low for the evening, we're here to present an evening of Feel-Good Music to keep you company. Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 00:30 Terry Pollard “Scrapple From The Apple" from A Detroit Jazz Legend (Fresh Sound Records) 02:15 Yusef Lateef “Eastern Market" from Yusef Lateef's Detroit (Collectables) 07:26 Gunter Baby Sommer ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Pianoless Trios: Sonny Rollins to Ballister

Read "Pianoless Trios: Sonny Rollins to Ballister" reviewed by David Brown


Sonny Rollins is famous for the pianoless trio. He said the lack of chordal instruments gave him more freedom for soloing. Tonight, a smorgasbord of trios sans pianos. Offering lots of space for soloists and collective interplay. Note: Due to a loose board plug, songs two and three play in mono. The issue was resolved during the Ballister track. Adventures in live broadcasting. Playlist Sonny Rollins “A Night in Tunisa" from A Night at the Village Vanguard (Manhattan ...


Engage

Contest Giveaways
Enter our latest contest giveaway sponsored by Calligram Records
Polls & Surveys
Vote for your favorite musicians and participate in our brief surveys.
Publisher's Desk
How To Follow Staff Writers
Read on...

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.