Bartlett On Bass: SONNY ROLLINS Does It Best..Tenor Sax Extravaganza

Sunday, April 06, 2014

SONNY ROLLINS Does It Best..Tenor Sax Extravaganza

by Bengi Nyman, see link

PHOTO CREDIT: Bengi Nyman cc
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Today, I enjoyed a SONNY ROLLINS's and HERE Video called 'St. Thomas' [thanks ]. I loved it...who wouldn't? Boy, Rollins is great. So, I looked up some more music by Rollins...and loved them ALL. Wanted to know more about him...and, this is what I found. O.K.?
'Sonny Rollin's has been around a long time, born in 1930...so, that's ah...1,2,3,4...ah [pause], 84 years,...yea, right... 84 years. He's written lotsa music, many of his tunes have become jazz stansards, and he plays the tenor sax. Sonny started off, as a child playing the piano and then alto sax before settling down with the tenor sax.
He had some problems in 1950, was arrested for armed robbery...and sent to prison, where he spent 10 months behind bars. And, in '52 alittle more trouble, he violated his parole by using herion. So, he was sent to the FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER IN LEXINGTON, where he volenteered for the then experimental methadone treatment, yea, it worked and he got off herion. I found this quote interesting from WIKIPEDIA..." Rollins himself initially feared sobriety would impair his musicianship, but then went on to greater success."
I read that Rollins admired music of MILES DAVIS and HERE [me too. Jan]. He also 'pioneered' the sound called 'strolling'... or having a pianoless trio...only a bass, some drums and a saxaphonist, the sax doing the lead or soloing for the band. [NOTE: of course, there was no BARTLETT ON BASS, who feels comfortable doing all kinds of soloing...please forgive me for this intruding blurp....just love MY bassman, that's all. Jan].
Well, in the 70's, Rollins became fasinated with the sounds of funk, pop and R. & B. started using electric guitars electric basses in his groups. Even played with THE ROLLING STONES and HERE. ' Right on, Sonny' Jan...'Waiting On A Friend' [thanks ].
In 2001 he won a GRAMMY for his album 'This Is What I Do'[thanks ]...that's 'Best Instrumental Jazz Album'. In 2006, another Grammy, for Instrumental Jazz Solo this time for 'Why Was I Born' [thanks ]. AND, in 2004, received another Grammy for Lifetime Achievement.' Well, I guess so.' Jan
Rollins played at THE KENNEDY CENTER @ the WHITE HOUSE in December of 2011.
From WIKIPEDIA..." In May 2013, Rollins received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City.^{" Jan}
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1.] SONNY ROLLINS;WHAT JAZZ IS, AND WHAT BEING A JAZZ MUSICIAN MEANS. from
2.] WAITING ON A FRIEND, by The Rolling Stones with Sonny Rollins, from
3.] OLEO, by Sonny Rollins, from
4.] ST. THOMAS, by Sonny Rollins, from
5.] SONNY ROLLINS MEETS MILES DAVIS, from
6.] THE BRIDGE, by Sonny Rollins, from
7.] ROUND MIDNIGHT, by Sonny Rollins, from
8.] DOXY, by Sonny Rollins, from
9.] BLUE 7, by Sonny Rollins, from
10.] LIKE EVERYWHERE CALYPSO, by Sonny Rollins, from
11.] TENOR MADNESS by Sonny Rollins, from
12.] THIS IS WHAT I DO, by Sonny Rollins, from
13.] WHY WAS I BORN, by Sonny Rollins, from

I don't know why my computer wouldn't let me continue [propably my one fat shaky finger pushed something somewhere] after that quote from WIKIPEDIA....so, I had to cut it short. Jan