Sonny Rollins – The Jazz Tome

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Theodore Walter Rollins started out on alto but changed to the tenor saxophone when he was 16. He was already playing in high-school bands, with Jackie McLean and Kenny Drew, and he made his first records in 1949 as a sideman. For the next five years he built up a portfolio of work on the New York scene, in the company of Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Bud Powell, J J Johnson and Thelonious Monk, and particularly with Miles Davis, both on record and on live dates. His progress was hampered somewhat by a dependence on drugs, but the youthful Rollins already had his huge, almost gleaming sound in place: where saxophonists often sought to mellow their timbre, Rollins, perhaps following Parker's example, tried to harden and intensify his tone, giving it an almost metallic bite. During this period he composed a handful of tunes – Oleo, Airegin and Doxy – which would enter the jazz repertory, although since then he has shown a seeming reluctance to write many more. He joined the Clifford Brown–Max Roach quintet in 1955, and while there embarked on his own recordings, for Prestige, Blue Note and Contemporary. In the space of an amazing two-year period, from December 1955 to November 1957, he set down 12 albums under his own name which contain perhaps the single most sustained, creative saxophone playing anywhere in jazz on record: taking in such milestones as Work Time, Saxophone Colossus, Tenor Madness and Tour de Force for Prestige, Newk's Time and A Night At The Village Vanguard for Blue Note, and Way Out West for Contemporary, it showed his appetite for playing to be immense, his improvisational powers unquenchable. Gunther Schuller undertook a celebrated analysis of his solo on Blue Seven from Saxophone Colossus, which proclaimed Rollins to be the creator of a new kind of thematic improvising, where the soloist builds an improvisation out of motifs drawn from the melodic theme, rather than merely taking off from the chord sequence. This was in part true, although much of what the saxophonist was playing didn't depart dramatically from the boppers' use of improvising formulae: he simply did it with a greater degree of sophistication and ever-more rhythmic ingenuity. Coupled with his ironclad sound, it makes his playing from this period almost overwhelming in its exultant intensity: as Coltrane would with Elvin Jones, Rollins loved to spar with his drummers, and his work with Roach and with Philly Joe Jones on Newk's Time is tumultuous in its exhilaration. The music on the date at The Village Vanguard is fine enough to make one miserable at the thought of how many more live sessions with Rollins could have been taken down, and weren't. There was also his choice of material: bored with many of the overplayed standards, and gifted with a sometimes impish sense of humour, Sonny picked out tunes which nobody else thought of playing, including How Are Things In Glocca Morra, There's No Business Like Show Business and Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody. And he came out with a political statement of sorts, though an unspecific one, in Freedom Suite (1958), the title piece of which was perhaps his last major piece of composing. Saxophonists everywhere were in awe and despair of his talent.

In some ways, so was Rollins. Dissatisfied with many of his sidemen and with much in his own playing, he went into a period of seclusion in 1959 and didn't play again in public for two years, although he did spend time practising in the open air, on the Williamsburg Bridge. At the end of 1961 he returned, set up a new group with Jim Hall, and began making records for RCA (including a meeting with Coleman Hawkins). He listened to the avant-garde and briefly worked with Don Cherry, but it wasn't really for him, and he spent much of the 60s in what seemed like a state of indecision, although his work on the soundtrack to Alfie (1965) was still little short of marvellous. He finally went on another period of retreat, during 1969–71, before signing a new contract with Milestone which has lasted to this day. He has recorded prolifically enough for them, mostly on his own account: aside from a brief tour with the Milestone Jazzstars in 1978 (with McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter and Al Foster) he has worked as his own master, touring in bands which function effectively as backdrops for his own playing, and which have included such sidemen as Clifton Anderson, Mark Soskin, Victor Bailey and Stephen Scott. It has been a commonplace to encounter criticism of the post-1971 Rollins as a diminished player, and while the Olympian achievements of the middle 50s haven't been repeated, it would be unfair to expect that they would be. In fact, particularly in live performance, much of the old Rollins remained intact all through the 70s, 80s and 90s: on a good night, a grand improvisation would break away from the moorings of his accompanists and restore all his musical eminence. Many of the Milestone studio recordings have been comparatively prosaic and well-mannered, although his first record of the new century, This Is What I Do (2000), was a triumphant reminder of his mastery of the saxophone, even in his 70s. But there may be little more to come from him now: he has declared an intention to retire at 75 (and possibly write a long-awaited autobiography), and, on a sadder note, the death of his wife Lucille at the end of 2004 may have made his mind up for him.

Biography from Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia (2005).

If you'd like more information, check out The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002) or The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (2007), both of which are still in print.

◆Outside Links

As leader

Sonny Rollins – Worktime
Sonny Rollins – With the Modern Jazz Quartet
Sonny Rollins – Plus Four
Sonny Rollins Quartet – Tenor Madness
Sonny Rollins – Sonny Rollins, Volume One
Sonny Rollins – Sonny Rollins, Volume Two
Sonny Rollins – Way Out West
Sonny Rollins – Moving Out
Thelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus
Sonny Rollins – Rollins Plays for Bird
Sonny Rollins – The Sound of Sonny
Sonny Rollins – A Night at the Village Vanguard
Sonny Rollins – Tour De Force
Sonny Rollins – Freedom Suite
Sonny Rollins – Newk’s Time
Sonny Rollins – And the Contemporary Leaders

Plays on

Bud Powell – The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume One
Clifford Brown and Max Roach – At Basin Street
Miles Davis – Dig
Various Artists – Conception
J.J. Johnson / Kai Winding / Bennie Green – Trombone By Three
Miles Davis – Miles Davis and Horns
Miles Davis – Collectors’ Items
Thelonious Monk – Monk
Fats Navarro – The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Volume One
Fats Navarro – The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Volume Two
Max Roach – Plus Four
Max Roach – Jazz in 3/4 Time
Miles Davis – Bags Groove
Thelonious Monk – Brilliant Corners
Kenny Dorham – Jazz Contrasts
Various Artists – Blues for Tomorrow

Mentioned in text

Miles Davis – The Musings of Miles
Kenny Dorham – And the Jazz Prophets, Volume One
Red Rodney Quintet – Modern Music from Chicago
Modern Jazz Sextet – The Modern Jazz Sextet
Miles Davis Quintet – Miles
Elmo Hope – Hope Meets Foster
Miles Davis / Milt Jackson – Quintet / Sextet
Jackie McLean Quintet – Lights Out!
Tadd Dameron – Fontainebleau
Jackie McLean – 4, 5, and 6
Hank Mobley – Mobley’s Message
Lucky Thompson & Oscar Pettiford – Vol. 2
Charles Mingus – The Clown
John Lewis and Sacha Distel – Afternoon in Paris
Johnny Griffin – Introducing Johnny Griffin
J.R. Monterose – J.R. Monterose
Hank Mobley – With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan
Lou Donaldson Quintet – Wailing With Lou
Cliff Jordan / John Gilmore – Blowing In From Chicago
Hank Mobley Quintet – Hank Mobley Quintet
Horace Silver – The Stylings of Silver
Curtis Fuller – The Opener
Paul Chambers – Bass On Top
Bud Powell – Bud! The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume Three
J.J. Johnson – First Place
The Jazz Messengers – Hard Bop
Curtis Counce – The Curtis Counce Group
Curtis Counce – You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce
Bob Brookmeyer Quintet – Traditionalism Revisited
Art Farmer / Donald Byrd – Two Trumpets
Freddie Redd / Hamp Hawes – Piano East / Piano West
Jackie McLean Quintet – Jackie’s Pal
Tadd Dameron / John Coltrane – Mating Call
Prestige All-Stars – All Night Long
Hank Mobley / Al Cohn / John Coltrane / Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave
Sonny Stitt – Kaleidoscope
Prestige All-Stars – All Day Long
Thad Jones / Frank Wess / Teddy Charles / Mal Waldron / Doug Watkins / Elvin Jones – Olio
Art Farmer – When Farmer Met Gryce
Mose Allison – Back Country Suite
Miles Davis Quintet – Cookin’
Ray Bryant Trio – Piano Piano Piano
John Coltrane – Coltrane
Curtis Fuller – New Trombone
Gene Ammons – Jammin’ In Hi Fi
Idrees Sulieman / Webster Young / John Coltrane / Bobby Jaspar – Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors
Red Garland – Groovy
Phil Woods / Gene Quill / Sahib Shihab / Hal Stein – Four Altos
Art Taylor – Taylor’s Wailers
Kenny Drew – Kenny Drew Trio
Coleman Hawkins – The Hawk Flies High
Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Himself
Kenny Drew – This Is New
Thelonious Monk – Monk’s Music
Thelonious Monk – Mulligan Meets Monk
Jimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume One
Jimmy Smith – At The Organ, Volume Two
Paul Chambers – Paul Chambers Quintet
Cliff Jordan – Cliff Jordan
Hank Mobley – Hank Mobley
Sonny Clark – Dial “S” For Sonny
Curtis Fuller – Bone & Bari
John Jenkins / Kenny Burrell – John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell
Lee Morgan – City Lights
Sonny Clark – Sonny’s Crib
John Coltrane – Blue Train
Sonny Clark – Sonny Clark Trio
Johnny Griffin – The Congregation
Cliff Jordan – Cliff Craft
Louis Smith – Here Comes Louis Smith
Bennie Green – Back on the Scene
Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’
Horace Silver Quintet – Further Explorations
Lee Morgan – Candy
Louis Smith – Smithville
Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
Kenny Burrell – Blue Lights, Volume One
Miles Davis – Milestones
Red Mitchell – Presenting Red Mitchell
Hampton Hawes Quartet – All Night Session! Vols. 1-3
Bill Holman – The Fabulous Bill Holman
George Wallington Quintet – The Prestidigitator
Jackie McLean / John Jenkins – Alto Madness
John Coltrane – Traneing In
Steve Lacy – Soprano Sax
Miles Davis Quintet – Relaxin’
Red Garland Quintet – All Mornin’ Long
Tiny Grimes with Coleman Hawkins – Blues Groove
Tiny Grimes & J.C. Higginbotham – Callin’ The Blues
Prestige Blues-Swingers – Outskirts of Town
Freddy Redd Trio – San Francisco Suite for Jazz Trio
Johnny Griffin – Johnny Griffin Sextet
Pepper Adams – 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot
Thelonious Monk Quartet – Misterioso
Max Roach – Deeds, Not Words
Bud Powell Trio – Blues in the Closet
Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come
Dizzy Reece – Blues in Trinity
Donald Byrd – Off to the Races
Jimmy Smith – The Sermon
Jackie McLean – New Soil
Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um
John Coltrane – Soultrane
Wynton Kelly – Kelly Blue
Ornette Coleman – Change of the Century
Donald Byrd – Byrd in Hand
Kenny Burrell – On View at the Five Spot Cafe
Jackie McLean – Swing Swang Swingin’
Donald Byrd – Fuego
Freddie Redd Quartet – Music from The Connection
Jimmy Smith – Crazy! Baby
Hank Mobley – Soul Station
Stanley Turrentine – Look Out!
Freddie Hubbard – Open Sesame
Tina Brooks – True Blue
Harold Land – The Fox
Jackie McLean – Makin’ the Changes
Eric Dolphy – Outward Bound
Bill Evans Trio – Portrait in Jazz
Wes Montgomery – The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Booker Little – Booker Little
John Coltrane – Giant Steps
John Coltrane – Coltrane Jazz
Curtis Fuller – Curtis Fuller, Volume Three
Kenny Burrell – Blue Lights, Volume Two
Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth
John Coltrane – Coltrane Plays the Blues
Jimmy Woods – Awakening!!
Eric Dolphy – Far Cry
Gil Evans Orchestra – Into The Hot
Milt Jackson Quartet – Statements
Bill Evans – Interplay
Charles Mingus – Town Hall Concert, 1964
Joe Henderson – The Kicker
Barney Kessel – Feeling Free
Miles Davis – And the Modern Jazz Giants
Joe Henderson – Power to the People
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
Jimmy Heath – Picture of Heath
Dexter Gordon – Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard
Don Cherry – Brown Rice
Houston Person – The Big Horn
Tommy Flanagan – Ballads & Blues
Richard Davis – Way Out West