Sonny Rollins is Still Here

Sonny Rollins

We have lost so many giants - Miles, Dizzy, Trane, Bird, Monk and on and on.  This Covid-19 scourge has also killed off many of our great senior jazz stars - Lee Konitz (one of the greatest alto sax players in history); Ellis Marsalis (terrific jazz pianist and patriarch of the incredibly talented Marsalis brothers - Brandon on saxophone, Wynton on trumpet, Delfeayo on trombone and Jason on drums); Bucky Pizzarelli (the great jazz guitarist and father of John, another terrific guitarist and vocalist),Wallace Roney (a terrific trumpet player, protege of Miles Davis) and Henry Grimes (first-call bassist who played with everyone, including Monk, Gerry Mulligan and Sonny Rollins).  Many giants of jazz have fallen, but Sonny Rollins is still here - and at 89 years old, he has a lot to say.  This New York Times interview from earlier this year proves that age has not dulled this man's intellect.

I have been a Sonny Rollins fan for a very long time - to me, he is maybe the best tenor guy that ever lived (Trane and Dexter Gordon are right up there, too).   The arc of Sonny's life and the range of his music is unique.  I also had the opportunity to meet him, and actually shared a stage with him, briefly.

Back in the 1970's, the University of California Jazz Ensemble decided to host the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival.  It was a competition for college jazz groups on the west coast.  It went on for 2 or 3 days.  After the college bands played during the day, the UC Jazz Ensembles would back up a guest artist.  The band backed Hubert Laws (flute) Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) Ed Shaughnessy (drums), Earl "Fatha" Hines (piano), Bill Evans (piano), Bobby McFerrin (vocalist) and many others throught the history of the festival.  I was in the UC Jazz Ensemble for four years in the 1970's, and I got to play in the trombone section of the band when we backed up Sonny Rollins.  I remember when he came in with his charts and ran the band through a rehearsal.  He was such a calm, joyful cat!  

One of the tunes Sonny played with the band that night so over 40 years ago was "To A Wild Rose," a beautiful song.  Sonny Rollins brought such tenderness and lyricism to ballads - the guy makes my eyes water.

Unfortunately, Sonny had to put down the sax for good in 2014 due to worsening pulmonary fibrosis He made so much magical music.  It is great that he is still upright in our current "plague time," and his music will live forever even though he can't play any more.