Sonny Rollins is not only the most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop eras, but also one of the greatest jazz saxophonists of all time. In a career that spanned more than 70 years, Sonny thrilled millions of fans around the world, and recorded north of sixty albums! As a composer, a number of his compositions have become jazz standards … as a musician, he has been called “the greatest living improviser” and has even been referred to as “the real Charlie Parker.”
Speaking of standards (below top) sample some 1965 Rollins on There Will Never Be Another You, together with Alan Dawson on drums and the great Niel Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP) playing bass … in concert, in Denmark.
Sonny Rollins poked a toe into several musical genres including Pop Country … tunes like “I’m an Old Cowhand” and Tennessee Waltz (middle left) recorded in Munich in 1992 … no Patti Page here. The sextet includes Clifton Anderson (tb), Mark Soskin (p), Jerome Harris (g), Bob Cranshaw (b), and Yoron Israel (d). The familiar Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (bottom left) recorded in Prague in 1982, adds Masuo and Bobby Broom (g), Lincoln Goins (b), and Tommy Campbell (d), to Sonny’s tenor.
