About
Sonny Rollins
Label: Doxy Records
We got him! After literally morethan two decades of trying,
JazzFest has finally been able to
book Sonny Rollins, the
saxophone colossus dubbed “the
last jazz immortal” by The Village
Voice. One of the greatest jazz
artists of all time and still a
master of undiminished power and finesse, Rollins grew up in
New York City during the Harlem
Renaissance. Particularly inspired
by Coleman Hawkins, Rollins
played sax in high school and
was soon working with stars such
as Fats Navarro and Roy Haynes.
After graduating from the
legendary hard-bop Max Roach-
Clifford Brown Quintet, Rollins
became a leader in 1957 and
never looked back. For decades
he has inspired nothing less than
awe in fans and fellow musicians
alike, who revere him for his
dedication to the art of jazz, as
much as his peerless technique
and exhilarating improvisational
skills that allow him to be fully
in the moment and yet shape
extended solos of great
complexity and beauty. And
Rollins still refuses to take things
easy: since 2000 this tenor titan
has won two Grammys, received a
Lifetime Achievement Award from
the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences, and
released 2005’s superb Sonny,
Please on his own Doxy label.
Rollins will be appearing with his
long-time touring band: Clifton
Anderson trombone, Bobby Broom
guitar, Bob Cranshaw bass, Kimati
Dinizulu percussion and Steve Jordan drums.
“Rollins, who has continued to
walk his own course during his
more than 50-year career, is
arguably the greatest saxophone
player since Charlie Parker’s
explosion on the scene in the
‘40s” –Down Beat
Current Lineup
