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Sonny Rollins interview NYT 2/21/20


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Very interesting interview, though towards the end it became a bit too much spiritual or philosophical stuff for me, or how you want to call it.  

But it seems that stuff helps Sonny Rollins to Keep alive and not missing the Saxophone and the audience so much. 

He says his pulmonary disease came gradually and he had to stop playing in 2012. Actually, on his last recording I think it was a tune called Professor Paul you can feel he has difficulties blowin, . But with the exception of this one tune he played fantastically until the end of his playing career. 

Interesting the Thing he said About that Quote of "I can do better than you" on "Serpent´s Tooth". Anyway, that record "Collectors Items" is a strange record, not bop, not cool jazz, something between, and it´s strange to hear Bird on Tenor (like on the "Half Nelson Session" from 1947). 

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I thought the interviewer was too combative and challenging.  I enjoyed spending time with Sonny, even if it was just through print.

Question about the picture posted from the Volume II session.  Sonny's sitting, to the right there's a speaker, and on top of that there's a case showing a horn.  Is that J.J.'s trombone?  There was no trumpet on the date.

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4 minutes ago, danasgoodstuff said:

And regardless of what Sonny thinks. if he was going to play on a Stones/ tunes could there be a more perfect one than "Waiting On a Friend"?

I initially preferred "Neighbors" myself, but you know, hearing Sonny Rollins in the mall on multiple occasions is/was a powerful persuader.

Still not sure if he was aware that he was recording a tune called "Slave", though...

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14 hours ago, JSngry said:

I initially preferred "Neighbors" myself, but you know, hearing Sonny Rollins in the mall on multiple occasions is/was a powerful persuader.

Still not sure if he was aware that he was recording a tune called "Slave", though...

You're probably right about that...my understanding is the tunes weren't finished, and Mick danced out what he wanted Sonny to contribute!

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4 hours ago, Shrdlu said:

To Mjzee, yes, that's J.J.'s trombone case, and you can see the trombone bell. 

I just saw the pic today after Mosaic linked to the article. I had not seen that pic before. Other pics from that session are well-known.

Thanks, Shrdlu.  The pic was used on the back of the RVG release of Volume II, but cropped to just above Sonny's head and to the left of the speaker.

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22 hours ago, Quasimado said:

I'm surprised by what he said about his "Tenor Madness" solo. I personally think it's one of his best. It certainly shows Rollins as completely in control of the situation ...

Agreed. I've always wondered if that session became something of a motivation for Coltrane to clean up and get his playing together. How would Rollins have fared, just a few years later, on Giant Steps?

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The unorthodox Thing About that Rollins-Coltrane Encounter is, that though Coltrane was 4 or 5 years older, Rollins was considered more established and it´s often written that Rollins "the master" had to show Coltrane some basics. 

Meanwhile I´m not so sure it was that way. Maybe Rollins was more popular than Trane in 1955/56, but I listen to them two as two of the greatest individualists jazz history had. 

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