Sonny Rollins

[Troy]

I'm just listening to a 2 CD boxed set named "Silver City." Great stuff! It's a compilation of 25 years on Milestone Records.

There's a lot of stuff on here I hadn't heard. I have a couple of his albums, but there isn't much on them that really grabbed me...except, of course, his incredible tone. It's probably because I'm not that intellectual, so I don't go so much for the straight ahead stuff.

However, on this set there is a great mix and several songs that you purists may not like...but that I enjoy a lot! :)

Anyway, you should check out this set. Especially if you haven't really gotten into Mr. Rollins playing yet. There is something on here for everyone. I'm a fan now!

[rleidle]

Another great cd is The Bridge.

[Troy]

I'm just reading the liner notes and I see that most of the stuff I really like is from a period in the 70s when Mr. Rollins recorded some dance and pop stuff that was not that well-received by some of the critics. But then again, how do these people get to be critics anyway?

I don't care! That's my favorite stuff of his. I'm glad my friend loaned me this set or I would have gone on for who knows how long thinking of Sonny Rollins in a much narrower style. Guess I'm just one of the masses! :) Ah well, it's a good life.

[LennyH]

i just saw Sonny in Philly last Friday night. Wow, what an inspiration. He's still playing at an incredibly high level. The more I learn about and listen to Sonny the more respect I have for him.

Another great album to add to the mix is Freedom Suite.

[Troy]

"Respect" is exactly the word I would use. He really pushes himself and doesn't let anyone else's ideas about what's "right" keep him from doing what he is inspired to do.

[Ritchie]

Rollins started to record for Milestone in 1972 after a six years (!) recording hiatus. Before that he recorded some much more avantgarde stuff for RCA and Impulse. Well, Coltrane died some years before and the avantgarde scene kind of lost their direction, on the other hand rock was gaining popularity, Miles Davis launched fusion. I think many critics expected to hear something very different from Sonny Rollins than what they heard.

Rollins has always been experimenting a lot and had his own concepts about music and improvisation. Reading his biography "Open Sky" I learned, he feels quite uncomfortable with the concept of recording spontaneously improvised music. Maybe that's why none of his recordings (although there are very good ones) catch the atmosphere of his live concerts. If you have the chance to listen to him live, go there! He is still an incredible performer, at an age over 70!

Other great records you may be interested in are his latest two records, "Global Warming" and "This Is What I Do", and if you want to explore more, listen to some of his older recordings, "A Night At The Village Vanguard", "Saxophone Colossus", "Way Out West".

[rollen]

Lenny.

That was amazing wasn't it?

What did you think about the acoustics? I was in a 2nd level box and thought it was tough to hear Sonny on the first set. The second set was much better.

[LennyH]

Hi rollen,

I was right next to the mixing board. The sound was rough in the beginning (did they actually do a sound check?) but they did get it under control . It improved a lot over the first 5 minutes or so and then got better as the set went on. I saw Sonny a couple of years ago at the Keswich. That was a good show as well, but I though Sonny was a bit more adventurous this time (maybe because of the band change, esp. losing the piano). He did not do an encore last time, but this time the crowd was a lot more insistant. Did you get the feeling Sonny was a little suprised by the crowd reaction?

I thought the Kimmel Center was amazing. What a place to see jazz.

[rollen]

Lenny,

He did seem a bit suprised by the the ovations. He's a master, and he definitely deserves it.

I thought it was cool when he said that there will definitely be a "next time".

The Kimmel Center is definitely a great venue. There doesn't seem to be a bad seat. It's also very convenient. It appears to be set up to handle a capacity crowd very comfortably. We sat in the 2nd level boxes. The mixing board was directly to the left of our seats.

Not sure about the sound check. They were playing CD's through the sound system prior to the show.

[brickboo]

I heard something of Rollins way back in the 60's. It sounded like someome recorded him practicing. I hated it. Then maybe 8 years or so ago I bought a CD at Hastings of Rollins. Same experience. I thought he couldn't play. Everything I heard up to that time sounded like he was practicing.

About 5 years ago I traveled to Glenwood Springs Colo to hear him live. I found out he can play. A few minutes ago I heard him on a CD with Miles Davis playing "It's only a Paper Moon." On this one he must squeak 50 times on maybe a two chorus solo. That's maybe two or three times more squeaks than I've heard so far on any Getz's recordings.

I don't play anywhere near the level of these two guys, but I haven't squeaked that much in over 20 years of weekend playing and some 6 night stands running for some months at a time. What I want to know is why would such a great player allow this stuff to be recorded and sold. Squeaks are very amaturish, not to mention distracting and embrassing. This is something I can't figure out .

Please don't tell me some guys like the sound of one squeak let along a bunch of squeaks. When you squeak you sound like I did the first month I started playing clarinet many moons ago.

Then I listen to Rollins play "On a Slow Boat To China" and I can't imagine that he'd be capable of a squeak. It makes me wonder what were they fooling with (smoking) at the time that this happened.

So far I haven't heard a numerous amout of distracting squeaks on any Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin or Coltrane tunes. If you know of any tunes where any of these threeguys squeak this excessively please tell me the tune. I'd like to checkit out.

[SonnyMurphy]

Interesting that you should mention Sonny's "Paper Moon" solo - I remember reading somewhere that Sonny was haunted with regrets about it. The thing is, his playing on it is very good; for me good enough that I barely give the squeaks a thought. Then I read somewhere that tenorman John Gilmore was especially inspired by that solo. So, to each his own.
My guess is that Miles was in a state of mind during that session where
inspiration took precedence over perfection - or maybe he liked his own solo too much to do another take!
Sonny covers a tremendous gamut of style, sound, and feel throughout his career - I love most of it, am indifferent to some of it, and once in awhile can't bear to hear it...

[LennyH]

brickboo,

I don't own that recording ("It's only a Paper Moon"). I've got the Miles Prestige box set here at work and it's not on there. I'd recommend getting some more Sonny Rollins stuff. He's a monster. Try Saxophone Colossus, Way Out West or Tenor Madness.

Sonny does squeak or chirp sometimes. I'd say he probably does it on everything I own, but hardly enough to be bothersome, imo

Lenny

[SonnyMurphy]

Brickboo,
Ditto with Lenny:
Saxophone Colossus, Tenor Madness, also the Sound of Sonny, etc. - saxophone playing doesn't get any better....

[JS]

Brickboo,
Did you read the liner notes to Miles Davis' CD, "Dig", the one with "Paper Moon" on it - Sonny was having a ton of saxophone problems that day (both reeds and horn troubles) - J. R. Montrose lent Sonny his tenor mid-way through the session!
Anyway...don't let that one recording soil your opinion of Sonny Rollins...check out the "Live at The Village Vanguard" recordings...

[Homer Simpson]

My favorite solo will have to be "it could happen to you."
:D No accompaniment at all. I like this song more than "Body and soul"

Has anyone heard "The solo Album?"

[Josh]

My brother has the solo album.

[Homer Simpson]

Josh,

Have you had a chance to listen to the 'Solo Album?' If not, what's your brother's opinion of it?
:?:

[Josh]

I have heard it and I think it's great, but not quite as good as I would think it was had I not seen the "Saxophone Colossus" movie (he plays a few of the same things). My brother loves it and he's more of a fan of more recent Sonny than I am.