Sonny Rollins (big) biography..."Saxophone Colossus", life & music, Jan 2023

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Published here by Hachette on January 19, 2023, £30, 784 pages:

Author, Aidan Levy.

"Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself, family members, friends, and collaborators, as well as Rollins’ extensive personal archive, Saxophone Colossus is the comprehensive portrait of this legendary saxophonist and composer, civil rights activist and environmentalist. A child of the Harlem Renaissance, Rollins’ precocious talent landed him on the bandstand and in the recording studio with Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, or playing opposite Billie Holiday. An icon in his own right, he recorded Tenor Madness, featuring John Coltrane; Way Out West; Freedom Suite, the first civil rights-themed album of the hard bop era; A Night at the Village Vanguard; and the 1956 classic Saxophone Colossus.

Yet his meteoric rise to fame was not without its challenges. He served two sentences on Rikers Island and won his battle with heroin addiction. In 1959, Rollins took a two-year sabbatical from recording and performing, practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge. In 1968, he left again to study at an ashram in India. He returned to performing from 1971 until his retirement in 2012.

The story of Sonny Rollins-innovative, unpredictable, larger than life-is the story of jazz itself, and Sonny’s own narrative is as timeless and timely as the art form he represents. Part jazz oral history told in the musicians’ own words, part chronicle of one man’s quest for social justice and spiritual enlightenment, this is the definitive biography of one of the most enduring and influential artists in jazz and American history."

Looks worthwhile and first words from our American friends (Organissimo) are favourable. I will treat myself and one other. It's a big one.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Sonny Rollins trio - Henry Grimes, Specs Wright, "What's my name" from 1957/8? A trio track from the Big Brass album, often overlooked, but a favourite.

http://youtu.be/Zq6jqqYjUrM

[francisco]

The book is reviewed on the marlbank daily jazz blog - https://www.marlbank.net/posts/saxop...y-aidan-levy-1

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Thanks for that!

Here's an excerpt from Ben Ratliff's review in the New York Times, it does look an impressive piece of work, comparable to R Kelly's book on Monk, and thankfully, not a hagiography. Far too many of those. So, off to Waterstones I go, hi ho...

(Hoping Elmo Hope gets a look in as they were associates at one time)

"The other is an image of Rollins in company with others, but not only the fellow Olympians he recorded and toured with, and befriended — Charlie Parker, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown and so forth. Those people are all here, but so are a much broader set of musicians and listeners Rollins knew from jam sessions, private lessons, short-term collaborations and long-term correspondences. Here are the singer Ahmad Basheer, the euphonium player Kiane Zawadi, the drummer Ike Day, the trumpeter Charles Tolliver, the saxophonists Bennie Maupin and David S. Ware; the painters Prophet Jennings and Gertrude Abercrombie, the journalist Randi Hultin. Take the time to know them, this book implies, because Rollins did. At least until the mid-1970s, after which he shifted into a quieter lifestyle in upstate New York with his wife, Lucille, Rollins hung out. Even during busy periods he put in long hours jamming in lofts and rehearsal spaces, with musicians far below his level of achievement. Growth mind-set, yes, this man had it. But not growth toward a material endpoint. He changed up his bands so many times that a reader of this book may grow fatigued clocking all the changes. It may not be crazy to assume that for Rollins, reconfiguring his bands became part of a spiritual daily practice..."

[elmo]

Thanks for that!

Here's an excerpt from Ben Ratliff's review in the New York Times, it does look an impressive piece of work, comparable to R Kelly's book on Monk, and thankfully, not a hagiography. Far too many of those. So, off to Waterstones I go, hi ho...

(Hoping Elmo Hope gets a look in as they were associates at one time)

"The other is an image of Rollins in company with others, but not only the fellow Olympians he recorded and toured with, and befriended — Charlie Parker, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown and so forth. Those people are all here, but so are a much broader set of musicians and listeners Rollins knew from jam sessions, private lessons, short-term collaborations and long-term correspondences. Here are the singer Ahmad Basheer, the euphonium player Kiane Zawadi, the drummer Ike Day, the trumpeter Charles Tolliver, the saxophonists Bennie Maupin and David S. Ware; the painters Prophet Jennings and Gertrude Abercrombie, the journalist Randi Hultin. Take the time to know them, this book implies, because Rollins did. At least until the mid-1970s, after which he shifted into a quieter lifestyle in upstate New York with his wife, Lucille, Rollins hung out. Even during busy periods he put in long hours jamming in lofts and rehearsal spaces, with musicians far below his level of achievement. Growth mind-set, yes, this man had it. But not growth toward a material endpoint. He changed up his bands so many times that a reader of this book may grow fatigued clocking all the changes. It may not be crazy to assume that for Rollins, reconfiguring his bands became part of a spiritual daily practice..."

Bluesie Lots of good reviews of this. You say you are getting a copy, what's your opinion? and is there any mention of Elmo?

elmo

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Hi, I haven't got a copy yet, will hopefully order on Monday. I imagine Elmo Hope must be in there somewhere as he and Sonny spent time together on Rikers Island (prison) in the early 1950s and where they co-composed appropriately, "Carving the Rock", here by Clifford, Elmo and Lou Donaldson in 1953...

http://youtu.be/D4WgAFePlDU

[Ian Thumwood]

Hi, I haven't got a copy yet, will hopefully order on Monday. I imagine Elmo Hope must be in there somewhere as he and Sonny spent time together on Rikers Island (prison) in the early 1950s and where they co-composed appropriately, "Carving the Rock", here by Clifford, Elmo and Lou Donaldson in 1953...

http://youtu.be/D4WgAFePlDU

I think that there is a massive gap between the quality of the Clifford Brown memorial album and the stuff recorded with Max Roach. I have been playing thelatter disc in my car this week and I just think that the music is sensational. The fact that Brown died so young does tend to give a false impression of his work. Roach's group seems lightyears away from the nascent Hard Bop on the Blue Note disc where the most interesting element is in fact Elmo Hope's piano playing. The rest of it always struck me as being pretty average(especially given the calibre of the sidemen) and a disappointment once you are aware of Brown's work with Max Roach. I have always felt that , had he lived, Clifford Brown would have become far more adventurous and that it would have been the albums he would have made in the eary 1960s which would be the ones cherished by fans and the Blue Note disc probably relegated in their affections. I am pretty sure he would have ended up in a similar sound world to Booker Little. I cannot see Brown being an out and out Hard Bop kind of musician and think that he would ultimately have sought out musicians like Eric Dolphy to work with. As it is, he died tragically young and albums like the Blue Note memorial album get seen as helping define his career when they would have otherwise been considered fledgling works. The "memorial" album title is effectively very misleading. For me, it is one of the least pleasing Blue Note recordings but would have to say that I think the label only really started to become consistent from about 1957 onwards. Prior to this date, I would have to say that it is untypical stuff like Bechet, Monk and Nichols where their releases were of high calibre.

[Serial_Apologist]

I think that there is a massive gap between the quality of the Clifford Brown memorial album and the stuff recorded with Max Roach. I have been playing thelatter disc in my car this week and I just think that the music is sensational. The fact that Brown died so young does tend to give a false impression of his work. Roach's group seems lightyears away from the nascent Hard Bop on the Blue Note disc where the most interesting element is in fact Elmo Hope's piano playing. The rest of it always struck me as being pretty average(especially given the calibre of the sidemen) and a disappointment once you are aware of Brown's work with Max Roach. I have always felt that , had he lived, Clifford Brown would have become far more adventurous and that it would have been the albums he would have made in the eary 1960s which would be the ones cherished by fans and the Blue Note disc probably relegated in their affections. I am pretty sure he would have ended up in a similar sound world to Booker Little. I cannot see Brown being an out and out Hard Bop kind of musician and think that he would ultimately have sought out musicians like Eric Dolphy to work with. As it is, he died tragically young and albums like the Blue Note memorial album get seen as helping define his career when they would have otherwise been considered fledgling works. The "memorial" album title is effectively very misleading. For me, it is one of the least pleasing Blue Note recordings but would have to say that I think the label only really started to become consistent from about 1957 onwards. Prior to this date, I would have to say that it is untypical stuff like Bechet, Monk and Nichols where their releases were of high calibre.

The LP in my possession is the one titled Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street, recorded for EmArcy on Jan 4 and Feb 16/17 1956, just 4 month's before the trumpeter's death. Reasonable album liner by Dan Morgernstern, but I long had the feeling based on this recording that Clifford Brown represented a cleaned-up succession to Fats Navarro. I long preferred the clumsier but earthier Fats as the Bop era alternative to Diz and Miles - Clifford seemed too perfected, too sanitized to leave room for further advance in his terms - it would take players of the next generation - Lee Morgan to re-discover that Fatsian edge of danger, Freddie Hubbard to incorporate Trane's modal advances, Kenny Dorham to fully find his voice (others here I know will disagree with me re Dorham) - to evolve modern trumpet to its next stage. Then one day when I was in a record shop, flipping through the sections, a fellow purchaser had requested this amazing live recording, which was taking hard bop into a higher dimension, almost to where Miles would be around 1963 in the famous Antibes recording with George Coleman. Who could this possibly be? Geoff, the shop owner, told me to my astonishment that this was the Clifford Brown/Max Roach band. I judged the greater risks being taken in live performance being down to just that. Searching through the few jazz books in my ownership I could find no reference to the Brown/Roach Quintet ever having recorded live; the advent since of internet search options would today probably lead me to the answer I was briefly seeking back then, but subsequent concentrating on jazz post-1960 has not led me back to that particular question, even though fine trumpet players I happen to know, including Henry Lowther, swear by Clifford Brown and his importance for them as an influence.

[Ian Thumwood]

I feel that a lot of jazz from the early to mid 1950s is about direction of travel. I am not too familiar with Fat Navarro who I largely know from his work with Tadd Dameron who I really admire. Most "modern" jazz artists who followed in the wake of Bird did their best work after around 1957. This applies to the likes of Rollins, Davis, Coltrane and Kenny Dorham. For a brief period, I feel that the major strides in jazz in the 1950s were being made my composers or people who had a different perception of jazz. I would include the likes of Monk, Nichols., Mingus, etc as obvious examples but the list would also have to include rhe likes of Gil Evans, Lennie Tristano, Duke Ellington and the arrangers initially writing for Basie's New Testament band. You have to fit Brown into this context and realise that stuff like the Blue Note disc and the recording made with the West coast unit were made by an extremely young musician who would have grown out of those kinds of concepts as he reached maturity.

You just have to think about Sonny Rollins whose stature seemed to grow after the late 50s and into the 60s. I don't doubt that Clifford Brown would not have followed a similar path. We never really heard what Brown was capable of and there is no reason to suggest that he could not have been an interesting as Dorham albeit I feel that the latter had another string to his bow as a really good composer.

The last Rollins record I bought was the session where he met Coleman Hawkins. This is another record with a somewhat elevated reputation with Rollins' playing being almost unlistenable in some instances. i believe most of the musicians apart from Hawkins were off their heads on acid when they made the record. For me, Rollins is someone you can always rely on and is a compelling improviser. In this instance, I have to admit that his tone is shot and the efforts to embrace the "new thing" seem totally out of context in the situation. I still think "The bridge" is probably his best effort and it was tragic that this quartet only made the one record. Wish they had made more.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I feel that a lot of jazz from the early to mid 1950s is about direction of travel. I am not too familiar with Fat Navarro who I largely know from his work with Tadd Dameron who I really admire. Most "modern" jazz artists who followed in the wake of Bird did their best work after around 1957. This applies to the likes of Rollins, Davis, Coltrane and Kenny Dorham. For a brief period, I feel that the major strides in jazz in the 1950s were being made my composers or people who had a different perception of jazz. I would include the likes of Monk, Nichols., Mingus, etc as obvious examples but the list would also have to include rhe likes of Gil Evans, Lennie Tristano, Duke Ellington and the arrangers initially writing for Basie's New Testament band. You have to fit Brown into this context and realise that stuff like the Blue Note disc and the recording made with the West coast unit were made by an extremely young musician who would have grown out of those kinds of concepts as he reached maturity.

You just have to think about Sonny Rollins whose stature seemed to grow after the late 50s and into the 60s. I don't doubt that Clifford Brown would not have followed a similar path. We never really heard what Brown was capable of and there is no reason to suggest that he could not have been an interesting as Dorham albeit I feel that the latter had another string to his bow as a really good composer.

The last Rollins record I bought was the session where he met Coleman Hawkins. This is another record with a somewhat elevated reputation with Rollins' playing being almost unlistenable in some instances. i believe most of the musicians apart from Hawkins were off their heads on acid when they made the record. For me, Rollins is someone you can always rely on and is a compelling improviser. In this instance, I have to admit that his tone is shot and the efforts to embrace the "new thing" seem totally out of context in the situation. I still think "The bridge" is probably his best effort and it was tragic that this quartet only made the one record. Wish they had made more.

Just briefly, I'd defer to the judgement of Rollins and Roach on Clifford Brown, and the traumatic effect of his death on both of them and many many others. Benny Golson who said fellow musicians were stunned. And indeed Lee Morgan who distanced himself from his own earlier Bluenote dates where as he said he was largely imitating Clifford.

To me it's the melodic facility and absolute joy of Brown's playing. Few others invoke this, except maybe (for me) Ornette on the Atlantic sides. The Roach sides with Land and Rollins are classics (and incidentally where Harold Land certainly more than holds his own). Where Brown would have gone later no one knows, futile, but he left such a wonderful legacy.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Clifford Brown interview live, the only one I think. Thoughts on Fats Navarro, Miles, Eldridge etc...

http://youtu.be/U2Mnglpysuo

[elmo]

Hi, I haven't got a copy yet, will hopefully order on Monday. I imagine Elmo Hope must be in there somewhere as he and Sonny spent time together on Rikers Island (prison) in the early 1950s and where they co-composed appropriately, "Carving the Rock", here by Clifford, Elmo and Lou Donaldson in 1953...

http://youtu.be/D4WgAFePlDU

I like that tune, the trio version is good too. It would be interesting to find out more about the quartet with Elmo, Scott LaFaro and Lennie McBrowne that Sonny put together to play the "Jazz Workshop" in 1958. After that gig Harold Land took that trio to Vancouver to play the Cellar Club, Harold said that Elmo played some of the greatest piano he had heard at those gigs. A rather poorly recorded session was taped at that gig, here is a track

https://youtu.be/LwPvWUxitxo

elmo

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Yep, I've got that CD. It's a shame the sound isn't better and the balance is off, but it's still worth listening to.

Heres a 1hr 40 overview of Sonny and the book with its author, Aiden Levy. Again, the format isn't great and some sound issues, but he really seems to understand Sonny, his life and context. As he did seven years of research, he should!

http://youtu.be/ykRcqAb1JgE

[Jazzrook]

Sonny Rollins interview with Bret Primack(Jazz Video Guy):

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=iDF8xC6Ats8

JR

[bluestateprommer]

Perhaps a bit off-topic, but this NYT article on Art Kane's classic picture "Harlem 1958" features reminiscences from Sonny Rollins, as he is the last man standing among the musicians in the picture:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/12/09/arts/music/harlem-jazz-sonny-rollins.html

(Now that I think about it, I wonder about the kids in the picture.)